It was a cold, cloudy, and rainy Sunday afternoon at Prentup Field as the Colorado Buffaloes held on late to beat the Colgate Raiders and continue their hot streak. The Buffs now hold a +13 point differential against their opponents this year.
Despite the Buffs outshooting the Raiders 21-2, the match was much closer than some may have thought. Colorado spent the majority of the first half playing in their zone, only having a few short runs into Colgate’s territory and not having many chances to score. Despite this, Colgate had zero shots in the first half as the Buffs defense remained strong and proved to be reliable.
Senior forward Shyra James kicked off the day for the Buffaloes, scoring her sixth goal of the season off of an assist from fellow senior forward Rachel Rosen at the 33rd minute. James remains in the lead for goals scored on the team, leading by four goals. Colorado went into the second half with a 1-0 lead.
This was unfortunately followed up at the beginning of the second half with a Colgate goal. Sophomore defender Greer Maguire was called for a foul in the penalty box, leading to a Colgate penalty kick. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Nytes then gave up only her third goal of the season.
Despite the setback, the Buffs remained focused and quickly responded with a goal of their own. Freshman defender Ava Priest sent an incredibly acrobatic flip pass into the field of play, which was hit by James to sophomore midfielder Juliauna Hayward who vollied it to herself, kicking it out of the air, sending a laser into the back of the goal. Priest was later named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts this past week.
The black-and-gold defense rallied on the momentum from the highlight reel play, on for the remainder of the match, keeping the majority of it in Colgate’s zone and allowing minimal pressure from Colgate in the second half.
The Colorado Buffaloes look to hold onto their hot streak as they take on the Denver Pioneers on Friday, September 15th, at 7 p.m. for their second road contest of the season.
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