Friday, August 31
Boulder, CO
4:00 PM
Colorado
vs
UTSA
Taylor Kornieck
Photo by: Mike Greening
Buffs' Unselfish Offense Producing Big Results Early This Season
August 29, 2018 | Soccer
BOULDER – Colorado's soccer team has been very generous this season. The Buffs have been so generous that they have 15 assists on nine goals through three games, including six double-assist goals.
Double-assist goals are relatively rare—last season the team set the school record for double-assist goals with 10 throughout the entire season. They are often difficult to achieve as precise passing, creativity and unselfishness need to be a part of the play. The NCAA defines a double-assist goal as requiring both passes to have a direct influence on the outcome of the goal.
The Buffs opened the season with a pair of double-assist goals in a 3-0 win on the road at Air Force. The first goal of the year was scored by Kayleigh Webb off a corner kick as Jesse Loren and Taylor Kornieck each earned assists on the play. The second goal of that game also involved two key passes before Tatum Barton pushed the lead to 2-0.
In the 6-0 win over Missouri on Saturday, CU had four more double-assist goals, with some spectacular ball movement involved. Perhaps the best play came on the fourth goal of the game—Barton's third—when Kornieck fed a ball up to Jorian Baucom, who took one touch past a charging goalkeeper, but nearly ran out of room on the endline. She slid to keep the ball in play and center it to the top of the six-yard box where Barton buried it into the top of the net on her first touch.
Later in the game, goalkeeper Scout Watson earned an assist off a goal kick as Kornieck controlled the ball at midfield and passed ahead to Marty Puketapu for a breakaway goal.
Head coach Danny Sanchez says the teams continuity in the midfield is a big factor with three players returning for their third year as starters together. Add in a very talented group of strikers up top with the playmakers in the middle and that is a recipe for goals.
"We have Sarah (Kinzner), Megan (Massey), and Taylor that are back, and basically have been three-year starters together, as well as players up top like Tatum and Marty, who had good years last year," Sanchez said. Cam (Shymka) has a lot of experience. You throw a player like Libby (Geraghty) and she is also a good player. Katie Joella has had good moments and obviously Jorian has a lot of experience. Even though she's a senior [transfer], having the spring to train and work with us [has helped too]. It is a pretty cohesive unit right now. We are pretty pleased, but we understand it is still early in the year."
Another reason for the success and continuity on the attack is players are in their natural positions, particularly Kornieck, who was moved around last year due to injuries and to help replace goal-scorers that graduated after 2016.
"I think one of the big things is we have players playing in positions they are more comfortable," Sanchez said. "Last year, there were times Taylor was playing out of position, other players were playing out of position. I think this year we have more playmakers. It is helpful when you have more playmakers and more players that are willing to share the ball, especially in the final third [of the field]—and obviously having some goal scorers. I think when players try to do too much, it becomes predictable. The playmaking by all of the players, led by Taylor, has really shown the power of sharing the wealth."
Individually, Kornieck so far has reaped the benefits of the playmakers around her and goal scorers in front of her. She leads the Pac-12 and is second in the nation with five assists this year. Through three games she is already over halfway to the school record in a season, which is nine set in 2003 by Kathryn Grandinetti.
THREE GAMES, THREE CLEAN SHEETS
CU is the only team in the Pac-12 that has yet to concede a goal this season. However, its nothing new to the Buffs to go three games into the season without allowing a goal. They've now achieved that five times in school history and all five of those seasons have been in Sanchez's now seven-year tenure in Boulder.
Goalkeepers Jalen Tompkins and Scout Watson are tied with Stanford's Alison Jahansouz for first in the conference in goals-against average and save percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
CU hosts a much-improved UTSA squad on Friday at 4 p.m. at Prentup Field. First-year head coach Derek Pittman has guided the Roadrunners to a 2-1-0 start after they went just 3-14-0 last year.
UTSA edged Northwestern State 1-0 to open the season, and after a 1-0 loss at Texas State, won 2-0 at Oral Roberts this past weekend. Freshman Lexi Bolton has two of the team's three goals. Goalkeeper Michelle Cole has stopped 12 of 13 shots and has a 0.33 GAA.
CU won 2-0 in San Antonio last season against the Roadrunners with Puketapu and Kornieck both scoring second-half goals. That was the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
The Buffs will host Iowa State at noon on Sunday. The Cyclones have not gotten off to the start UTSA has with a 1-3-0 record, but their three losses have all been decided by one goal.
ISU opened the season with a 2-0 win over South Dakota State, but suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Missouri on an own goal, a 1-0 loss to Northwestern, and a 2-1 defeat at Purdue in the 90th minute. Four different players have scored the team's four goals.
CU has dominated the all-time series against its former Big 12 rival, owning a 13-2-1 record vs. the Cyclones. The two teams last met in 2015 with CU winning 2-1 in overtime at Prentup Field. Iowa State has not won in the series since 2001 and CU has a three-game winning streak and 10-game unbeaten streak.
