Northern Colorado, Denver Closeout Non-Conference Play

BOULDER – Colorado soccer's non-conference schedule ends with a pair of in-state rivals this week. The Buffaloes host Northern Colorado on Thursday and travel to Denver on Saturday.

The Buffs are coming off a hard-fought 3-2 overtime loss to No. 6 Florida State last week. The team now refocuses its attention the Bears and Pioneers.

"These local derby matches are huge," head coach Danny Sanchez commented. "They're circled on other teams' calendars and their get circled on our calendar. We know we've played a few of these Thursday afternoon matches, and I don't think we've come out with the intensity and focus that we've needed to against Drake and Austin Peay. We know that Northern Colorado is well-coached, they played a brutal schedule so far. You don't have to look any further than their game where they took Missouri to overtime when they had been on the road for two weeks. We need to match their intensity and focus to get a result."

Colorado has had plenty of time to go over the Florida State match. They will have had seven days in between matches, allowing for a clear breakdown of the match and the opportunity to pinpoint both the good and the bad.

"I thought we defended great," Sanchez added. "We allowed just one goal from the run of play and it came when we were out of gas. I thought we defended great and not just the back four. I felt everyone from the forwards to the midfield to the backs were compact and organized. I think we need to be better going forward with the ball. We were opportunistic to get our two goals, but we know we need to create more opportunities."

CU's two goals came from senior captain Taylor Kornieck. She put the Buffs up 1-0 off a set-piece header and then buried a penalty kick in the second half to tie the match at 2-2. Kornieck's offensive success at FSU landed her on Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week.

Another standout performance came from senior goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins. The Phoenix, Ariz., native, made nine saves against the high-powered Seminole offense. Tompkins now has 24 saves this season and a .828 save percentage.

"We know the quality of JJ," Sanchez continued. "We rely on her heavily and we know that we will when we get to Pac-12 play. She's ready to go no matter what. Sometimes the toughest games for goalkeepers are when you only see one or two shots. Sometimes when you see a lot of shots you are more engaged. She's been fantastic. We know she's sharp and we know she'' be ready to go this weekend and heading into Pac-12 play next week."

Fans in attendance on Thursday can enjoy $1 hot dogs.

Both games will be televised. Thursday (4 p.m.) can been seen on the Pac-12 Networks. Saturday (7:30 p.m.) will be on Altitude 2.

About Northern Colorado

There Bears were one-win shy of the NCAA Tournament last season, falling to Montana in the final match of the Big Sky Tournament. UNC (2-6-1) has lost its last two matches Iowa (4-0) and Missouri (2-1). The Bears' only two wins have come against Grand Canyon (2-1) and Austin Peay (3-0). The Buffs and Bears have not played since 2014. CU owns an 8-0-0 all-time series lead.

About Denver

The Pioneers made their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament last season, winning the Summit League Tournament. Denver (3-3-1) is in the midst of a three-match slide after starting the season 3-0-1. DU and CU have had four shared opponents thus far this season. DU picked up wins over Drake, Texas and Kent State but lost to Boston. The Pioneers also played a neutral site match against Washington (L, 0-1), who the Buffs will play in October. CU leads the all-time series 15-8-1 and has won the last seven meetings.