Sunday, October 30
Boulder, Colo.
1:00 p.m.
Colorado
4-12-2, 1-8-1Pac-12
0
vs
1
Southern California
7-12-0, 4-6-0Pac-12
1
2
F
USC
0
1
1
Colorado
0
0
0
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
CU Celebrates Seniors, Edged Out By USC
October 30, 2011 | Soccer
BOULDER - Over 900 fans came to Prentup to send of the Colorado seniors, and the Buffs gave it everything they had. In an intense matchup, CU was edged out 1-0 in its final home game of the season by USC on Sunday afternoon.
Colorado finished with a 1-5-1 home record (4-12-2, 1-8-1 Pac-12) and USC left with a 7-12 season record (4-6 Pac-12).
The Buffs came out with a lot of energy, forcing the Trojans on their heels in early on. Eight minutes in, CU's Shaye Marshall and Hayley Hughes (who led the Buffs with four shots) worked together to get a cross off, but it went untouched through the USC box.
That ball led to an odd-man rush the other way, and CU keeper Kayla Millar made a huge save, punching a high shot from USC's Ashley Freyer wide.
CU continued to work hard to find scoring chances. Senior Kate Russell found herself with a loose ball in the box and was able to take a quick touch around a Trojan defender to get a shot with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Her shot went low and wide of the goal.
"You need that player on the field you can go-to, and know that pretty much, 90-95 percent of the time, the decisions she makes are going to be good ones," CU head coach Bill Hempen said. "[She has a] fantastic soccer brain, soccer mind and the technical skills it takes to be able to do some things a lot of kids can't."
Russell finished her final game at Prentup with one shot, but she has played every minute of every game this season. She currently has the third most career assists in CU school history with 15.
The Buffs continued to make things happen and changed things up frequently. Late in the first half, defenders Bianca Jones and Lizzy Herzl were sent up top to create more opportunities. Colorado would end the half with four shots, and the teams would go into halftime at a 0-0 tie.
The Buffs came out hungry at the start of the second half. Marshall and Anne Stuller led the way, creating great scoring chances. Six minutes in, Stuller and USC goalkeeper Carley Pennington got into a race for a ball, but Pennington was able to clear it on the last second.
Minutes later, Marshall found the ball in front of the net, but her shot hit the crossbar. Marshall had two shots in the second half.
Millar continued to stand strong in the box, making two big saves on USC's forwards. In the 59th minute, however, Brittany Kerridge slotted a through-ball to senior Ashley Freyer, causing a tight race between her and Amy Barczuk for the ball. Millar came out of her box to help, but Freyer took a touch behind Millar and Barczuk and was able to pass the ball into the goal to give USC a 1-0 lead. It was her third goal of the season.
The Buffs had a chance to tie it a while later when they were awarded a corner kick. Russell's kick found Lauren Shaner's head, but her shot went just wide.
Colorado spent the final third of the second half in its offensive zone and made an effort on every ball in front of the net. With just over two minutes left in the game, Marshall hit the crossbar for the second time, freshman Carly Bolyard's shot was saved by a USC defender, and Maggi Steury's shot went wide-all in the same sequence.
Despite the effort and heart they left on the field, the Buffs could not overcome the 1-0 deficit, and were edged out in their final game at home. Hempen was pleased with the effort and said the team would be ready to go against Utah on Friday.
After the match, Hempen and the rest of the Buffaloes honored the five seniors who led the team this year. He spoke of Russell, Caroline Danneberg, Amy Steiner, Steury and Hannah Perry's career accomplishments as Buffs.
"[The seniors] unique because they didn't all come in together," said Hempen. "They've been great together. We've asked for a lot of input from these kids as we've gone through the season. They've bought in on everything we've suggested."
Colorado will travel to Utah to take on the Utes on Friday, Nov. 4. It will mark the team's final game of the 2011 season.
Colorado finished with a 1-5-1 home record (4-12-2, 1-8-1 Pac-12) and USC left with a 7-12 season record (4-6 Pac-12).
