Oh, no! CU’s sloppy second half prevents potential upset against No. 4 Gators

Colorado attacker Madeline Pisani chases down a Florida player on Saturday. (Photo by Paxton Haines/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (6-6) took on the No. 4-ranked Florida Gators (12-2) in their Big 12 home opener on Saturday. The Buffs looked to remain undefeated in conference play but ultimately failed to do so, falling to the Gators in a 15-10 loss at Prentup Field.

The Buffs got out to a hot start, tallying an early 2--0 lead in the first three minutes. Florida did not back down, answering with a goal of their own. The Buffs responded with two more to make the lead 4-1 halfway through the first quarter. 

Both offenses would stagnate for the remainder of the quarter with sloppy turnovers and great saves from both goalies In the final minute of the first quarter, the Gators would find a crack in the Buffs’ defense and capitalize, making the score 4-2.

To start the second quarter, the Gators would come out swinging, scoring within the first minute. The remainder of the quarter would be a back-and-forth offensive battle with both teams exchanging goals.

CU’s Kendall Havill would lead the offensive charge with two goals in the second quarter, contributing to her first-half hat-trick. A Gator goal with 17 seconds left in the half would cut the Buffs' lead to one, making the score 7-6 at the break.

Momentum would swing to start the second half as the Gators would score two unanswered goals, tying the game two minutes in. The Buffs would hold the Gators on their following offensive possession with a remarkable save from freshman goaltender Elena Oh. 

But with a freshman goalie comes freshman mistakes, as Oh made a bad pass directly to a Gator attacker, which led to a breakaway goal, giving the Gators their first lead of the game. After that, the Gators wouldn’t look back, expanding their lead to three goals and finishing the third quarter with a 13-10 lead over the Buffs.

Unfortunately for the Buffs, things wouldn’t improve as the Gators would hold them to a scoreless final quarter. Between shot clock violations and an abundance of turnovers, the Buffs would fail to get anything going on offense that could spark a potential comeback.

The defense also failed to do their part, as penalties and miscommunication led to the Gators putting two more on the Buffs, extending their lead to five. As the final horn sounded, the Buffs would walk back to their bench, hanging their heads in defeat.

The Buffs look to bounce back at home in a box state rivalry game against the Denver Pioneers on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT (ESPN+).