GUNNISON, Colo.  While a tie wasn't the desired result, Western Colorado soccer did pick up another point in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with its 1-1 draw against visiting Colorado State University Pueblo on a chilly Friday night under the lights at Katy O. Rady Field.

The result also kept the Mountaineers unbeaten in league play, continuing a trend of 'firsts in program history.'

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western ties CSU Pueblo, 1-1
Records: Western 3-4-3 overall (2-0-2 RMAC), CSUP 2-6-3 (1-3-1)
Location: Katy O. Rady Field, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It wasn't as if there were tons of dangerous scoring chances, but two of those happened nearly back-to-back with each team finding the netting and both coming off free kicks.
• Jordan Welsh drew a foul just outside the ThunderWolves' box late in the 33rd minute, providing Natsuki Murakami the opportunity to break a scoreless tie.
• From not quite 25 yards out, Murakami lofted her free kick over Pueblo's five-player wall and as it arced under the crossbar CSUP goalkeeper Elaina Leitner could get nothing more than the fingertips of her gloves on the ball as it sailed to the back of the goal for a 1-0 Western Colorado lead at the 34:14 mark of the half.
• But just a bit longer than two minutes later, a foul on Ellie Kubena presented the ThunderWolves with a chance for the equalizer. Jerzie Troost stepped hard into a shot from 30 yards that was beyond the reach of Western goalie Aubree Orosco as it lined its way top shelf, right corner.
• The teams went into the halftime break knotted a 1-1 with each team scoring on its only shot on frame in the half.
• Second-half play opened up more than in the first 45 minutes as each team found an increase in opportunities through turnovers and quick transitions, or solid passing over the top or runs along the touch lines.
• Western would ramp up from two first-half shots to six in the second half, while Pueblo would tally eight shots over the final 45.
• Both the Mountaineers and ThunderWolves would register three shots each on goal in the second half, with Orosco and Leitner denying every one of those chances.
• Western would earn one last corner kick in the waning seconds but time would run out before it could put the ball in play.

TURF NOTES

• Western looks to play a possession game to create chances, and it would finish with a 63 to 37 percent edge in possession for the game.
• The Mountaineers would also earn seven corners, to just two for Pueblo, but none of those set pieces would result in a goal.
• Orosco and Leitner would finish with identical marks on the night, each making three saves and each surrendering one free kick goal.
• Western has never pushed this far into a season with an unbeaten RMAC record. The draw gives the Mountaineers eight points in conference play and keeps them alone in fifth place in the RMAC standings.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT

• The road to remaining unbeaten, though, toughens with Western's next outing, a Sunday matchup at Rady Field against Colorado School of Mines (10-0-1, 4-0-1 RMAC), the top-ranked team in Division II soccer.
• The noontime game against the Orediggers is Western's Pink Game, bringing attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.