Sunday, November 12
Boulder, Colo.
12:00 PM
Colorado
vs
Denver
Photo by: Mike Greening
Buffs To Face Familiar Foe In First Round Of NCAA Tournament
November 10, 2017 | Soccer
BOULDER – When Colorado hosts the University of Denver on Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it would be easy to come into the game complacent after the Buffs blew out the Pioneers 6-1 in a matchup earlier this season. But that match was an exception to the rule in the series with DU and the Buffs are fully aware of that. That rule, of course, is that all matches between the two schools are closely contested.
The Pioneers were without their starting goalkeeper in the matchup on Sept. 16 as Brittany Wilson was forced to sit out after receiving an unfortunate red card in DU's previous match.
"When you look at the history of our results, the game in September was really an aberration from the previous results," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "Not having a starting goalkeeper obviously affected them. To be fair to our group, I thought we played really well. I thought we deserved to win. We defended very well, attacked really well, and we scored some really good goals. So we know that Denver is going to bring everything on Sunday, we will as well, and I think it is going to be a great NCAA Tournament match."
CU led the Sept. 16 match 1-0 at halftime after an early goal from Tatum Barton just 1:29 into the match. DU settled down for the remainder of the half. But the goal opened early in the second half for CU as Barton scored again just 1:23 into the second half and Taylor Kornieck scored 14 seconds later, the fastest consecutive goals in CU history. After Hannah Adler got on the board for the Pioneers, Joss Orejel, Katie Joella and Camilla Shymka all scored for the Buffs.
Colorado scored on its first five shots on goal in that match.
While Colorado has had the upper hand in the past five meetings with Denver, those four consecutive wins prior to the Sept. 16 victory were each by one goal. All-time, Colorado leads the series 13-8-1, with the Buffs earning two wins in two NCAA Tournament matchups.
It's safe to say that having Wilson back should make a difference for Denver in making Sunday another tight match. Wilson is an all-conference player in the Summit League and has an 11-6-1 record in goal this season. She has also spent time on several United States Youth National Teams.
Buffs battle tested heading into postseason
The Buffs believe they are ready for Sunday's matchup as they have played in an NCAA Tournament environment over the past five matches. After suffering three consecutive defeats to top-20-ranked opponents in early October, CU found itself in a must-win situation throughout its final five matches. CU rose to the challenge, finishing 4-0-1 during that stretch to close out the regular season and did not concede a goal, with its only non-win being a scoreless draw with Arizona.
That must-win mentality must continue if the Buffs want to continue their season.
"We just need to keep going, keep pushing," sophomore Taylor Kornieck said. "We are playing our best soccer right now. Going against Denver, we can't take it lightly."
One area the Buffs hold a significant advantage over DU is postseason experience. The Buffs have been to the NCAA Tournament three of the previous four seasons entering this year, meaning this season's seniors have two postseasons under their belts. DU is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.
"I think there is an expectation of making and advancing in the NCAA Tournament," Sanchez said of CU's soccer program. "When you look at the experience, all of the players returning from last year [played in the postseason], but for players like Joss [Orejel], Courtney [Fedor], Nancy [Best], this is their third bid in four years. So this is the expectation. They know that everything is going to be ramped up. They know that the attention to detail as we prepare and the focus becomes even more important. They also have that experience of being in the tournament and hopefully that helps when we kick off at noon on Sunday."
CU's 2014 squad that featured Best, Fedor and Orejel defeated BYU in the first round before falling 1-0 in overtime at No. 6-ranked North Carolina. Last year's Buffs team won 3-1 over Oklahoma State in the first round before a 1-0 loss at No. 3-ranked South Carolina. Seven current Buffs players have started two postseason matches in their careers.
Scouting the Pioneers
Besides Wilson in goal, Denver has several weapons that will challenge the Buffs. Senior Jessie Dancy was named Summit League Offensive Player of the Year and has 14 goals this season, earning the conference's Golden Boot Award. Meg Halvorson was named Summit League Freshman of the Year. Adler and defender Makenzie Bothner both joined Dancy on the All-Summit League first team. Halvorson, Wilson and freshman centerback Taylor Parker were both second team selections.
