GUNNISON, Colo.  Natsuki Murakami scored Western Colorado's second and third goals of the game to elevate the Mountaineers to a two-goal advantage Friday night against Texas at Dallas, but the visiting Comets scored four unanswered second-half goals to rally for a 5-3 non-conference win over host Western at rainy Katy O. Rady Field.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: UTD def. Western, 5-3
Records: Western 0-4, UTD 2-0-1
Location: Katy O. Rady Field, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Comets got on the board first, with a goal in the 20th minute, but Western quickly went on the attack and found the equalizer two minutes later.
• Driving into the right corner, Lauren Kindt got around her defender and pushed a pass across the face of the goal where Madilyn Reser was able to knock home her first collegiate goal to draw the Mountaineers back even with the Comets.
• UTD had the better of possession after the tying goal but it took just one possession downfield for the Mountaineers to forge their first lead of the game, coming from the foot of Murakami.
• A Comets foul gave Western a free kick opportunity in the 32nd. Murakami had a step on her defender driving down the middle toward goal but was tripped up from behind just outside the penalty box. The opportunity turned into the go-ahead goal as Murakami laced her free kick just inside the right post.
• The Mountaineers came out of the halftime break with that one-goal advantage, then doubled it less than five minutes into second half action. Adah Minikel-Lacoque drove into the right side of the box and when turning back, was tripped up to provide Western with a penalty kick in the 50th.
• Murakami was the chosen one for the PK attempt and pounded her opportunity inside the right post to push Western out to a 3-1 lead.
• The Comets began their comeback, though, scoring on their own PK chance in the 67th, before tying the game, 3-3, 90 seconds later. They would score the go-ahead goal in the 77th before adding a buzzer-beating goal at the end of the game.

PITCH NOTES

• Much of the second half was played through a windy, driving rainstorm that at times turned into sleet.
• The Comets had the advantage in shots (24-5) and shots on goal (11-4).
• Jadyn Lozano played the first half in goal for Western, coming up with a pair of saves, with Ashlyn Fitzpatrick stepping between the pipes for the second half, in which she also came up with two saves.

UP NEXT
Western is back in action in less than 24 hours, traveling to Grand Junction, Colo., to play Northwest Nazarene University in a non-conference match Saturday at 7 p.m. at Colorado Mesa University.