Boulder - The University of
Colorado soccer team is still searching for its first win the Pac-12 Conference
after falling 1-0 to Washington State on Sunday at Prentup Field.
In an aggressive battle, the Cougars were victorious, scoring the only goal in
the 73rd minute. CU's Amy Barczuk and WSU's Rachael Doyle both received yellow
cards in the game with 23 total fouls.
The teams were evenly paired, but Washington State took over in the second
half. The Cougars got to work with less than 20 minutes remaining. Jocelyn
Jeffers headed in her fourth goal of the season off a corner from Brandi Vega.
"I think it was a good header on their part," CU goalkeeper Annie Brunner said.
"She had excellent placement. It was a well taken corner."
The Buffs fall to 6-3-3 overall (0-2-1 in the Pac-12) after two losses on the
weekend. Washington State grabs its first conference win, improving to 7-3-1 (1-1-1).
"Anytime you lose one at home its hard, more today because Washington State's a
good team," CU head coach Danny Sanchez said. "We played very well in spurts.
This is a team that beat us 4-0 last year. We have to continue to work hard. It
won't get easier that's for sure."
Though the Buffs had more scoring opportunities in the first half, outshooting
the Cougars six to four, WSU proved to be an immovable force.
Twelve minutes in, Quinn Krier took a big free kick from the midfield, sending
it to Anne Stuller near the box who struck the ball wide. Just a minute later,
Madison Krauser got an opportunity but Gurveen Clair snatched the save.
The Buffs got a few more early looks, but couldn't get anything past Clair.
With a half hour remaining in the half, Krier had another free kick that
Pappalardo headed right at the net and Clair punched away. Off another free
kick, lots of Buffs made contact with the ball, with Shaye Marshall running
into the net. Once again, Clair grabbed the save.
Twenty minutes before halftime, WSU brought the heat. A Cougar free kick helped
the team gain momentum, but Lizzy Herzl headed the ball away for the CU defense.
In the 29th minute, Brunner threw her body to pick up a huge save after Micaela
Castain got one past the back line.
With just five minutes remaining in the first, CU forwards made some noise.
Stuller and Paxton worked together to help CU's leading scorer hit one at the
center of the net, forcing Clair to save another.
As the clock ticked down the final minute, the Cougars worked the CU defense.
First, Rachael Doyle headed one on goal, but Brunner was ready. Mariah Cameron
recovered the ball, but the CU defense stayed strong and sent the game
scoreless into the break.
The tables turned in the second half, with the Cougars dominating both sides of
the ball and outshooting the Buffs six to four. CU only got one on goal, and
WSU put the game away with less than 17 minutes remaining.
"We knew we would be giving up a lot of possession to Washington State,"
Sanchez said. "We needed to do a better job when we wanted to be dangerous I think
there were situations where we could have kept it a little bit longer. Credit to
them - they are a good team they went to the NCAA tournament last year. We just
need to do a better job at keeping the ball at times. It wasn't consistent
enough"
Twelve minutes into the half, the Buffs had their first close call, with
Washington State netting one that would be dismissed after a foul call.
In the next 10 minutes, the Buffs started to rush the net, but couldn't get
anything past a solid Cougar defense.
With 18 minutes remaining, WSU got the looks necessary to spur their offense,
with CU blocking shots by Kayla Johnson and Kourtney Guetlein. The Cougars got
one in when Jocelyn Jeffers capitalized off a corner kick by Brandi Vega.
"I take responsibility for that goal because it was in my area and they depend
on me to get those out and I didn't," Barczuk said. "It's as simple as that."
That goal was enough to put the game away, leaving CU winless in the Pac-12
through three games.
Remember the Buffs are also at home
next weekend with two big conference matchups. On Friday, Oct. 5, the Buffs
take on California at 4 p.m. Crocs will be hosting a shoe donation drop box at
the game in conjunction with their Crocs Cares program, and the first 100 fans
who donate a pair of shoes will receive a $50 Crocs gift card!
CU Soccer will play No. 2 Stanford on
Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. Make sure to arrive early for a special pregame
appearance and run by Ralphie!
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