The Buffs came out with a lot of energy, forcing the Trojans on their heels in early on. Eight minutes in, CU's Shaye Marshall and Hayley Hughes (who led the Buffs with four shots) worked together to get a cross off, but it went untouched through the USC box.
That ball led to an odd-man rush the other way, and CU keeper Kayla Millar made a huge save, punching a high shot from USC's Ashley Freyer wide.
CU continued to work hard to find scoring chances. Senior Kate Russell found herself with a loose ball in the box and was able to take a quick touch around a Trojan defender to get a shot with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Her shot went low and wide of the goal.
"You need that player on the field you can go-to, and know that pretty much, 90-95 percent of the time, the decisions she makes are going to be good ones," CU head coach Bill Hempen said. "[She has a] fantastic soccer brain, soccer mind and the technical skills it takes to be able to do some things a lot of kids can't."
Russell finished her final game at Prentup with one shot, but she has played every minute of every game this season. She currently has the third most career assists in CU school history with 15.
The Buffs continued to make things happen and changed things up frequently. Late in the first half, defenders Bianca Jones and Lizzy Herzl were sent up top to create more opportunities. Colorado would end the half with four shots, and the teams would go into halftime at a 0-0 tie.
The Buffs came out hungry at the start of the second half. Marshall and Anne Stuller led the way, creating great scoring chances. Six minutes in, Stuller and USC goalkeeper Carley Pennington got into a race for a ball, but Pennington was able to clear it on the last second.
Minutes later, Marshall found the ball in front of the net, but her shot hit the crossbar. Marshall had two shots in the second half.
Millar continued to stand strong in the box, making two big saves on USC's forwards. In the 59th minute, however, Brittany Kerridge slotted a through-ball to senior Ashley Freyer, causing a tight race between her and Amy Barczuk for the ball. Millar came out of her box to help, but Freyer took a touch behind Millar and Barczuk and was able to pass the ball into the goal to give USC a 1-0 lead. It was her third goal of the season.
The Buffs had a chance to tie it a while later when they were awarded a corner kick. Russell's kick found Lauren Shaner's head, but her shot went just wide.
Colorado spent the final third of the second half in its offensive zone and made an effort on every ball in front of the net. With just over two minutes left in the game, Marshall hit the crossbar for the second time, freshman Carly Bolyard's shot was saved by a USC defender, and Maggi Steury's shot went wide-all in the same sequence.
Despite the effort and heart they left on the field, the Buffs could not overcome the 1-0 deficit, and were edged out in their final game at home. Hempen was pleased with the effort and said the team would be ready to go against Utah on Friday.
After the match, Hempen and the rest of the Buffaloes honored the five seniors who led the team this year. He spoke of Russell, Caroline Danneberg, Amy Steiner, Steury and Hannah Perry's career accomplishments as Buffs.
"[The seniors] unique because they didn't all come in together," said Hempen. "They've been great together. We've asked for a lot of input from these kids as we've gone through the season. They've bought in on everything we've suggested."
Colorado will travel to Utah to take on the Utes on Friday, Nov. 4. It will mark the team's final game of the 2011 season.
Team Stats
USC
CU
Goals
1
0
Shots
16
13
Shots on Goal
8
4
Saves
4
7
Corners
2
7
Fouls
8
6
Scoring Plays
Ashley Freyer (3)
Assisted By: Brittany Kerridge
58:18
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ SoccerM/F
/ Soccer
F/D
/ Soccer
D
/ SoccerD
/ Soccer
D
/ SoccerM
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
M/F
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
D
/ SoccerF
/ SoccerSoccer: Colorado vs Denver Highlights - Sept. 11, 2025
Friday, September 12
This Week in Colorado Soccer: The Denver Darby
Thursday, September 11
This Week in Colorado Soccer: Headed to Wisconsin
Thursday, September 04
Soccer: Postgame Press Conference vs Wyoming - Aug. 31, 2025
Sunday, August 31