Sunday, November 12
Boulder, Colo.
12:00 PM
Colorado
12-5-4
2
vs
1
Denver
11-9-1
1
2
F
Denver
1
0
1
Colorado
0
2
2
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Kornieck And Massey Score To Rally Buffs To 2-1 Win In NCAA First Round
November 12, 2017 | Soccer
BOULDER – Colorado scored two second-half goals to rally for a 2-1 win over Denver on Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Prentup Field. The Buffs improved to 12-5-4 overall, while DU ended its season at 11-9-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs controlled play for most of the first half, but fell into a lull late in the period. The Pioneers caught CU's defense off guard in the 38th minute and Hannah Adler slid a pass through the Buffs' back line to Leah Swander, who pushed a shot past Jalen Tompkins for the goal.
Colorado woke up early in the second half. Megan Massey got the Buffs on the scoreboard in the 50th minute to tie the match. Taylor Kornieck put Kelsey Aaknes ahead of DU's defense near the right endline. Aaknes one-touched the shot to the center of the box for an easy shot for Massey to punch in for the score.
Kornieck was the scorer just two minutes later, giving the Buffs a 2-1 lead. Marty Puketapu set up Massey in the center of the box, who sent the ball just to her right and Kornieck struck it towards the far post for the goal.
In the 58th minute, Tatum Barton's shot from 25 yards out hit the crossbar and the rebound to Kornieck inside the six-yard box was also headed off the bar for two scoring chances.
KEY STATISTICS: CU outshot Denver 16-9, including 6-5 in shots on goal. Tompkins finished with four saves and Kornieck attempted six shots.
NOTES: The last time CU won while trailing at halftime was in 2015 against Iowa State on Sept. 6 ... CU had its shutout streak end at 581:03, the second-longest in school history ... Tompkins's school-record individual shutout streak came to an end at 536:03.
UP NEXT: Colorado will face No. 2-ranked and No. 1 seed North Carolina on Friday evening in Chapel Hill.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
Danny Sanchez, head coach
On his assessment of the game
"First I want to congratulate Denver on a fantastic season and getting back in the NCAA tournament where they belong. Their team is fantastic. We knew this game was going to be nothing like it was in September. That was just our night. Things went our way and we scored early and often. We knew this was going to be a fight. We did not play great in the first half, Denver scored a great goal. But, in the second half I thought we were fantastic. We scored two great goals and defended well. I'm very proud of this group because this was a very dangerous game for us. Sometimes you play and you have nothing to lose, today we had everything to lose. I feel we got a well-deserved result, especially in the second half."
On the half-time talk that sparked a good second half
"We did change our shape, we talked about pressing higher up the field and winning the ball in dangerous spots. In big moments during big games, games are decided by very good players making very big plays. You have to have players that are going to step up to the occasion. Megan and Taylor are going to get a lot of the credit, deservedly so. But, I really felt that in the second half all 14-15 players really stepped up."
On the close and missed chances during the second half
"Tatum (Barton) did a great job of shaking the defender and crossing. As soon as the game ended, Taylor came up to me and said, 'I'm saving that goal for next weekend'. But that's the game, it's a game of inches. At the end of the game, Denver hit the crossbar. I think JJ (Tompkins) had it covered, but in the same sense it comes off and she gets the rebound. It was always going to be a game like that. When you look at the flow of the chances throughout the game, Taylor had a great shot and their goal keeper (Brittany Wilson) made a fantastic save to keep it at two-to-one. I think it was a fair result but both teams had an opportunity to win."
On playing North Carolina in the next NCAA tournament game
"I think we've played great teams in the Pac-12. We did not get the results that we may have needed to. But, this team has really grown over the last six games. I feel that we have been there and done that. We are going to go there and we are not going to back off. We are not going to tiptoe into the game, which maybe was the case in 2013, where we were just happy to be there. We deserve to be there and we're playing a great team. But, they're playing a pretty good team as well. We are going to into the game with confidence and all the respect in the world for North Carolina. We're really excited."
On North Carolina's players
"They've all been on the national team and they've all done well. I know them all, inside and out. They're a very good team but we have some good players too."
