Colorado University Athletics
CU Announces 2017 Soccer Schedule
June 19, 2017 | Soccer
BOULDER - Colorado's 2017 soccer schedule will feature nine nationally-televised matches and 10 home matches to be played at Prentup Field. The schedule was released on Tuesday in conjunction with Pac-12 Network announcing its television schedule.
Non-Conference Schedule
The Buffs open the season with two of their three Colorado Cup matches, kicking off the year at Colorado State on Friday, Aug. 18, before returning home on Sunday, Aug. 20, to face Colorado College at 3:30 p.m. The Buffs will also host two neutral-site matches for the Colorado Cup earlier that day.
Colorado College kicks off five consecutive home matches for the Buffs. Next at Prentup Field will be TCU at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25, the first Pac-12 Networks match of the season. The Frogs were an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, boasting a 12-7-2 record overall in the Big 12.
CU will then welcome two schools from California to Boulder. UC Riverside visits on Sunday, Aug. 27, and Cal State Northridge comes to town on Saturday, Sept. 2. CSUN just missed a postseason berth a year ago, finishing 11-5-5 overall and 6-1-1 in the Big West.
The Buffs will get their second Pac-12 Networks television game on Monday, Sept. 4, when BYU comes to town for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Cougars and Buffs have developed a rivalry with some recent postseason showdowns as CU eliminated BYU from the NCAA Tournament in both 2013 and 2014. Last year BYU went 18-3-1 overall and reached the third round of the postseason.
Colorado wraps up non-conference play with three road matches. CU travels to Texas on Sept. 8 and UTSA on Sept. 10, and finishes the Colorado Cup at the University of Denver on Saturday, Sept. 16.
The Buffs have won the Colorado Cup, a competition between the six NCAA Division I schools in the state, five of the six years since its inception in 2011.
Pac-12 Schedule
CU opens Pac-12 play on Friday, Sept. 22, at home against UCLA. That match starts at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Last season, Colorado upset the ninth-ranked Bruins 1-0 in Boulder in late October, the first win over UCLA since joining the Pac-12. UCLA reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament and went 15-5-2 last year.
The Buffs will continue with a road trip to Washington State and Washington on Sept. 28 and Oct. 1, respectively. The WSU match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Last season, CU earned wins over both opponents, including CU's first-ever win in Pullman against the Cougars. Both of those wins also came during CU's 10-match winning streak.
Colorado returns home the following weekend to welcome California and Stanford to town. The Cal match kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, and the Stanford match begins at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, a Pac-12 Networks contest. Last season, Stanford snapped CU's 10-match winning streak, but the Buffs rebounded with a 3-2 double-overtime win over the 10th-ranked Bears in Berkeley three days later to get back on track. Both opponents reached the NCAA Tournament last year and Stanford went 18-2-1, winning the Pac-12 championship with a 10-1-0 conference record.
CU has just one match the following week, traveling to Southern California for a 5 p.m. match that will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. The Women of Troy won the national championship last season and tied for second with the Buffs in the Pac-12. CU will look to respond from last year's defeat to get back on top of USC. The Buffs held a three-match winning streak in the series from 2012-14.
The Buffs will play their final home weekend of the season when Arizona State and Arizona come to town on Oct. 19 and Oct. 22. The Thursday afternoon match with ASU kicks off at 3 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks and Senior Day will take place on Sunday with a 1 p.m. match. The Buffs defeated both Arizona schools on the road last season as part of the 10-match winning streak. Taylor Kornieck scored the only goal of both 1-0 victories.
The season continues with a trip to the State of Oregon. Colorado plays at OSU on Thursday, Oct. 26, and at Oregon on Sunday, Oct. 30. The Oregon match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
The regular-season wraps up with a 1 p.m. match at Utah on Friday, Nov. 3, on Pac-12 Networks. The Utes went 13-4-5 last season and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Season Outlook
Colorado is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, tying a school record with 15 wins to finish 15-6-1 overall, including 8-2-1 in the Pac-12. Eight starters are back for the Buffs, led by Kornieck, who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after scoring 11 goals and assisting on four more.
Head coach Danny Sanchez is entering his sixth season at the helm of the program. He carries a 58-38-11 (.593) record at CU, the highest winning percentage in school history. In his career between CU, Wyoming, Metro State (NCAA Division II) and Mesa Community College, he has a 325-98-34 (.748) record and won Division II national championships at Metro State in 2004 and 2006.
Joining Kornieck as returning starters are fellow sophomores Jalen Tompkins, who broke every freshman goalkeeping record last season, and Kelsey Aaknes, who proved to be a key component in CU's back four.
Juniors Megan Massey, Sarah Kinzner, Alex Vidger and Erin Greening are also back to the starting XI. Massey and Kinzner were vital parts of the midfield and both players started all 22 matches. Kinzner also had four goals and three assists. Vidger and Greening were important pieces to the back four. Greening was the only defender to start all 22 matches a year ago and did so after making the move from forward to outside back during fall camp. Vidger scored a pair of goals in 15 starts.
Joss Orejel is the lone returning senior starter and she started 12 matches at left-outside back before suffering an injury midway through the season. She returned late in the season to come off the bench five times and added two assists on the season.
During CU's spring season, the Buffs integrated three newcomers into their lineup. Freshman Martine Puketapu, a member of New Zealand's National Team, tied for the team's lead in goals with Kornieck during the spring after enrolling early. Transfers Becca Rasmussen and Cassie Phillips also played important roles during the semester to help the Buffs go 3-1-1 with wins over Kansas State, Nebraska and Northern Colorado.
The Buffs will also welcome former first-team All-SEC forward Jorian Baucom, who is transferring to CU from LSU. She scored 33 goals in three seasons with the Tigers.
