Home > Sport

Too much Hanavan runs Regis ragged
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Illustration by Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu Photos by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu A photo montage of all-time leading Metro scorer forward Kylee Hanavan. Hanavan broke former Roadrunner and current women’s soccer assistant coach Amy Leichliter’s record for points and goals scored on Sept. 15 against CSU-Pueblo and Sept. 17 against Regis. She also broke Ymara Guante’s record for assists in the ‘Runners’ Sept. 15 win. Hanavan is on pace to set a new team record in goals (31) and assists (77).

On Tuesday afternoons the Metro women’s soccer team runs rigorously in the hot sun. On Friday afternoons they’re running circles around opposing defenses.

That formula delivered positive results as the ’Runners notched another pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wins, triumphing 6-0 over CSU-Pueblo and 3-0 over rival Regis.

“I think it’s our work ethic at practice,” forward Kira Sharp said. “Even beyond practice, we keep our fitness.”

Metro’s conditioning was painfully obvious to CSU-Pueblo on Sept. 15 at Auraria Field. It was painfully obvious in a lopsided 19-2 shot differential that resulted in a six-goal shutout. It was painfully obvious in the way the Thunderwolves’ defenders so passively allowed the ’Runners to attack. And it was painfully obvious by the look in the eyes of a defeated opposing backfield.

“In games like this we have a lot of opportunity and we have to finish our chances,” forward Katie Kilbey said. “It’s like shooting practice for us sometimes and we need to finish in these games. If we don’t finish in these games, then there’s no chance we can finish against other teams.”

Kilbey and Sharp both finished well at the goal. The first score of the game came in the 11th minute, when Sharp missed a wide-open goal. But the ball hit the crossbar, bounced back to Kilbey and was promptly buried in the back of the net. It wasn’t pretty, but Sharp got the assist.

“I was just surprised that Kira didn’t just walk it in the goal, but it came right back to me,” Kilbey said. “I knew to stay calm, stay relaxed and put it in the goal.”

Regardless of the miscue, Sharp scored off a Kylee Hanavan corner kick in the 26th minute and paid Hanavan back with an assist less than four minutes later. Kilbey also assisted Hanavan with a second-half pass that resulted in Hanavan’s eleventh goal of the season.

Hanavan had two assists to go with her two goals. Amira Ebel slyly manipulated the Thunderwolves’ defense for a goal in the 21st minute, and Jenna Oney broke away from the pack for the last score of the game in the 80th minute on a pass from midfielder Vanessa Mais.

Regis (5-2-2, 4-1 RMAC) hosted Metro Sept. 17 in north Denver and, in heavy wind, the Rangers were blown away 3-0 by the Roadrunners.

Hanavan again played a major role, scoring the first goal of the game in the 27th minute and then assisting Sharp and forward Justine Montoya on later goals. Metro outshot Regis by a 10-5 margin.

Head coach Danny Sanchez called the victory a “true team win.” The loss was the first in conference play for Regis.

The No. 2-ranked Roadrunners (9-0, 6-0 RMAC) will host Coe College Sept. 22 at Auraria Field.