On the absence of Becca Rasmussen and her potential to be back next game
"Obviously, we want to back to full strength. It was great to get Erin (Greening )back, she was 50-50 throughout the week. I think Becca is very close and we're hoping to get her back. It's up to our sports medicine, trainers, and great doctors. So, we're hoping to get her back for next weekend. We want as much in our arsenal as we can get. She's been an important part of our team this year. But, having said that we have 11 other players step up so we feel good about where we are at."
On the ending of the shutout streak
"I'd like a shutout today. But, we never really thought about it. We were in desperation mode the last five games of conference play where we knew we had to win. When we gave up the goal and it was early in the first half, I still felt that there was plenty of soccer to go. Sometimes it's a gut punch in the shutout when there's five minutes to go. I felt we had plenty of time to get back into the match. Other than the goal, we really limited their opportunities, and that's really what it's about. That was good goal, credit to them, it was well taken with a good build up and a good finish. That's going to happen at times. We've just got to get back to it and ready for a good team on Friday."
Taylor Kornieck, sophomore
On halftime adjustments
"I think it was a matter of bringing more energy. I think we came out really strong. After we gave up that first goal, we came out really strong and we played even harder than we did before. I'm really proud of the team."
On an opportunity to play North Carolina
"I'm really excited, any chance for us to get to play a team from the east coast is a big opportunity and I'm just really excited."
On if she knows any player on UNC from youth national teams
"I know Maddie Schultz. I think that she is going to be an impact player for them, so we just have to watch out for her."
Megan Massey, junior
On halftime talk and adjustments
"From the players perspective, I think we all came together and decided we were going to this for each other. It's about the team, especially the seniors, this could be their last game so we're going to leave it all on the line. That was our main thing."
On matchup against North Carolina in the next round
"I'm excited for the opportunity we have. They won the ACC Championship which is awesome. I think we can go out there and give them a really hard time and hopefully get a great result on the road."
On whether she has any friends on DU being from Colorado
"Yeah (I know) Hannah Bricker in the back, Brittany (Wilson) has actually been one of my really close friends too, their goalie. And Leah Swander, the one who scored. Yeah, (I am glad to have bragging rights) it's cool."
Jeff Hooker, Denver head coach
Opening Statement:
"I am proud of the team's performance. Coming off of the Summit league championships, I really thought we had a lot of confidence going into the game, and it really showed in the first half. I thought we had our way in the midfield, and we went away from that in the first ten minutes. Our priority at halftime was to keep the ball moving. We lost a little bit of patience I thought. There were a lot of easy passes that we tried to force in, and in the first half we didn't do that. We gave them a few more chances. I am disappointed in the result, but I thought the team played well, and we almost got the equalizer off of the crossbar. We had a lot of fight in us today, but they got two and we got one. I am disappointed in the end result, but I am really proud of how we played and how we adjusted."
On what they took from their meeting with CU earlier in the year to prepare for this match:
"The first game was one of those where everything went wrong. We had a freshman goalkeeper who was making her first career NCAA start. I thought we played well in the first half of that first game, and then the flood gates opened. It was one where you just put it behind you. We were a totally different team then, than we are now. I thought we stopped passing the ball, and stopped moving. We couldn't get the ball out of our end for about ten minutes. We made some poor choices, and they took advantage of that."
On preparing the team for a stage like the NCAA tournament:
"I think it is about keeping them loose. We had fun everyday at practice this week. Everyday was enjoyable, and everyday we were challenging our players. We didn't talk about the opponent until Friday. We switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, and it payed off. They bought into how we were going to play, to keep moving and to keep passing. It was a super enjoyable week of training, and keeping everyone light-hearted showed that they were ready for the kickoff."
On getting the program back to the NCAA tournament:
"You get spoiled when the expectation is to get an at-large bid or to win a conference championship, and then it gets taken away from you. The seniors did a really good job of leading, starting in the summer and into the fall season. We had probably two bad defeats the whole season, one being the Santa Barbara game and the other the CU game. They really did a good job with staying on course though. I was really happy for the senior class to get to the NCAA tournament, and to compete the way they did today. They represented us well. When you are in a drought from appearing in the tournament you realize how special it is. It disappointing today, but over the season we played exceptionally well, especially with winning seven of our last eight matches before today. We were going in the right direction."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs controlled play for most of the first half, but fell into a lull late in the period. The Pioneers caught CU's defense off guard in the 38th minute and Hannah Adler slid a pass through the Buffs' back line to Leah Swander, who pushed a shot past Jalen Tompkins for the goal.
