Colorado University Athletics
Top 20 Soccer Moments: No. 3
October 24, 2016 | Soccer
BOULDER – Soccer can be a back and forth affair, one turnover in the midfield, one misplay from the back, can lead to a goal before anyone in attendance can even blink. In the case of the 2006 Big 12 Tournament semifinal match, the Buffs proved that comebacks in soccer happen quick, coming back from a 2-0 deficit at halftime to catch and beat the then-ranked No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies 3-2 in double overtime.
The Buffs entered the Big 12 tournament riding a four match winning streak and made the trip to San Antonio, Texas, with a No. 23 ranking, ready to make a deep run in the tournament. They drew Kansas first, and in a sign of things to come the match was decided on penalty kicks, as the Buffs handled the Jayhawks to move onto the semifinals.
It was there that they met with perennial Big 12 powerhouse Texas A&M, with an opportunity to become only the fourth team in Big 12 Tournament history to advance to the final match without being seeded in the top four entering the tournament.
The Aggies showed how they'd gotten to where they were, by dominating teams they felt like they should handle. On this day the Buffs were one of those teams, and in the 7th minute Texas A&M jumped on the board first scoring a goal past CU's goalkeeper sophomore Kirstin Radlinski.
Almost ten minutes later, in the 12th minute, the Aggies again lit up the score board scoring on the volley to take, what they thought to be, a commanding 2-0 lead into the half. Although the Buffs had the lead in shots, 11-7, they lacked where it really mattered, on the scoreboard, and knew they had work to do in the second half.
But as the late Yogi Berra said, it ain't over till it's over, and the Buffs went out to prove that as play began in the second half and CU having 45 minutes left in their Big 12 Tournament lives.
After earning a set piece early in the second half, the Buffs began the process of marching back into the match. Senior Allie True took the free kick and as the ball squirted past the wall and rolled around in the box, junior Brittany Dornseif picked the perfect time to score her first career goal as she slid through the ball sending it into the net for the Buffs' first goal of the match in the 49th minute.
With the score closer at 2-1, CU continued its stampede back into the match working the ball around the net giving themselves several chances throughout the half. But it wasn't until the 87th minute that the Buffs finally hit match tying pay dirt.
Continuing their hard work, the Buffs earned a free kick and when the Aggies failed to clear the ball senior Laura Munnelly ripped a ball off the crossbar that eventually dropped in front of freshman Nikki Marshall who teed off on the ball blasting it past the Aggie keeper to tie the score at two all.
CU had all the momentum heading into the deciding overtime periods, and after one period the match was still tied at 2-2. It set up a final overtime period, playing with the golden goal rule, the Buffs were one shot away from taking down Texas A&M for the first time in 16 tries and punching a ticket to their second straight Big 12 Tournament final.
Marshall again showed up for the Buffs in the biggest way possible, a sign of things to come from the CU star. Marshall started her run down the middle as True found her in the last third. Marshall worked the ball over to sophomore Alex Cousins, and even though the pass was slightly wide, Cousins was able to corral the ball enough to slot the ball perfectly back to Marshall. Marshall, who hadn't stopped her run, took the pass and from 12 yards out nailing a one-timer into the lower right corner past the Aggie keeper to give CU the huge 3-2 win over the Aggies.
The win was historic on many levels, but more importantly it meant that the Buffs were all but guaranteed the right to host the NCAA Tournament that year, an opportunity they took advantage of making a run to the Sweet 16. The 2006 semifinal match against Texas A&M was truly a tale of two halves, and CU happened to write a better tale in the second half to pull off the historic win.
The Top 20 Moments of Colorado soccer will be revealed throughout the season as 2016 marks the 20th Anniversary of the first year of the program. Two will be announced per week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Top 20 Moments
1. ???
2. ???
3. CU rallies from two-goal deficit to upset No. 11 Texas A&M in Big 12 semifinals
4. CU's First Sweet Sixteen Appearance In 2006
5. Reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 with wins over Denver and BYU
6. Big 12 Tournament finalists in 2005, 2006 and 2008
7. Snow Clasico 2 - CU beats BYU in the NCAA Tournament in a snowstorm
8. CU breaks attendance record against defending national champion North Carolina in 1998
9. Nikki Marshall's legacy beyond CU
10. Fran Munnelly earns Big 12 Player of the Year
11. Sloane Cox breaks Big 12 saves record
12. Shawn Kenyon scores first goal in school history
13. First Pac-12 win
14. First win over a ranked Pac-12 opponent
15. Buffs knock off No. 5 Texas A&M for win over highest-ranked opponent
16. CU moves into Prentup Field, a home for Buffs soccer
17. Nikki Marshall's success with the USWNT
18. CU's first Big 12 Tournament win in 2002
19. First NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003
20. Colorado announces the addition of women's soccer as a varsity sport on Aug. 14, 1993
The Buffs entered the Big 12 tournament riding a four match winning streak and made the trip to San Antonio, Texas, with a No. 23 ranking, ready to make a deep run in the tournament. They drew Kansas first, and in a sign of things to come the match was decided on penalty kicks, as the Buffs handled the Jayhawks to move onto the semifinals.
