Friday, August 18
Fort Collins, Colo.
5:00 PM
Colorado
at
Colorado State
Head coach Danny Sanchez is entering his sixth season at CU.
Photo by: Andy Schlichting
CU Kicks Off 2017 Season At CSU On Friday
August 17, 2017 | Soccer
BOULDER – Colorado opens up the 2017 season on Friday at Colorado State. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at CSU Soccer Field in Fort Collins. CU begins the season ranked No. 25 by the United Soccer Coaches and No. 16 by Top Drawer Soccer after finishing 15-6-1 overall, 8-2-1 in the Pac-12, and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
The Buffs are 11-5-5 all-time in season openers and carry a 13-game unbeaten streak in openers into Friday's match. Despite the historical success, the first competition of the season is never easy as pressure builds throughout the offseason to get the season started with a win.
"That first goal is always the hardest one to get, it seems," junior Sarah Kinzner said. "[We want to] go out there against CSU and try to get that goal as early as possible so we can relax in a way. But we've got to keep going [hard] from there."
Kinzner scored last season's first goal with three seconds left in the first half of the season-opener at Air Force. The Buffs went on to win 2-0 after Alex Vidger added a late goal.
Since the inception of the Colorado Cup in 2011, CU's first two matches each season have been part of the in-state competition between the six NCAA Division I schools in Colorado. The Buffs have won five of the six Colorado Cups all-time. But that early-season pressure adds to the challenge of coming out strong in the first match.
"It's very tough, especially with the Colorado Cup," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "If you look through the years, every single game [in the Colorado Cup] is a tight game. If you look at least year's [season opener], Sarah scored with three seconds to go in the first half and then Alex Vidger scored with [11] minutes to go in the game. Until then, it was anybody's game to be had. We expect a similar type of match tomorrow where we're going to have to play well. We're going to have to find that goal and hopefully get them to open up and have to chase a little bit. But we realize it's going to be a tight, close game tomorrow."
As with all early-season matches, Friday's match will be an opportunity for new players to get acclimated to college soccer and their new team in a game setting.
"There's going to be some nerves so we want to get through that and get this game under our belt," Sanchez said of his newcomers. "Obviously we want to get a result in a tough place. It's just really getting these players, especially these new players, some college action."
Scouting Colorado State
This marks the fifth season of CSU's women's soccer program and former CU head coach Bill Hempen has been at the helm of the program each season. His team returns seven starters from last season and adds two transfers. Additionally, 18 letterwinners are back, giving the Rams a very experienced squad heading into the 2017 season.
Junior Hannah Gerdin is tied for CSU's all-time lead in goals with six career scores. Last season's leading goal scorer Kaija Ornes is also back after scoring four times in 2016.
CSU's two transfers also look to be impact players. Caeley Lordemann joins the Rams after spending her freshman season at Creighton. The Greeley native started 16 matches a year ago and had four goals and two assists for Creighton. Hunter Peifer joins CSU from South Carolina, where she made three starts as a redshirt freshman goalkeeper, posting a 3-0 record and 0.29 goals-against average.
"I think that they've gotten better every year and this is their best team for sure on paper," Sanchez said. "They're well-coached and they're at a place where you don't need to get them up for the game because they're playing CU. We need to understand that we need to match the intensity and focus, especially early in the game or we're going to dig ourselves a hole."
Colorado State is also opening a facility on Friday, moving from The Lagoon to CSU Soccer Stadium. The new facility is located adjacent to Moby Arena and Ram Field in place of the former football practice facility.
Looking Ahead
The Buffs return home on Sunday to host Colorado College at 3:30 p.m. at Prentup Field. However, CU's match will not be the only competition at Prentup on Sunday. The action kicks off at 11 a.m. when CSU takes on Denver. That match will be followed by Air Force vs. Northern Colorado at 1:15 p.m. The day wraps up with the Buffs against CC.
The Buffs are 11-5-5 all-time in season openers and carry a 13-game unbeaten streak in openers into Friday's match. Despite the historical success, the first competition of the season is never easy as pressure builds throughout the offseason to get the season started with a win.
"That first goal is always the hardest one to get, it seems," junior Sarah Kinzner said. "[We want to] go out there against CSU and try to get that goal as early as possible so we can relax in a way. But we've got to keep going [hard] from there."
Kinzner scored last season's first goal with three seconds left in the first half of the season-opener at Air Force. The Buffs went on to win 2-0 after Alex Vidger added a late goal.
Since the inception of the Colorado Cup in 2011, CU's first two matches each season have been part of the in-state competition between the six NCAA Division I schools in Colorado. The Buffs have won five of the six Colorado Cups all-time. But that early-season pressure adds to the challenge of coming out strong in the first match.
"It's very tough, especially with the Colorado Cup," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "If you look through the years, every single game [in the Colorado Cup] is a tight game. If you look at least year's [season opener], Sarah scored with three seconds to go in the first half and then Alex Vidger scored with [11] minutes to go in the game. Until then, it was anybody's game to be had. We expect a similar type of match tomorrow where we're going to have to play well. We're going to have to find that goal and hopefully get them to open up and have to chase a little bit. But we realize it's going to be a tight, close game tomorrow."
As with all early-season matches, Friday's match will be an opportunity for new players to get acclimated to college soccer and their new team in a game setting.
"There's going to be some nerves so we want to get through that and get this game under our belt," Sanchez said of his newcomers. "Obviously we want to get a result in a tough place. It's just really getting these players, especially these new players, some college action."
Scouting Colorado State
This marks the fifth season of CSU's women's soccer program and former CU head coach Bill Hempen has been at the helm of the program each season. His team returns seven starters from last season and adds two transfers. Additionally, 18 letterwinners are back, giving the Rams a very experienced squad heading into the 2017 season.
Junior Hannah Gerdin is tied for CSU's all-time lead in goals with six career scores. Last season's leading goal scorer Kaija Ornes is also back after scoring four times in 2016.
CSU's two transfers also look to be impact players. Caeley Lordemann joins the Rams after spending her freshman season at Creighton. The Greeley native started 16 matches a year ago and had four goals and two assists for Creighton. Hunter Peifer joins CSU from South Carolina, where she made three starts as a redshirt freshman goalkeeper, posting a 3-0 record and 0.29 goals-against average.
"I think that they've gotten better every year and this is their best team for sure on paper," Sanchez said. "They're well-coached and they're at a place where you don't need to get them up for the game because they're playing CU. We need to understand that we need to match the intensity and focus, especially early in the game or we're going to dig ourselves a hole."
Colorado State is also opening a facility on Friday, moving from The Lagoon to CSU Soccer Stadium. The new facility is located adjacent to Moby Arena and Ram Field in place of the former football practice facility.
Looking Ahead
The Buffs return home on Sunday to host Colorado College at 3:30 p.m. at Prentup Field. However, CU's match will not be the only competition at Prentup on Sunday. The action kicks off at 11 a.m. when CSU takes on Denver. That match will be followed by Air Force vs. Northern Colorado at 1:15 p.m. The day wraps up with the Buffs against CC.
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