Buffs Ready to Get Back on the Attack

BOULDER—Colorado soccer continues with a pair of matches at Prentup Field this week. The Buffs return to action against in-state rival Colorado College on Thursday (7 p.m. MT) and finish the weekend out with No. 14 Michigan State.

CU split its opening weekend, earning a 3-0 result against Northern Colorado to open the year. The Buffs had a solid showing last Sunday against Marquette but suffered a 1-0 setback against the Golden Eagles.

"I was really pleased with how we responded. I thought training was excellent this morning," head coach Danny Sanchez said after his team's return to the field on Tuesday morning. "We have another opportunity at home against two very good opponents. Colorado College is coming off a great result [2-2 draw] against Denver. Michigan State remains undefeated and in the top 20. These are two great challenges for us. We set up the schedule just for this reason. We're excited for this week."

The opening weekend allowed the Buffs to mix and match different combinations on the field. All 22 available field players got into the action against Northern Colorado. 13 different players made their CU debut against the Bears. The Buffs were limited to just six subs in Sunday's contest.

Freshmen Ava Priest and Hope Leyba we two key components of CU's comeback attempt on Sunday. The duo accounted for eight of CU's 15 total shots and two of the team's three shots on goal.

"I thought we were a little impatient," Sanchez recalled. "Especially at the end of the game. That's just natural. You're pressing, trying to help your team win. We have to trust our teammates and trust our tactics and I think we'll be fine."

The Buffs showed plenty of positives against Marquette. CU held 63% of the possession and led 7-4 in corner kicks. It was just one mishap on a set piece that proved to be the dagger on Sunday.

"I thought we played really well, especially the first half," Sanchez added. "We just didn't create enough opportunities at the end of the day for the amount of possession and shots we had. We didn't have enough dangerous looks at the goal. That's really been our focus. I thought we defended pretty well from the run of play, but we need to be better in the final third."

Colorado owns a 10-2-1 record against the Tigers. The Buffs have won the last four matches and are unbeaten in the last 11 contests (10-0-1). Shyra James picked up the game-winner in the last meeting in 2021, which proved to be CU's opener in Denver. She headed the ball into the net in the 98th minute with Jayden Newkirk and Rachel Rosen each assisting on the effort.

Thursday's game will be streamed online at CUBuffs.com/WatchSoc.

Fans in attendance can enjoy discounted deals on burgers at the concessions stand in celebration of National Burger Day.

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Players Mentioned

Shyra James

Hope Leyba

Jayden Newkirk

Ava Priest

Rachel Rosen