Buffs Fall at No. 20 Baylor

WACO, Texas — Sunday's contest between Colorado and No. 20 Baylor came down to a matter of inches and a lengthy video review that went way of the Bears, wiping the Buffaloes' potential game-tying goal off the board in the 89th minute in the 2-1 loss at Betty Lou Mays Field.

Colorado drops to 9-2-2 and 3-1-1 in Big 12 action. Baylor remains atop the conference ladder, moving to 4-1-0 in Big 12 play and 9-1-2 overall.

The Buffs trailed 2-1 in the waning moments, but a ball played from Jordan Nytes from just inside the midfield line bounced to the back of the six-yard box, and Faith Leyba put it in the back of the net for the presumptuous game-tying goal. Instead, the officials took a look at the score and ruled it to be offside, negating the late effort by the Buffs.

"Really proud of how we battled to the death," head coach Danny Sanchez expressed after the match. "It was a tight call, and obviously, I didn't see all the angles that the official saw. It is what is. It's disappointing not to get the equalizer late, however, really pleased with how we played, especially in the second half."

Emerson Layne scored Colorado's lone goal, equalizing the game 1-1 in the second half. Caley Swierenga recorded her tea -leading sixth assists on the goal. Nytes recorded six saves across 90 minutes, facing eight shots on goal.

"She had a very good week," Sanchez said of Layne's play. "[The goal] gave us momentum. Obviously, disappoint to lose that momentum by giving up a goal right after that, but we still had plenty of time to get back in the game."

Aryanna Jimison scored both goals for the Bear, one in each half, to push Baylor across the finish.

How it Happened

The opening period saw the Buffs and Baylor testing each other's defenses early on. Colorado's Vivi Zacarias and Reagan Kotschau both attempted shots, though they veered off target, while Nytes made two saves to keep the score tight. Baylor broke through in the 30th minute on Jimison's first score.

The Buffaloes' best chance to equalize in the first half came off a point-blank chance from Lexi Meyer's shot towards the bottom right corner, but it was saved by Baylor's keeper, Azul Alvarez. The Buffs continued to press, but the period closed with Baylor maintaining a narrow 1-0 lead at the break.

The second period began with Colorado making an impactful statement as Layne found the back of the net at the 57:31 mark, assisted by Swierenga, leveling the score for the Buffs. However, Baylor quickly regained the lead when Jimison scored in the 60th minute with an assist from Natalie Vatter.

Colorado threw everything forward in the final minutes, with Nytes taking multiple free kicks from midfield. Colorado couldn't regroup following the review, finishing on the short end of the 2-1 result.

"It was a typical Sunday, Big 12 Conference match," Sanchez added. "There were a lot of ebbs and flows. Like I said, the first half I felt was really all Baylor. They scored a nice goal and really controlled the pace. We changed some things in the second half and then in the last 20-25 minutes. I'm pleased how we responded. Jordi made some saves to keep us in it and we didn't have enough quality opportunities against them."

Up Next
Looking ahead, the Buffaloes will host Arizona State on October 10 at 7 p.m. at Prentup Field.

For more information on the Buffs, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook.

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Team Stats

Emerson Layne

Caley Swierenga

Hope Leyba

Jordan Whiteaker

Players Mentioned

Reagan Kotschau

Emerson Layne

Faith Leyba

Lexi Meyer

Jordan Nytes

Caley Swierenga

Vivi Zacarias

Players Mentioned

Reagan Kotschau

Emerson Layne

Faith Leyba

Lexi Meyer

Jordan Nytes

Caley Swierenga

Vivi Zacarias