Buffs Know They Face High Expectations

BOULDER - The price of success has always been heightened expectations.

There's no better example than the University of Colorado women's soccer team.

Two years ago, the Buffs shocked the college soccer world by not only advancing to the NCAA Tournament, but then knocking off perennial powers Denver and BYU in the first two rounds.

Last year, the Buffs returned to the tournament again, and again advanced, defeating BYU in the first round before suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to North Carolina in the second round.

And now?

Now, the general perception is that the Buffs are expected to return to the tournament. The expectations surrounding CU head coach Danny Sanchez's program are such that anything less would be a step back.

“There's an expectation that we'll compete for championships,” Sanchez said. “We're aware of that. That's the expectation for every sport in our athletic department.

“We also know our fans expect us to be successful. From 2003 to 2007, CU went to the tournament every year. We've gone again the last two years. There's a history of success with our program, and we're very aware of that.”

The other part of the puzzle, though, is that the Buffs compete in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. The National Soccer Coaches Association's preseason poll put four Pac-12 teams in the Top 25, with five others — including Colorado — receiving votes.

“It's always going to be a challenge,” Sanchez said. “The Pac-12 is brutal. We finished third last year, but to be honest, there's wasn't a big difference between third and ninth. If we're going to push the envelope this year, we're going to have to get better.”

While the Buffs did lose six seniors from last year's team, there's still a foundation of experience. The Buffs return four of their top six scorers from a year ago, including junior Brie Hooks, who tallied eight goals and seven assists as a sophomore.

“She's our most creative goal scorer and playmaker,” Sanchez said.

Also counted on to produce offense will be senior Madison Krauser — “I think she's going to have a breakout year,” Sanchez said — along with Danica Evans, Brittney Stark and Emily Paxton. There are also a host of freshmen who could contribute.

Defensively, Sanchez must find replacements for three graduated seniors.

“In the back, we lost three starters — three very experienced players who did very well for us,” Sanchez said. “We'll miss all our seniors, but those three are the ones we need to address right away.”

In most circumstances, CU's goalkeeper situation would seem to be decided. Returning for her senior season is Kate Scheele, who statistically had one of the best seasons in CU history.

“Kate did a great job for us last year,” Sanchez said.

But, the Buffs also have a standout redshirt freshman in Scout Watson, as well as true freshman Jalen Tompkins, one of the nation's most highly recruited keepers last year.

“We're very deep with a lot of quality,” Sanchez said of a position that could produce a fierce training camp battle. “We like them all — and there's no guarantee who plays.”

The Buffs open their season Aug. 21 at Colorado State in the Colorado Cup opener, then make their home debut Aug. 23 in a 3:30 p.m. match vs. Colorado College at Prentup Field.

Other non-conference games include road matches at BYU and Denver, and home tilts vs. Northwestern and Villanova.

The Buffs open the Pac-12 portion of their schedule Sept. 27 with a home match against California.