GUNNISON, Colo.  Jordan Welsh opened and closed the scoring Sunday afternoon in Western Colorado's 2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over visiting Colorado Christian University.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. CCU, 2-1
Records: 2-12-4 overall (2-5-4 RMAC), CCU 2-8-6 (1-5-5)
Location: Katy O. Rady Field, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams pressured early with CCU getting two shots off and Western registering three shots in the opening 15 minutes of action, but it were the Mountaineers who were able to maintain an attacking presence as they popped off the next five shots in the game.
• The goal was finally breached in the 37th minute when Lauren Kindt fought off a defender at midfield and threaded a long pass toward the right corner of the box where Sarah Connolly chased it down.
• Five yards from the endline Connolly sent a centering pass across the goal mouth where Welsh had broken open and peppered a one-timer into the right side of the Cougars net for the game's opening marker.
• CCU came out of the halftime break and took away that momentum, its third consecutive shot in the half being the charm as Justine Moreau found the equalizer with a goal in the 56th.
• Neither team generated anything dangerous for 15 minutes, until Natsuki Murakami stepped in front of a Cougar connection just past midfield and forwarded possession to Cianna Thomas.
• Eventually that possession ended up at Riley Richardson's feet and with one quick deke of a defender threaded a pass ahead to her right where Welsh one-timed a right foot shoot past the charging Cougar goalkeeper for what would prove to be the game-winning goal.
• Colorado Christian pressed heavily into its attacking third over the final 14 minutes, at one point generating three shots and a trio of corner kick opportunities only to be turned away each time.

RMAC PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
While not moving the Mountaineers into one of the eight slots for the RMAC postseason tournament, it did move Western closer to the eighth and final spot. Tied with MSU Denver in ninth, Western must win its final regular season game Wednesday against visiting Fort Lewis College (7-2-1 RMAC) while needing negative results from Adams State and MSU Denver in their final games.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT
The home season closes out Wed. night when Fort Lewis, with a spot already clinched in the RMAC tournament, comes to Katy O. Rady Field.