Colorado women’s soccer finished its homestand 3-1 to start the season, handily defeating the winless Michigan Wolverines (0-3) and notching head coach Danny Sanchez’s 300th win of his NCAA coaching career.
“I normally joke that it just means I've been coaching a long time,” Sanchez said. “But I think between Metro State, Wyoming and CU, it's just been special places with special people. What it means is, I've coached some really talented players.”
The milestone-setting, mid-Sunday affair was the last of four games at Prentup Field to start the season, though it was the most “professional” of the bunch as Sanchez put it. In Sanchez’s special win, his Buffs cruised to a dominating 2-0 victory over the Wolverines.
“I really like how we defended,” Sanchez said. “(Michigan) didn't get many shots inside the (penalty box) and (it was) a quality shutout. Very good 2-0 win on a Sunday.”
Overall, Sanchez was right.
Michigan played physically, warranting warnings from the officials alongside a yellow card, yet Colorado ground through it and created early opportunities. CU's defense was solid for all 90 minutes.
While the Wolverines’ graduate student goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski played a decent game and made six saves, its first half defense let her down, giving up 12 shots that led to two goals before the break. After CU built its lead, its second half defense fended off a desperate Michigan attack aiming for a comeback.
How the black and gold built its lead specifically came from the boots of defender Ava Priest. While the sophomore didn’t net any of CU’s goals, she assisted both, finding captain Juliauna Hayward in the 17th minute and Hope Leyba in the 20th minute.
“I love playing with Ava,” Hayward, one of the Buffs’ three captains, said. “She's a vital role to this team. And I told her when she came off the bench, and she was like, ‘Oh, I'm so tired.’ I'm like, ‘Ava, you just got two assists for us. Without you, we wouldn't have won that game.’ I'm very proud of how she stepped up, even as a leader on this team.”
Hayward’s first goal of her junior season was quite the beauty. Priest, who received a pass on the left side of the pitch, dribbled into the penalty box before hearing Hayward calling her first name. Priest found the sprinting Hayward at the top right of the box, and Hayward launched a line drive, knicking off a Michigan defender and past Sparkowski for the game’s first goal.
“I don't know if anybody saw, but I kind of stopped for a second because I was like, 'Wait me? I scored?'” Hayward, who is usually the first to celebrate a CU goal scorer, said about her reaction.
In the minutes following, Priest was back setting her teammates up, this time from the right side of the box. A Michigan foul warranted a free kick from Priest, who found a skying Leyba in the box. The sophomore forward jumped over three Wolverines' defenders, sending a header into the net.
From there, it was Colorado’s game to lose. After the events of its last Sunday noon affair against No. 8 North Carolina, the Buffs once again had to hold a lead. Despite being bigger, its lead was held with 70 minutes left to play.
While Sparkowski stepped up, limiting CU chances, the Michigan offense just couldn’t find an opportunity. When it did, especially in the early happenings of the second half, junior goalkeeper and captain Jordi Nytes was there for four saves and the 10th shutout of her career.
Heading into the game’s final stages, the Wolverines more tired than anything and Colorado’s brick wall turning into offense, the Buffs looked for some insurance. After a flurry of chances, junior midfielder Mallory Allen appeared to score a bar-down banger from deep. The ball appeared to enter the goal when it hit the ground, but its backspin carried it into the field of play as play continued. The goal wouldn’t have mattered in the game’s outcome, though its counting would have statistically shown the beatdown that ensued.
“I tell the team, those things tend to even out over the year,” Sanchez said about the potential missed call. “Obviously, Mal’s shot looked like it was in, but we didn't need it today. Maybe we'll get it when we need it later in the year.”
The successful start to the season still left more to be accomplished after the last-minute, upset squandering loss to the Tar Heels. And while there was much to celebrate, Sanchez and the Buffs are hungry for more.
“But, it's the fourth game of the season,” Sanchez said, “so it's all about getting to North Carolina next week.”
Colorado, now 3-1, faces off against the University of North Carolina Greensboro Spartans (0-1-1) on Thursday, Aug. 29. The game kicks off at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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