Harrison Simeon breaks down the Colorado Buffaloes' much needed 4-0 win over the No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils. (Video by Tessa Stigler/Sko Buffs Sports)
BOULDER– Playing with their playoff chances on the line, the Colorado Buffaloes celebrated their Senior Day by knocking off the No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils in blowout fashion.
The dominant 4-0 win came just days after Buffs’ head coach Danny Sanchez said his squad must play “at the top of their game” to knock off the ranked Sun Devils and boost their playoff chances.
Come Sunday afternoon, the Buffaloes did just that.
The day started with a celebration of the eight Colorado seniors. As each player walked out with their family and flowers for their last game at Prentup Field, the CU faithful let the departing players feel the love.
CU senior defender Jayden Newkirk smiles with her family. Newkirk and seven other Colorado seniors were celebrated before Sunday's match. (Photo by Zachary Giesenschlag/Sko Buffs Sports)
After the special introductions, both teams took the spotless pitch despite the cold, snowy weather conditions.
“I want to give a huge shoutout to all of our grounds and facilities people,” coach Sanchez said after the match, “especially Jose and Alex for getting here at the crack of dawn and making this field perfect to play. The extra work and extra commitment was a big part of our success today.”
Following the opening touch, the ASU bench was loud and their players on the field seemingly backed it up by taking possession in the first half’s early stages. However, the strong Colorado defensive effort shut down any opportunity to score for the Sun Devils and continued to do so the whole game.
With the defense playing well, the Buffs were able to turn their efforts into offense. For the remainder of the first half, CU dominated the time of possession and gave themselves multiple opportunities to score.
Colorado failed to find the back of the net despite their impressive play, but their hustle and energy made good things happen. Twice, freshman forward Hope Leyba turned seemingly hopeless plays into chances for the home team with her relentless nature of play.
“I just want the ball and I want to win,” Leyba said. “That’s just the way I play.”
When the Sun Devils opened up a rare opportunity to take the lead, Colorado goalkeeper Jordan Nytes stepped up. In the 40th minute, Nytes stopped a tough shot from ASU midfielder Brianna Nunley with one hand to keep the game scoreless heading into the half. Nytes recorded three saves on the afternoon.
Coming out of the break, the away team again came out strong to start the half but Colorado’s unforgivable defensive wall helped the Buffs maintain momentum. With every new opportunity for CU, it was only a matter of time before they found the back of the net.
In the 68th minute, Colorado defender Ava Priest dribbled toward the goal. As Priest penetrated the defense, star forward Shyra James found an empty spot in the defense. With the attention on Priest, the freshman looked for the senior. ASU defender Allison Carabin broke up the pass, only to redirect it into her own net to give the Buffs a 1-0 lead.
From there, goal-mania for the Buffaloes ensued.
“Once we got that first goal I think it took a little pressure off us,” coach Sanchez said.
Five minutes after taking the first lead of the match, Leyba got the ball on the east sideline. Dribbling the ball, Leyba dashed up the field. As the freshman entered the box, she crossed over to her right foot and let a shot fly toward ASU goalkeeper Pauline Nelles. The ball whistled past Nelles as multiple Sun Devils watched. After scoring her first goal of the year, Leyba ran towards the CU sideline to celebrate as an Arizona State defender sat in front of the net, having fallen from Leyba’s filthy footwork.
“I just really wanted to do it for the seniors,” Leyba said. “They put so much out for this team and I wanted to make it special.”
CU forward Hope Leyba celebrates her stunning goal in the 73rd minute. The freshman scored her first goal in a Buffs uniform Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Zachary Giesenschlag/Sko Buffs Sports)
A few minutes later, graduate student midfielder Ally Clark went showtime. After receiving a pass beyond the box, Clark sent a screaming shot over ASU’s Nelles in one of the most dazzling plays of the year. With Colorado having hit the SportsCenter Top 10 once this season, Clark may have secured the Buffs another appearance.
In a span of almost seven minutes, the black and gold had scored three times and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
For the rest of the match, the Buffs continued to control possession. Still, freshman forward Claire Curran found a chance to record the first goal of her young collegiate career. Curran got loose on a break in the 85th minute, pushing a shot past a diving Nelles for the fourth and final goal of the contest.
In the last game at Prentup Field of the year, the Buffs sent their seniors off with a resounding 4-0 win against the ranked Sun Devils to strengthen their playoff hopes.
“We challenged the team at halftime to get shots on goal,” coach Sanchez said, “The last 30 minutes were the best 30 minutes we played all year.”
The Buffaloes will head to Salt Lake City, Utah to play the Utah Utes on Friday, Nov. 3. CU's final matchup of the regular season will kick off at 2 p.m. MT.
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