Colorado woke up early in the second half. Megan Massey got the Buffs on the scoreboard in the 50th minute to tie the match. Taylor Kornieck put Kelsey Aaknes ahead of DU's defense near the right endline. Aaknes one-touched the shot to the center of the box for an easy shot for Massey to punch in for the score.
Kornieck was the scorer just two minutes later, giving the Buffs a 2-1 lead. Marty Puketapu set up Massey in the center of the box, who sent the ball just to her right and Kornieck struck it towards the far post for the goal.
In the 58th minute, Tatum Barton's shot from 25 yards out hit the crossbar and the rebound to Kornieck inside the six-yard box was also headed off the bar for two scoring chances.
KEY STATISTICS: CU outshot Denver 16-9, including 6-5 in shots on goal. Tompkins finished with four saves and Kornieck attempted six shots.
NOTES: The last time CU won while trailing at halftime was in 2015 against Iowa State on Sept. 6 ... CU had its shutout streak end at 581:03, the second-longest in school history ... Tompkins's school-record individual shutout streak came to an end at 536:03.
UP NEXT: Colorado will face No. 2-ranked and No. 1 seed North Carolina on Friday evening in Chapel Hill.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
Danny Sanchez, head coach
On his assessment of the game
"First I want to congratulate Denver on a fantastic season and getting back in the NCAA tournament where they belong. Their team is fantastic. We knew this game was going to be nothing like it was in September. That was just our night. Things went our way and we scored early and often. We knew this was going to be a fight. We did not play great in the first half, Denver scored a great goal. But, in the second half I thought we were fantastic. We scored two great goals and defended well. I'm very proud of this group because this was a very dangerous game for us. Sometimes you play and you have nothing to lose, today we had everything to lose. I feel we got a well-deserved result, especially in the second half."
On the half-time talk that sparked a good second half
"We did change our shape, we talked about pressing higher up the field and winning the ball in dangerous spots. In big moments during big games, games are decided by very good players making very big plays. You have to have players that are going to step up to the occasion. Megan and Taylor are going to get a lot of the credit, deservedly so. But, I really felt that in the second half all 14-15 players really stepped up."
On the close and missed chances during the second half
"Tatum (Barton) did a great job of shaking the defender and crossing. As soon as the game ended, Taylor came up to me and said, 'I'm saving that goal for next weekend'. But that's the game, it's a game of inches. At the end of the game, Denver hit the crossbar. I think JJ (Tompkins) had it covered, but in the same sense it comes off and she gets the rebound. It was always going to be a game like that. When you look at the flow of the chances throughout the game, Taylor had a great shot and their goal keeper (Brittany Wilson) made a fantastic save to keep it at two-to-one. I think it was a fair result but both teams had an opportunity to win."
On playing North Carolina in the next NCAA tournament game
"I think we've played great teams in the Pac-12. We did not get the results that we may have needed to. But, this team has really grown over the last six games. I feel that we have been there and done that. We are going to go there and we are not going to back off. We are not going to tiptoe into the game, which maybe was the case in 2013, where we were just happy to be there. We deserve to be there and we're playing a great team. But, they're playing a pretty good team as well. We are going to into the game with confidence and all the respect in the world for North Carolina. We're really excited."
On North Carolina's players
"They've all been on the national team and they've all done well. I know them all, inside and out. They're a very good team but we have some good players too."
On the absence of Becca Rasmussen and her potential to be back next game
"Obviously, we want to back to full strength. It was great to get Erin (Greening )back, she was 50-50 throughout the week. I think Becca is very close and we're hoping to get her back. It's up to our sports medicine, trainers, and great doctors. So, we're hoping to get her back for next weekend. We want as much in our arsenal as we can get. She's been an important part of our team this year. But, having said that we have 11 other players step up so we feel good about where we are at."
On the ending of the shutout streak
"I'd like a shutout today. But, we never really thought about it. We were in desperation mode the last five games of conference play where we knew we had to win. When we gave up the goal and it was early in the first half, I still felt that there was plenty of soccer to go. Sometimes it's a gut punch in the shutout when there's five minutes to go. I felt we had plenty of time to get back into the match. Other than the goal, we really limited their opportunities, and that's really what it's about. That was good goal, credit to them, it was well taken with a good build up and a good finish. That's going to happen at times. We've just got to get back to it and ready for a good team on Friday."
