Sarah Howard scored her first goal of the season and sophomore goalkeeper Jenny Lawrence had a successful return in between the posts during Sacramento State’s 1-1 tie with Colorado College on Sunday. In Colorado Springs, Howard and the Tigers’ Emily Beans exchanged goals in the first five minutes of the match, before letting Lawrence and Colorado College goalkeeper Geneva Sills protect their respective nets the rest of the way.

Sophomore Missy Matzen redirected Kelly Novak’s corner kick from the right side with her head, across the box to Howard, who converted from five yards just 1:24 into the match. A little more than three minutes later, Beans took a pass from Kelly LaVoie on the left side, cut into the middle and beat Lawrence from the top of the box to knot the score.

Lawrence, in just her second start of the season, made eight saves during the match, including a pair of big stops on Lisa Balsama and Wendy Farrens in the final five minutes of regulation.

The Hornets entered Sunday’s match after a 1-0 loss at Air Force on Saturday. The team was forced to play back-to-back matches after the game against the Falcons was rescheduled from Friday due to poor weather and field conditions at Cadet Soccer Stadium.

Air Force’s Kimberly Hale scored the game-winning goal in the 42nd minute for the Falcons. Hale booted a long shot from midfield that deflected off a Sacramento State player and bounded into the box. The ball took a bounce off the slick grass and over Hornet goalkeeper Mandy Trojan, trickling in before she could get back.

THE WEEK AHEAD

After playing six of their last seven on the road, the Hornets return home to play Boise State on Friday, Sept. 29 and Cal Poly on Sunday, Oct. 1. The matches will serve as the team’s final non-conference matches of the season before play in the Big Sky Conference begins. A year ago, the Hornets recorded their best conference record (4-1-1) in program history and finished second in the Big Sky standings.

Boise State is 4-3 on the season and enters the match suffering three consecutive losses, all by the score of 2-1, to Wyoming, UC Davis and 13th-ranked Cal. Katie Keller leads the team with three goals this year.

Cal Poly is 5-4 on the season after knocking off 22nd-ranked Fresno State in overtime on Sunday. The Mustangs’ Ashley Vallis took a shot that was saved by Fresno State goalkeeper Angie Larsen, but the rebound found Erica Ledger, who scored the game-winning goal with three minutes left in the first overtime frame. Kelsey Carroll and Vallis lead the team in scoring with four goals and one assist apiece.

ON THE MEND

Sacramento State started its season knowing it would be a task to replace departed seniors Mandi Siller and Marissa Condren, the Hornets’ starting outside backs in 2005. With the Big Sky’s Co-Defensive MVP, sophomore Kara Taylor returning to anchor the back line, head coach Katie Poynter still needed to find her starting outside backs. Junior Tiffany Fraser and freshman Katie Rorabaugh fit the mold with speed and ability, but Fraser was lost just three games into the season with a knee injury. Poynter then turned to sophomore Ashley Rosenbery, who took over the starting role before a knee injury suffered on Sept. 10 at Washington State temporarily sidelined her. Insert sophomore Missy Matzen, the 2005 Rio Americano HS graduate played in just nine matches last year, but now has six starts in 10 games this season. Spending most of her time on the back line, Matzen and has used her 5-foot-9 frame as an offensive threat as well. She scored her first goal of the season against Menlo, and assisted on a critical goal against Colorado College on Sunday, heading a cross to sophomore Sarah Howard in the second minute of the match. Howard then struck a five-yard volley to take the early lead.

VARIETY OF SCORING

While some teams rely on their forwards to do the majority of the scoring, this season 11 different players have either scored a goal or recorded an assist for Sacramento State. Junior Kayelyn Satkowski leads the pack with a career-best four goals and three assists, while first team all-Big Sky forward Katie McCoy has three goals and four assists in 2006.

With Satkowski and McCoy providing the majority of the scoring punch, freshmen Beverly Goebel and Kim Kemper have made significant impacts in Sacramento State’s lineup. Goebel, the Hornets central attacking midfielder, has recorded one goal and four assists in her first collegiate season, while Kemper, a 2006 graduate of Bella Vista HS, has put two goals in the back of the net. Senior Kelly Novak, who has been a threat for Sacramento State for four seasons has yet to find the back of the net, but has set up three goals this year, matching her career high in assists. Sophomores Sarah Howard and Missy Matzen each have a goal and an assist along with senior Natalia Romo.

JUST PLAY

Junior Katie Burton has made the best of things this season. In 2005, the Las Vegas native worked her way back from a knee injury to start contributing consistently at the end of the season. She has made seven starts this year, first in the midfield, before filling in on the back line when needed. A reputation for working hard, Burton has one assist this year and continues to contribute wherever she is needed.