Ticket Information
Season tickets are on sale for the 2017 season through this link. Single-game tickets will be available later this week. Check back to CUBuffs.com/soccertickets for single-game tickets.
Non-Conference Schedule
The Buffs open the season with two of their three Colorado Cup matches, kicking off the year at Colorado State on Friday, Aug. 18, before returning home on Sunday, Aug. 20, to face Colorado College at 3:30 p.m. The Buffs will also host two neutral-site matches for the Colorado Cup earlier that day.
Colorado College kicks off five consecutive home matches for the Buffs. Next at Prentup Field will be TCU at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25, the first Pac-12 Networks match of the season. The Frogs were an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, boasting a 12-7-2 record overall in the Big 12.
CU will then welcome two schools from California to Boulder. UC Riverside visits on Sunday, Aug. 27, and Cal State Northridge comes to town on Saturday, Sept. 2. CSUN just missed a postseason berth a year ago, finishing 11-5-5 overall and 6-1-1 in the Big West.
The Buffs will get their second Pac-12 Networks television game on Monday, Sept. 4, when BYU comes to town for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Cougars and Buffs have developed a rivalry with some recent postseason showdowns as CU eliminated BYU from the NCAA Tournament in both 2013 and 2014. Last year BYU went 18-3-1 overall and reached the third round of the postseason.
Colorado wraps up non-conference play with three road matches. CU travels to Texas on Sept. 8 and UTSA on Sept. 10, and finishes the Colorado Cup at the University of Denver on Saturday, Sept. 16.
The Buffs have won the Colorado Cup, a competition between the six NCAA Division I schools in the state, five of the six years since its inception in 2011.
Pac-12 Schedule
CU opens Pac-12 play on Friday, Sept. 22, at home against UCLA. That match starts at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Last season, Colorado upset the ninth-ranked Bruins 1-0 in Boulder in late October, the first win over UCLA since joining the Pac-12. UCLA reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament and went 15-5-2 last year.
The Buffs will continue with a road trip to Washington State and Washington on Sept. 28 and Oct. 1, respectively. The WSU match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Last season, CU earned wins over both opponents, including CU's first-ever win in Pullman against the Cougars. Both of those wins also came during CU's 10-match winning streak.
Colorado returns home the following weekend to welcome California and Stanford to town. The Cal match kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, and the Stanford match begins at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, a Pac-12 Networks contest. Last season, Stanford snapped CU's 10-match winning streak, but the Buffs rebounded with a 3-2 double-overtime win over the 10th-ranked Bears in Berkeley three days later to get back on track. Both opponents reached the NCAA Tournament last year and Stanford went 18-2-1, winning the Pac-12 championship with a 10-1-0 conference record.
CU has just one match the following week, traveling to Southern California for a 5 p.m. match that will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. The Women of Troy won the national championship last season and tied for second with the Buffs in the Pac-12. CU will look to respond from last year's defeat to get back on top of USC. The Buffs held a three-match winning streak in the series from 2012-14.
The Buffs will play their final home weekend of the season when Arizona State and Arizona come to town on Oct. 19 and Oct. 22. The Thursday afternoon match with ASU kicks off at 3 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks and Senior Day will take place on Sunday with a 1 p.m. match. The Buffs defeated both Arizona schools on the road last season as part of the 10-match winning streak. Taylor Kornieck scored the only goal of both 1-0 victories.
The season continues with a trip to the State of Oregon. Colorado plays at OSU on Thursday, Oct. 26, and at Oregon on Sunday, Oct. 30. The Oregon match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
The regular-season wraps up with a 1 p.m. match at Utah on Friday, Nov. 3, on Pac-12 Networks. The Utes went 13-4-5 last season and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Season Outlook
Colorado is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, tying a school record with 15 wins to finish 15-6-1 overall, including 8-2-1 in the Pac-12. Eight starters are back for the Buffs, led by Kornieck, who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after scoring 11 goals and assisting on four more.
Head coach Danny Sanchez is entering his sixth season at the helm of the program. He carries a 58-38-11 (.593) record at CU, the highest winning percentage in school history. In his career between CU, Wyoming, Metro State (NCAA Division II) and Mesa Community College, he has a 325-98-34 (.748) record and won Division II national championships at Metro State in 2004 and 2006.
Joining Kornieck as returning starters are fellow sophomores Jalen Tompkins, who broke every freshman goalkeeping record last season, and Kelsey Aaknes, who proved to be a key component in CU's back four.
Juniors Megan Massey, Sarah Kinzner, Alex Vidger and Erin Greening are also back to the starting XI. Massey and Kinzner were vital parts of the midfield and both players started all 22 matches. Kinzner also had four goals and three assists. Vidger and Greening were important pieces to the back four. Greening was the only defender to start all 22 matches a year ago and did so after making the move from forward to outside back during fall camp. Vidger scored a pair of goals in 15 starts.
Joss Orejel is the lone returning senior starter and she started 12 matches at left-outside back before suffering an injury midway through the season. She returned late in the season to come off the bench five times and added two assists on the season.
During CU's spring season, the Buffs integrated three newcomers into their lineup. Freshman Martine Puketapu, a member of New Zealand's National Team, tied for the team's lead in goals with Kornieck during the spring after enrolling early. Transfers Becca Rasmussen and Cassie Phillips also played important roles during the semester to help the Buffs go 3-1-1 with wins over Kansas State, Nebraska and Northern Colorado.
The Buffs will also welcome former first-team All-SEC forward Jorian Baucom, who is transferring to CU from LSU. She scored 33 goals in three seasons with the Tigers.
Ticket Information
Season tickets are on sale for the 2017 season through this link. Single-game tickets will be available later this week. Check back to CUBuffs.com/soccertickets for single-game tickets.
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