DU has been even hotter than CU lately, carrying a five-match winning streak into the postseason and winning seven of its eight matches since Oct. 1. The Pioneers captured the Summit League championship with a 2-1 defeat of North Dakota State in the final last weekend in Fargo, N.D.
Sunday's match info
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Prentup Field on Sunday. The match will be televised live on Pac-12 Mountain. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for youth and students with an ID.
The Pioneers were without their starting goalkeeper in the matchup on Sept. 16 as Brittany Wilson was forced to sit out after receiving an unfortunate red card in DU's previous match.
"When you look at the history of our results, the game in September was really an aberration from the previous results," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "Not having a starting goalkeeper obviously affected them. To be fair to our group, I thought we played really well. I thought we deserved to win. We defended very well, attacked really well, and we scored some really good goals. So we know that Denver is going to bring everything on Sunday, we will as well, and I think it is going to be a great NCAA Tournament match."
CU led the Sept. 16 match 1-0 at halftime after an early goal from Tatum Barton just 1:29 into the match. DU settled down for the remainder of the half. But the goal opened early in the second half for CU as Barton scored again just 1:23 into the second half and Taylor Kornieck scored 14 seconds later, the fastest consecutive goals in CU history. After Hannah Adler got on the board for the Pioneers, Joss Orejel, Katie Joella and Camilla Shymka all scored for the Buffs.
Colorado scored on its first five shots on goal in that match.
While Colorado has had the upper hand in the past five meetings with Denver, those four consecutive wins prior to the Sept. 16 victory were each by one goal. All-time, Colorado leads the series 13-8-1, with the Buffs earning two wins in two NCAA Tournament matchups.
It's safe to say that having Wilson back should make a difference for Denver in making Sunday another tight match. Wilson is an all-conference player in the Summit League and has an 11-6-1 record in goal this season. She has also spent time on several United States Youth National Teams.
Buffs battle tested heading into postseason
The Buffs believe they are ready for Sunday's matchup as they have played in an NCAA Tournament environment over the past five matches. After suffering three consecutive defeats to top-20-ranked opponents in early October, CU found itself in a must-win situation throughout its final five matches. CU rose to the challenge, finishing 4-0-1 during that stretch to close out the regular season and did not concede a goal, with its only non-win being a scoreless draw with Arizona.
That must-win mentality must continue if the Buffs want to continue their season.
"We just need to keep going, keep pushing," sophomore Taylor Kornieck said. "We are playing our best soccer right now. Going against Denver, we can't take it lightly."
One area the Buffs hold a significant advantage over DU is postseason experience. The Buffs have been to the NCAA Tournament three of the previous four seasons entering this year, meaning this season's seniors have two postseasons under their belts. DU is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.
"I think there is an expectation of making and advancing in the NCAA Tournament," Sanchez said of CU's soccer program. "When you look at the experience, all of the players returning from last year [played in the postseason], but for players like Joss [Orejel], Courtney [Fedor], Nancy [Best], this is their third bid in four years. So this is the expectation. They know that everything is going to be ramped up. They know that the attention to detail as we prepare and the focus becomes even more important. They also have that experience of being in the tournament and hopefully that helps when we kick off at noon on Sunday."
CU's 2014 squad that featured Best, Fedor and Orejel defeated BYU in the first round before falling 1-0 in overtime at No. 6-ranked North Carolina. Last year's Buffs team won 3-1 over Oklahoma State in the first round before a 1-0 loss at No. 3-ranked South Carolina. Seven current Buffs players have started two postseason matches in their careers.
Scouting the Pioneers
Besides Wilson in goal, Denver has several weapons that will challenge the Buffs. Senior Jessie Dancy was named Summit League Offensive Player of the Year and has 14 goals this season, earning the conference's Golden Boot Award. Meg Halvorson was named Summit League Freshman of the Year. Adler and defender Makenzie Bothner both joined Dancy on the All-Summit League first team. Halvorson, Wilson and freshman centerback Taylor Parker were both second team selections.
DU has been even hotter than CU lately, carrying a five-match winning streak into the postseason and winning seven of its eight matches since Oct. 1. The Pioneers captured the Summit League championship with a 2-1 defeat of North Dakota State in the final last weekend in Fargo, N.D.
Sunday's match info
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Prentup Field on Sunday. The match will be televised live on Pac-12 Mountain. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for youth and students with an ID.
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