Taylor Kornieck, sophomore
On halftime adjustments
"I think it was a matter of bringing more energy. I think we came out really strong. After we gave up that first goal, we came out really strong and we played even harder than we did before. I'm really proud of the team."
On an opportunity to play North Carolina
"I'm really excited, any chance for us to get to play a team from the east coast is a big opportunity and I'm just really excited."
On if she knows any player on UNC from youth national teams
"I know Maddie Schultz. I think that she is going to be an impact player for them, so we just have to watch out for her."
Megan Massey, junior
On halftime talk and adjustments
"From the players perspective, I think we all came together and decided we were going to this for each other. It's about the team, especially the seniors, this could be their last game so we're going to leave it all on the line. That was our main thing."
On matchup against North Carolina in the next round
"I'm excited for the opportunity we have. They won the ACC Championship which is awesome. I think we can go out there and give them a really hard time and hopefully get a great result on the road."
On whether she has any friends on DU being from Colorado
"Yeah (I know) Hannah Bricker in the back, Brittany (Wilson) has actually been one of my really close friends too, their goalie. And Leah Swander, the one who scored. Yeah, (I am glad to have bragging rights) it's cool."
Jeff Hooker, Denver head coach
Opening Statement:
"I am proud of the team's performance. Coming off of the Summit league championships, I really thought we had a lot of confidence going into the game, and it really showed in the first half. I thought we had our way in the midfield, and we went away from that in the first ten minutes. Our priority at halftime was to keep the ball moving. We lost a little bit of patience I thought. There were a lot of easy passes that we tried to force in, and in the first half we didn't do that. We gave them a few more chances. I am disappointed in the result, but I thought the team played well, and we almost got the equalizer off of the crossbar. We had a lot of fight in us today, but they got two and we got one. I am disappointed in the end result, but I am really proud of how we played and how we adjusted."
On what they took from their meeting with CU earlier in the year to prepare for this match:
"The first game was one of those where everything went wrong. We had a freshman goalkeeper who was making her first career NCAA start. I thought we played well in the first half of that first game, and then the flood gates opened. It was one where you just put it behind you. We were a totally different team then, than we are now. I thought we stopped passing the ball, and stopped moving. We couldn't get the ball out of our end for about ten minutes. We made some poor choices, and they took advantage of that."
On preparing the team for a stage like the NCAA tournament:
"I think it is about keeping them loose. We had fun everyday at practice this week. Everyday was enjoyable, and everyday we were challenging our players. We didn't talk about the opponent until Friday. We switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, and it payed off. They bought into how we were going to play, to keep moving and to keep passing. It was a super enjoyable week of training, and keeping everyone light-hearted showed that they were ready for the kickoff."
On getting the program back to the NCAA tournament:
"You get spoiled when the expectation is to get an at-large bid or to win a conference championship, and then it gets taken away from you. The seniors did a really good job of leading, starting in the summer and into the fall season. We had probably two bad defeats the whole season, one being the Santa Barbara game and the other the CU game. They really did a good job with staying on course though. I was really happy for the senior class to get to the NCAA tournament, and to compete the way they did today. They represented us well. When you are in a drought from appearing in the tournament you realize how special it is. It disappointing today, but over the season we played exceptionally well, especially with winning seven of our last eight matches before today. We were going in the right direction."
Team Stats
DEN
COLO
Goals
1
2
Shots
9
16
Shots on Goal
5
6
Saves
4
4
Corners
2
3
Fouls
3
7
Scoring Plays
Swander,Leah (3)
Assisted By: Lewis,Brittney
Shot from #14 in the box, assist from #1
37:58
Massey, Megan (4)
Assisted By: Aaknes, Kelsey , Kornieck, Taylor
Shot from #8 in the box, assist from #15
49:34
Kornieck, Taylor (7)
Assisted By: Puketapu, Marty , Massey, Megan
Shot from #22 in the box, assist from #8
51:53
Game Leaders
Shots
6
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
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/ Soccer
GK
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