CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Butler head soccer coach Adam Hunter recorded his 200th win for the Grizzly program on Saturday as No. 12 Butler shut out non-conference foe Otero (CO) 4-0 on the Laramie County Community College campus.
Butler (3-2-0 overall) led only 1-0 at half, but scored three goals – including two from freshman forward Elise Leidersten – to pull away from the Rattlers for its third straight win.
The Grizzlies struggled to get going offensively in the opening half, but broke through on the scoreboard in the 29th minute when freshman Sadie Samenus scored on an open net opportunity. Melonie Baca played the ball upfield to the 18-yard box where sophomore Paige Achey and Otero keeper Jordyn Elliott both raced after the ball. Elliott kicked the ball off of a turning Achey, then rolled to Samenus for an easy attempt on goal from the penalty arc.
Leidersten opened the scoring for Butler in the second half with two goals within five minutes of each other, getting the first goal in the 51st minute. Madison Edwards was able to save a ball near the end line, booting it to an open Liedersten for a one-touch kick into the net from outside the 6-yard box.
In the 56th minute, Tessa Irvine slotted a pass to Leidersten, who then ran 10 yards into the box and put a shot past Elliott into the left side of the goal.
Butler added its final goal in the 74th minute when freshman Sandra Thiman headed in a free kick from Alyssa Knaak.
Butler outshot Otero by an 18-4 count and had 10 shots on goal. The Grizzlies also had a 6-2 advantage on corner kicks.
The Grizzlies will take on second-ranked Laramie County (1-2-0) on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CDT. The Golden Eagles defeated Otero on Friday by a 4-0 count, getting two goals in each half. Grizzly keeper Bethany Reeves picked up her third win of the season.
NOTES: Butler improved to 3-1-0 all-time against Otero, but the Grizzlies picked up their first win over the Rattlers on a neutral field. The shutout was Butler's first against Otero in the series... Leidersten now has scored two or more goals in three straight games, becoming the first Grizzly to accomplish the feat since Lauren Allen did it twice during the 2016 season. Leidersten scored consecutive hat tricks against Rose State, Okla., and Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa before netting two goals Saturday... Out of Hunter's 200 wins, Butler has shut out the opponent 130 times. Hunter is 239-81-11 in 15 years of coaching, having gone 39-32-3 in Dodge City (2001-2005).
