July 31, 2012

NEWCASTLE, England - Kansas soccer sophomore Ingrid Vidal started and played 81 minutes Tuesday morning, however Elodie Thomis scored the deciding goal in the fifth minute as France advanced to the second stage with a 1-0 triumph over Colombia at St. James' Park in Newcastle. 

Vidal, a sophomore forward at KU from Palmira, Colombia, started in the midfield for the second consecutive match and played late into the second half. Kansas teammate Liana Salazar did not play against France on Tuesday.

France earned its second win in group play, scoring early in the match and holding off the Colombian attack over the final 85 minutes.

Colombia's women's soccer team is competing in its first Olympic Games this year, making its debut on July 24 in a 2-0 loss to North Korea. Colombia also fell to the United States on Saturday, 3-0. Vidal started the final two matches and totaled 211 minutes of field time during the Olympic Games. Salazar started the first match and played 76 minutes, before coming off the bench against the U.S.

Both players are veterans to soccer at the international level as Salazar and Vidal both played for the Colombian national team during the 2011 World Cup in Germany.