Colorado Shows Heart, Finishes With Exciting Game

Friday, November 4

Salt Lake City, Utah

7:00 p.m.

Colorado

4-13-2, 1-9-1Pac-12

Utah

10-9-1, 6-5-0Pac-12

Colorado

Utah

Photo by: Chip Bromfield, ProMotion Ltd.

November 05, 2011 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Taylor Temby, Graduate Assistant SID

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Like they have done all season, Colorado showed tremendous heart and effort in its final game of the season, and the CU fans who made the trip couldn't have asked for a more exciting finish.

The Buffs battled snow and rain at Utah, but were edged out 2-1 in arguably the most thrilling finish of any game this season.

"Usually on the bus after a game it's quiet, but they knew that, 'Wow, we tried so hard,' why should they be that down after a loss?' It was exciting for them to come back. It came close, like we have so many times," CU head coach Bill Hempen said.

CU created scoring chances offensively and stood its ground in the defensive zone early on.

Kayla Millar made her fifth start of the season, and made four saves in the first half for the Buffs. With 29 minutes left in the first half, Colorado took a foul outside of its box. Utah's ensuing free kick went to goal, and Millar stepped up and made a brilliant save by punching the ball away. Her rebound went to another forward whose shot was blocked impressively by senior Kate Russell.

The Golden Buffaloes continued to show impressive energy and teamwork, but were forced to maintain their positivity when Colorado's Amy Steiner had to be carried off the field with an injury. She did not return to the game.

"Unfortunately Amy's career ended early in the first half. I literally carried her off the field myself," Hempen said.

One of CU's greatest scoring chances came when midfielder Shaye Marshall freed herself on the left flank and got a cross off in the Utah box. Russell was there to get a head on it, but Utah keeper Hannah Turpen made the save. Russell led the Buffs with two shots on goal in the first half.

CU played strong in the backfield as well. Lizzy Herzl constantly stood up Utah's leading scorer Erin Dalley and did not allow her to take a single shot in the first half.

Erin Bricker and the Buffs thought they had taken a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute when Bricker was played a beautiful through-ball and scored on a hard shot to the bottom right corner. Instead, the play was called offside, and the goal was waved off. Rather than backing down from disappointment, however, the close call gave Colorado new momentum and energy.

Millar came up big for the Buffs again with just under five minutes remaining in the half. After a nice chip into the Colorado box, Utah's Dalley had a chance to get a hard shot off. Instead, Millar made a bold move to step up and challenge for the ball, punching it away.

"Kayla jumped in when Annie got hurt. She's a tough kid. We can live with her effort for sure," Hempen said.

The evenly-matched game would enter halftime at a 0-0 with each team having similar scoring opportunities.

By the time the second half rolled around, the rain turned to snow and changed the way both teams had to play, as the ball became difficult to control on the slippery field.

In the 55th minute, freshman Bianca Jones went down with a Utah forward on the left side of the field, deep inside Colorado's defensive zone. The ball slipped away before sliding into the box. Millar went down to make the save, but the ball squirted away to Dalley who was barely able to get a toe on it. Her shot got past CU and gave the Utes a 1-0 lead.

Colorado had two dangerously close opportunities to score following Utah's goal, with Russell taking a hard shot forcing Turpen to dive, and junior Amy Barczuk getting a head in the box off of a serve from a free kick.

In an unlucky play, Ute Harley Spier was able to hit a ball past Millar in the 81st minute on a corner kick to give her team a 2-0 lead.

The Buffs caught a break when two minutes later, Utah's Katie Taylor was awarded a red card after elbowing Marshall in the face. Because she had to leave the game and left her team with only 10 players on the field, Hempen saw an opportunity to give his team an offensive advantage.

Millar was pulled from goal and Herzl was sent back to take her place. This was the second time Hempen had made the move to give his team as many offensive players as possible, as he sent Russell back in CU's game against Arizona State on Oct. 2. Herzl would act as goalie, but would push up high on offense with her teammates when she had the chance.

While the Buffs did not score against the Sun Devils, the move paid off this time. After a Colorado kick deflected off a Utah defender backwards, senior Maggi Steury found herself open in front of the net and she was able to score to make it a 2-1 game in the 86th minute.

"A cool way for her to end her career, being in the right place at the right time," Hempen said. "For her to get that goal is pretty cool."

Colorado owned the last four minutes of the game and threw everything it had at the Utes. Lauren Shaner and Marshall both took huge shots that forced Turpen to make saves, and the Buffs earned a few corner kicks for their efforts. Turpen made eight saves against Colorado and faced constant pressure in the final minutes.

In the final 10 seconds of the game, Barczuk got the ball outside left and sent a cross in to a charging CU team. Unfortunately Utah was able to clear the ball, and barely escaped with the win. Despite the loss, Colorado could not be disappointed with its effort.

"You put so much into preparing for a season, and for a season to unfold the way it did, it almost feels like, 'How could that have happened?' The way the kids played all year long with tonight being no different, it's just amazing to me that we couldn't ever find that goal when we needed it the most," Hempen said. "Unfortunately this year, our opponents had just enough to beat us," he added.

For Hempen and assistant coaches Tracy Chao and Chris Gnehm, their final game with this year's seniors was emotional. Hannah Perry, Caroline Danneberg and Steiner were all out with injuries, but Steury and Russell represented their fellow classmates well.

"Kate is a kid who will continue to play, and she should. She can certainly play professionally I think, even if it's another country, she's the kind of kid who would thrive in that environment. We're going to miss Kate a ton," Hempen said.

"They are your kids because you see them every day, and now, all of a sudden, not by anything bad, but they're taken from you. I'm getting a dose of what it is going to be like when my children leave [ages nine and 11], because I have to deal with this every four years," he said.

There is no doubt the CU soccer team has benefited from this year's seniors as teammates and friends. Despite their loss tonight, these Buffs went out as winners.