WEEKEND PROMOS
Friday's game vs. UTSA is a Buffs fanny pack giveaway. Fans can receive two premium tickets and two CU fanny packs for $20 with the promo code BUFFSPACK. Sunday vs. Iowa State is the annual Touch-A-Truck game with first-responder vehicles on-hand for fans to explore prior to kickoff. It is also a Wear White game.
Double-assist goals are relatively rare—last season the team set the school record for double-assist goals with 10 throughout the entire season. They are often difficult to achieve as precise passing, creativity and unselfishness need to be a part of the play. The NCAA defines a double-assist goal as requiring both passes to have a direct influence on the outcome of the goal.
The Buffs opened the season with a pair of double-assist goals in a 3-0 win on the road at Air Force. The first goal of the year was scored by Kayleigh Webb off a corner kick as Jesse Loren and Taylor Kornieck each earned assists on the play. The second goal of that game also involved two key passes before Tatum Barton pushed the lead to 2-0.
In the 6-0 win over Missouri on Saturday, CU had four more double-assist goals, with some spectacular ball movement involved. Perhaps the best play came on the fourth goal of the game—Barton's third—when Kornieck fed a ball up to Jorian Baucom, who took one touch past a charging goalkeeper, but nearly ran out of room on the endline. She slid to keep the ball in play and center it to the top of the six-yard box where Barton buried it into the top of the net on her first touch.
Later in the game, goalkeeper Scout Watson earned an assist off a goal kick as Kornieck controlled the ball at midfield and passed ahead to Marty Puketapu for a breakaway goal.
Head coach Danny Sanchez says the teams continuity in the midfield is a big factor with three players returning for their third year as starters together. Add in a very talented group of strikers up top with the playmakers in the middle and that is a recipe for goals.
"We have Sarah (Kinzner), Megan (Massey), and Taylor that are back, and basically have been three-year starters together, as well as players up top like Tatum and Marty, who had good years last year," Sanchez said. Cam (Shymka) has a lot of experience. You throw a player like Libby (Geraghty) and she is also a good player. Katie Joella has had good moments and obviously Jorian has a lot of experience. Even though she's a senior [transfer], having the spring to train and work with us [has helped too]. It is a pretty cohesive unit right now. We are pretty pleased, but we understand it is still early in the year."
Another reason for the success and continuity on the attack is players are in their natural positions, particularly Kornieck, who was moved around last year due to injuries and to help replace goal-scorers that graduated after 2016.
"I think one of the big things is we have players playing in positions they are more comfortable," Sanchez said. "Last year, there were times Taylor was playing out of position, other players were playing out of position. I think this year we have more playmakers. It is helpful when you have more playmakers and more players that are willing to share the ball, especially in the final third [of the field]—and obviously having some goal scorers. I think when players try to do too much, it becomes predictable. The playmaking by all of the players, led by Taylor, has really shown the power of sharing the wealth."
Individually, Kornieck so far has reaped the benefits of the playmakers around her and goal scorers in front of her. She leads the Pac-12 and is second in the nation with five assists this year. Through three games she is already over halfway to the school record in a season, which is nine set in 2003 by Kathryn Grandinetti.
THREE GAMES, THREE CLEAN SHEETS
CU is the only team in the Pac-12 that has yet to concede a goal this season. However, its nothing new to the Buffs to go three games into the season without allowing a goal. They've now achieved that five times in school history and all five of those seasons have been in Sanchez's now seven-year tenure in Boulder.
Goalkeepers Jalen Tompkins and Scout Watson are tied with Stanford's Alison Jahansouz for first in the conference in goals-against average and save percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
CU hosts a much-improved UTSA squad on Friday at 4 p.m. at Prentup Field. First-year head coach Derek Pittman has guided the Roadrunners to a 2-1-0 start after they went just 3-14-0 last year.
UTSA edged Northwestern State 1-0 to open the season, and after a 1-0 loss at Texas State, won 2-0 at Oral Roberts this past weekend. Freshman Lexi Bolton has two of the team's three goals. Goalkeeper Michelle Cole has stopped 12 of 13 shots and has a 0.33 GAA.
CU won 2-0 in San Antonio last season against the Roadrunners with Puketapu and Kornieck both scoring second-half goals. That was the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
The Buffs will host Iowa State at noon on Sunday. The Cyclones have not gotten off to the start UTSA has with a 1-3-0 record, but their three losses have all been decided by one goal.
ISU opened the season with a 2-0 win over South Dakota State, but suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Missouri on an own goal, a 1-0 loss to Northwestern, and a 2-1 defeat at Purdue in the 90th minute. Four different players have scored the team's four goals.
CU has dominated the all-time series against its former Big 12 rival, owning a 13-2-1 record vs. the Cyclones. The two teams last met in 2015 with CU winning 2-1 in overtime at Prentup Field. Iowa State has not won in the series since 2001 and CU has a three-game winning streak and 10-game unbeaten streak.
WEEKEND PROMOS
Friday's game vs. UTSA is a Buffs fanny pack giveaway. Fans can receive two premium tickets and two CU fanny packs for $20 with the promo code BUFFSPACK. Sunday vs. Iowa State is the annual Touch-A-Truck game with first-responder vehicles on-hand for fans to explore prior to kickoff. It is also a Wear White game.
Players Mentioned
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