Buffs Open Pac-12 Play Against No. 5 UCLA

BOULDER – The No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes welcome in No. 5 UCLA to open the Pac-12 Conference season under the lights Friday night at Prentup Field (7 p.m. MT).

Colorado (8-1-0) owns the longest winning streak in the Pac-12, having been victorious in its last seven matches. UCLA (6-1-0), the defending national champions, spent the first three weeks of the season ranked No. 1 in the country before getting upset by then No. 7 BYU.

"We're very excited for this opportunity to start conference play at home against the defending national champs," head coach Danny Sanchez noted. "This is a great opportunity for us to showcase our new facility and get a big crowd. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere on Friday."

Friday will be the second consecutive trip UCLA has made to Boulder. The Buffs dropped a rather forgetful 6-0 contest to the eventual national champions last October. CU has left the past in the past and is looking forward to the challenge the Bruins present.

"At the end of it last year, a loss is a loss," Sanchez added. "I thought last year we did a great job of bouncing back and getting a draw against USC on the following Sunday. Half of our team is new. A lot of the important pieces on the field are brand new. We haven't really discussed last year at all. It's all about this year."

One of the new pieces this season has been sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Nytes. The 2022 Co-Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year has yet to allow a goal in the run of play through nine games this season. The goalkeeping was a question mark at times last season, but the arrival of Nytes along with strong play on the defensive line, has put any doubts to rest. She entered this week ranking 20th in the NCAA (2nd Pac-12) with a 0.44 goals-against average and is 16th in the country (2nd Pac-12) with a .886 save %.

The Buffs are coming off a hard-fought 3-1 win over Denver last Friday. The win handed CU its eighth of the season, matching the win total of each of the last two seasons.

"It feels kind of like a Pac-12 game to us," senior Rachel Rosen said after the win at DU. "They are really good and I think that intensity is going to carry into Pac-12 play."

The Bruins picked up a 2-0 win over Pepperdine to close out their non-conference season. UCLA has held opponents to four shots or less in six of its seven games this season. Sunshine Fontes and Reilyn Turner lead the way for UCLA with nine points apiece this season. Fontes leads the team in scoring with four goals.

Friday is the lone match for either team this week as the Pac-12 split the opening week of competition. The Buffs will visit Los Angeles and USC on Oct. 14.

"Having one game is good for both teams," Sanchez explained. "It allows for more recovery and more preparation. You can focus on one opponent versus trying to get set up for two opponents. I think a lot of early [for us] was recovering and the last couple days of training were very good. We'll be ready to go on Friday."

Thad Anderson will have the call on the Pac-12 Networks.

Friday's match is the team's annual Buffs Wear Black and Soctoberfest match. Fans will receive a Soctoberfest mug and a free drink ticket that can be redeemed at the marketing table. There are also discounts on beer up to kickoff.

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Nytes

Rachel Rosen