KANSAS CITY – In a competitive Saturday morning contest, the Colorado Buffaloes (11-4-5, 4-2-5 Big 12) lost 3-1 against the TCU Horned Frogs (15-2-2, 9-0-2 Big 12).
The defeat may have ended Colorado’s season with them making it to the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Entering the match, the Buffaloes were heavy underdogs taking on the best team in the Big 12. It was partially due to a 6-1 loss against TCU that derailed the Buffs’ season earlier in the year at the end of September. With that on its conscience, Colorado showed up with the intent to upset. Although they came up short, head coach Danny Sanchez was proud of his players.
“The team was really bought in and trained the last couple of days. They bought into the game plan today. They were focused and worked hard. It was a really fabulous performance out there today for the Buffs,” Sanchez said.
In the first minute, Colorado exploded ahead 1-0, on a goal from sophomore forward, Hope Leyba. It was a flip pass in from sophomore defender Ava Priest that set up the electrifying goal. Colorado had also scored quickly in their loss against TCU. Early it looked like Colorado had carried on the momentum from Wednesday's victory. Starting fast and physical, the Buffs looked like the more confident team.
Yet, TCU was calm in the face of adversity. It would dominate the ball control and spent the majority of the first period on Colorado’s side. The Buffaloes were content with holding onto their one-point lead, they were not aggressive and played smothering defense. Every attack plan from Horned Frogs was quickly stuffed by a wall of Buffs defenders. Shifting and trapping the ball, Colorado frustrated TCU.
In the 30th minute, the first crack in the armor appeared when senior forward Camryn Lancaster made a goal off a deflection. The tricky shot evened out the score 1-1 apiece. Senior goalie Jordan Nytes attempted to step up and block the shot, but not anticipating a deflection, she put herself out of position. The ball trickled into the bottom right of the net on an awkward roll.
With Colorado trying to stay fierce, it pushed down the field and played more aggressively. The last fifteen minutes saw a defensive battle with no team being able to take a lead. The shot selection was near even with TCU having five to Colorado’s three. The game plan for Colorado was to allow TCU to maintain the ball but counter when it was given the opportunity.
Halfway through the game, and tied, the Buffaloes were in a comfortable position.
Starting the second period, nervous energy filled the pitch. Both teams were aware of the consequences of defeat. The girls galloped up and down the field, still unable to find a good shot. The more time passed, the better it looked for Colorado. The period saw little action offensively early on.
In the 73rd minute, CU committed a handball foul setting up a penalty kick for TCU. Set to take the penalty kick, junior forward Seven Castain was able to get the best of Nytes and hit a perfect goal on the left side. Notably, she had three goals in their last contest. This put the Buffaloes down 2-1. Having played so well up to that point, it was a demoralizing shot for the exhausted Buffaloes. Not ready to give up, CU tried desperately to press the issue offensively.
In the 80th minute, however, graduate forward Caroline Kelly put the dagger in Colorado’s heart with a needle-threading shot, just inside the left post. Now being down two goals, there was not enough time for Colorado to mount a comeback. The Buffaloes remained aggressive, fighting down to the last minute. They outplayed their expectations for the tournament and gave TCU a run for its money.
In their first season back in the Big 12, the Buffaloes were given plenty of opportunities to learn. With young core pieces returning, the future is bright. Sanchez was optimistic in looking at his team's performance.
“Their commitment… especially when we went through that dry stretch…they kept battling, got draws, and stayed in it. I think it says a lot about their character. It's just [part of] soccer,” Sanchez said postgame. “There’s hundreds of teams that would love to be in our position, to be able to hurt a little bit from losing a big match.”
The Buffaloes are still eligible for NCAA tournament consideration.
Cover photo by CUBuffsSoccer/X
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