Salazar, Vidal Active in Colombia’s Olympic Opener
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil – FormerKansas soccer stars Liana Salazar and Ingrid Vidal both saw action in Colombia’s Group G match versus France at the 2016 Olympic Games Wednesday evening inside Mineirão Stadium. Salazar started the match and played the full 90 minutes, while Vidal entered in the 67th minute and played the remaining 23 minutes as the Colombians dropped their Olympic opener to the French, 4-0.
Salazar, a midfielder out of Bogotá, Colombia, earned her third-career start for her nation’s senior team. The two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection played all 90 minutes and tallied perhaps Colombia’s best scoring opportunity of the night with her strike from 25 yards out that skidded off the French crossbar. This is Salazar’s third stint with her senior national team in international competition. She appeared in two matches at the 2012 Olympics in London as well as a pair of contests at the 2011 World Cup in Germany.
Vidal entered midway through the second half with her team already down 3-0, and played the final 23 minutes in the loss. The Olympic tournament is be her fourth FIFA competition with the senior women’s squad. She played alongside Salazar in the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics and also helped Colombia in its run to the Round of 16 in the 2015 World Cup in Canada last summer.
Both Salazar and Vidal made their mark on the Kansas soccer program during their time in Lawrence. From 2011-15 Salazar tallied 28 goals, the second-most in program history, adding 12 assists, while also being named a Third Team All-American in 2014. Vidal only spent one season with Kansas, but it was one of the best offensive seasons ever by a Jayhawk. Vidal scored 11 goals, the second-most ever by a Jayhawk freshman, and added six assists in 2011.
Wednesday’s loss dropped the Colombians to 0-1 in group play with matches against the New Zealand (Aug. 6) and the United States (Aug. 9) on the horizon. The Colombians kick off against New Zealand inside Mineirão Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT)
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