It was there that they met with perennial Big 12 powerhouse Texas A&M, with an opportunity to become only the fourth team in Big 12 Tournament history to advance to the final match without being seeded in the top four entering the tournament.
The Aggies showed how they'd gotten to where they were, by dominating teams they felt like they should handle. On this day the Buffs were one of those teams, and in the 7th minute Texas A&M jumped on the board first scoring a goal past CU's goalkeeper sophomore Kirstin Radlinski.
Almost ten minutes later, in the 12th minute, the Aggies again lit up the score board scoring on the volley to take, what they thought to be, a commanding 2-0 lead into the half. Although the Buffs had the lead in shots, 11-7, they lacked where it really mattered, on the scoreboard, and knew they had work to do in the second half.
But as the late Yogi Berra said, it ain't over till it's over, and the Buffs went out to prove that as play began in the second half and CU having 45 minutes left in their Big 12 Tournament lives.
After earning a set piece early in the second half, the Buffs began the process of marching back into the match. Senior Allie True took the free kick and as the ball squirted past the wall and rolled around in the box, junior Brittany Dornseif picked the perfect time to score her first career goal as she slid through the ball sending it into the net for the Buffs' first goal of the match in the 49th minute.
With the score closer at 2-1, CU continued its stampede back into the match working the ball around the net giving themselves several chances throughout the half. But it wasn't until the 87th minute that the Buffs finally hit match tying pay dirt.
Continuing their hard work, the Buffs earned a free kick and when the Aggies failed to clear the ball senior Laura Munnelly ripped a ball off the crossbar that eventually dropped in front of freshman Nikki Marshall who teed off on the ball blasting it past the Aggie keeper to tie the score at two all.
CU had all the momentum heading into the deciding overtime periods, and after one period the match was still tied at 2-2. It set up a final overtime period, playing with the golden goal rule, the Buffs were one shot away from taking down Texas A&M for the first time in 16 tries and punching a ticket to their second straight Big 12 Tournament final.
Marshall again showed up for the Buffs in the biggest way possible, a sign of things to come from the CU star. Marshall started her run down the middle as True found her in the last third. Marshall worked the ball over to sophomore Alex Cousins, and even though the pass was slightly wide, Cousins was able to corral the ball enough to slot the ball perfectly back to Marshall. Marshall, who hadn't stopped her run, took the pass and from 12 yards out nailing a one-timer into the lower right corner past the Aggie keeper to give CU the huge 3-2 win over the Aggies.
The win was historic on many levels, but more importantly it meant that the Buffs were all but guaranteed the right to host the NCAA Tournament that year, an opportunity they took advantage of making a run to the Sweet 16. The 2006 semifinal match against Texas A&M was truly a tale of two halves, and CU happened to write a better tale in the second half to pull off the historic win.
The Top 20 Moments of Colorado soccer will be revealed throughout the season as 2016 marks the 20th Anniversary of the first year of the program. Two will be announced per week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Top 20 Moments
1. ???
2. ???
3. CU rallies from two-goal deficit to upset No. 11 Texas A&M in Big 12 semifinals
4. CU's First Sweet Sixteen Appearance In 2006
5. Reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 with wins over Denver and BYU
6. Big 12 Tournament finalists in 2005, 2006 and 2008
7. Snow Clasico 2 - CU beats BYU in the NCAA Tournament in a snowstorm
8. CU breaks attendance record against defending national champion North Carolina in 1998
9. Nikki Marshall's legacy beyond CU
10. Fran Munnelly earns Big 12 Player of the Year
11. Sloane Cox breaks Big 12 saves record
12. Shawn Kenyon scores first goal in school history
13. First Pac-12 win
14. First win over a ranked Pac-12 opponent
15. Buffs knock off No. 5 Texas A&M for win over highest-ranked opponent
16. CU moves into Prentup Field, a home for Buffs soccer
17. Nikki Marshall's success with the USWNT
18. CU's first Big 12 Tournament win in 2002
19. First NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003
20. Colorado announces the addition of women's soccer as a varsity sport on Aug. 14, 1993
Monday, April 06
Tuesday, November 25
Thursday, November 20
Thursday, November 20