Saturday, November 2
Kansas City, MO.
10:45 a.m.

Colorado

11-4-5, 4-2-5

1
vs
3

TCU

15-2-2, 9-0-2

1
2
F
Colorado
1
0
1
TCU
1
2
3
Hope Leyba vs TCU in the Big 12 Championship
Photo by: CUBuffs.com

Buffs Fall in Second Round of Big 12 Championship

November 02, 2024 | Soccer

Colorado awaits NCAA Tournament Selection Show

KANSAS CITY – Colorado's extended stay in Kansas City came to an end on Saturday following a 3-1 loss to top-seeded and seventh-ranked TCU in the second round of the Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Championship.
 
Colorado (11-4-5) got on the board before fans could even take their seats at CPKC Stadium. Ava Priest put the ball in a perfect position off her patinate flip-throw and Hope Leyba was on the receiving end to head home a candidate for Goal of the Year just 38 seconds into the match.  
 
"We got another shot at the top team in the league," head coach Danny Sanchez said of his message to the team leading up to the Saturday. "We earned this opportunity. I thought the team was really bought into training the last couple of days and being out here on the road; I thought they really bought into the game plan. We were focused and worked hard. There were some really fabulous performances out there today by the Buffs."
 
Unlike the team's last meeting in Boulder, which saw the Buffs score early and then give up six consecutive goals, the Buffs kept pressing in the first half and the defense withstood TCU's counters. The Horned Frogs would tie the match before the half off an unfortunate deflection in front of Jordan Nytes to go into the half all-square.  
 
The official video review [VAR] did not favor the Buffs on Saturday. Colorado was on the wrong end of three reviews, with one resulting in a penalty kick for TCU that proved to be the game-winning goal.
 
"To be honest, we didn't really talk about [the last game] a lot, other than from a tactical side of things about how we were so stretched," Sanchez noted. "They were attacking [last game], and we didn't have any numbers behind the ball. We knew we had to get numbers behind the ball [today]. We had to make it difficult. I thought we did a really good job of it. It was 1-1 in the 74th minute and to be honest, we felt pretty comfortable. Like I said, it just didn't fall our way at the end. If you're going to upset a good team, sometimes you have to get a little bit of breaks."
 
TCU (15-2-2) got goals from Camryn Lancaster, Seven Castain and Caroline Kelly to advance to the semifinals on Wednesday against the No. 4 seed BYU.
 
How it happened
 
The Buffs took the opening kickoff and immediately pressed forward into the offensive zone. The ball went out of bounds in line with the 18-yard box, and Priest ran over the far sideline to throw it back in play.
 
The field was shifted slightly from Wednesday's first-round action, allowing Priest more room on that side of the field. She flipped and tossed the ball to the top of the six-yard box, where H. Leyba directed it past Megan Plaschko and into the upper left corner for her seventh goal of the season.
 
The Buffs outshot TCU 3-2 in an evenly played stretch before Lancaster's shot deflected into the net in the 31st minute.
 
Colorado mounted an attack immediately following the TCU goal, with Nytes sending a free kick into the box from midfield. The ball bounced directly to Emerson Layne, who fired a shot that was saved by Plaschko. The rebound was deflected out of play.
 
The CU sideline wanted a handball called on the TCU defender, and the play went to VAR. After review, no handball was ruled, and the Buffs kept the ball on a corner kick. Faith Leyba tried for a diving header on the play but TCU was able to clear.
 
The Horned Frogs had a shot late in the half to take the 2-1 lead, catching Nytes on the ground in a scramble in front of the the CU goal. Rachel Rosen stepped in front of the TCU shot to keep the game 1-1 at the break.
 
"After the last match [against TCU], we were so stretched out," Sanchez continued. "We knew we had to be more compact and keep the play in front of us. You look at the first half; a little unfortunate with the deflected goal, but it was two shots on goal each. Like I told the team, I was proud of how they bought in the game plan. The plan was to let them [TCU] have some possession deeper, but to limit their shots and limit their shots on goal, which we did a really good job of. It just didn't fall our way."
 
The Buffs' offense continued to press TCU out of the break, with Jace Holley forcing the issue in the box and drawing contact with the TCU keeper, leading to the Buff's third corner kick of the game.
 
Holley was credited with the only shot for the Buffs at the midway point of the half, putting a ball over the net in the 62nd minute.
 
VAR came into play again in the 74th minute when a handball was confirmed in the box against the Buffs, setting up TCU's go-ahead goal on Castain's penalty kick.  
 
Colorado was then forced to push the final 16 minutes, and that led to Kelly sneaking a ball past Nytes on the far post in the 81st minute to give TCU a 3-1 cushion.
 
The Buffs continued to fight, mounting a final push with Michaela Rosenbaum getting a shot inside the box blocked and Laura Gouvin's follow-up corralled by Plaschko in the 82nd minute.
 
Following Rosenbaum's shot, the Colorado players all threw up their hands, asking for a handball in the box. The play went VAR and was ruled a clean block.
 
TCU killed off the remainder of the clock, keeping the Buffs without another shot on goal,
 
Up Next
CU will have to wait to learn its NCAA Tournament fate. The NCAA Selection Show is set for Monday, Nov. 11.
 
Notes
Colorado is now 7-10-5 all-time in the Big 12 Tournament…Leyba now leads the team with seven goals and 16 points this season (7 G, 2 A)…the assist for Priest was her team-leading fifth of the year…Priest is now tied with James for second on the team with 13 points (4 G, 5 A)…The goal was CU's 10th set-piece tally this season…The Buffs fall to 1-3-1 vs ranked opponents this season…CU entered Saturday at No. 48 in the RPI rankings.

Team Stats

COL
TCU
Goals
1
3
Shots
8
10
Shots on Goal
3
6
Saves
3
2
Corners
3
5
Fouls
6
6
Scoring Plays
Logo

Hope Leyba (7)

Assisted By: Ava Priest

GOAL by COL Leyba, Hope Assist by Priest, Ava.

00:38

Logo

Camryn Lancaster (2)

Assisted By: Seven Castain

GOAL by TCU Lancaster, Camryn Assist by Castain, Seven.

30:18

Logo

Seven Castain (11)

TCU Seven Castain PENALTY KICK GOAL.

73:46

Logo

Caroline Kelly (11)

GOAL by TCU Kelly, Caroline.

80:17

Game Leaders

Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0

Players Mentioned

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