Second-half burst lifts Buffs over DU
NCAA WOMEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT: COLORADO 2, DENVER 1 CU advances to take on perennial power North Carolina next
BOULDER» The Colorado women’s soccer team expected a far different match against the University of Denver than the one the teams put together two months ago.
That is exactly what happened. Yet the result remained the same.
Powered by two goals in quick succession early in the second half, the Buffaloes advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 victory over their rivals from DU in a firstround showdown Sunday at Prentup Field. It was CU’s fourth consecutive first-round win in the national tournament.
CU will travel to North Carolina to face the Tar Heels, one of the tournament’s four No. 1 seeds, on Friday.
“We knew, at least the coaching staff knew and I think the players figured out at halftime, that this was going to be a fight,” CU coach Danny Sanchez said. “We didn’t play great in the first half. But the second half, I thought we were fantastic. We scored two great goals and defended well.
“At this point, as the cliché goes, it’s survive and advance. I’m really proud of this group because this was a very dangerous game for us, playing a local rival in the NCAA Tournament.”
CU dominated the Pioneers for a 6-1 victory Sept. 16, but Sunday it was DU that struck first, netting a goal from Leah Swander off an assist from Hannah Adler late in the 38th minute. The strike ended CU’s shutout streak at 581 minutes, 3 seconds — the second-longest streak in the program’s history, trailing only the mark of 621:10 the Buffs put together earlier this season. CU goalie Jalen Tompkins saw her individual record shutout streak end at 536:03.
DU held its 1-0 advantage through halftime, but the Buffs took over quickly after the break. Not long after a Megan Massey line drive sailed just over the DU goal, Massey made amends with her fourth goal of the season to even the match in the 50th minute.
The Buffs needed just 2:19 to take the lead, as Massey and Kelsey Aaknes earned assists on Taylor Kornieck’s seventh goal of the season.