Buffs Excited at the Start of Fall Camp

BOULDER— Head coach Danny Sanchez and the Colorado Buffaloes soccer team officially got the 2022 soccer season underway on Tuesday. The team took to Prentup Field for the first time this season, holding two training sessions with the team's Aug. 18 opener on the horizon.

"Every day one is exciting," Sanchez noted. "I really like this group and I'm not just saying that. You can go back and through the previous years and I haven't always said that. I think this is a super talented group. They've worked hard this summer with Skylar [Rubalcaba] and Marissa [Holliday]. It was a good first day. It was a usual first day. A little bit of work at the beginning and then some 11 a side to see what we can do."

Colorado has a solid group of veteran leaders that will combine with a solid crop of newcomers. The Buffs boasted Top Drawer Soccer's eight-ranked recruiting class, bringing in seven freshmen and two Division I transfers to bolster the 2022 roster.

"We have a good amount of freshmen and some transfers" fifth-year forward Kayleigh Webb mentioned. "We are all getting used to playing together. We have a good group that came back from last season. It's always a little tricky early on but we'll get that sorted out and it will be smooth. We're so excited. Everyone is going to come in and just be ready to play."

CU's group of returners accounted for 23 of the team's 31 goals last season but fell short of the NCAA Tournament. This year's veteran group does not want to have a repeat letdown.

"We knew last year that we didn't play our best," Webb added. "We did not do what we expected to do. This year, everyone's excited and we have a fire in our belly. We've all been talking about how excited we are, wanting to at least get to the Elite Eight. Everyone is just fired up for this season."

The 2022 roster has 28 players that will be used across the board. With that kind of depth, the team will look to field its best IX, regardless of position.

"I think we have a lot of good depth," Sanchez continued. "We haven't made any decisions on how our depth chart is going to look. We have a lot of players with versatility. We have talented players and maybe their best position isn't where they're going to end up, because that's where they can help the team the most in the short run. We don't put anybody in a box. We like players that can play in different lines and we have players that can do that."

Webb, along with Hannah Sharts and Dani Hansen were voted team captains for the coming season. Junior Shyra James had a breakout season in 2021, recording nine of her 14 career goals. Stanford transfer Civana Kuhlmann has two NCAA Championships to her resume to go with 47 career points (20 G, 7 A).

Colorado will be without Jenny Beyer for the start of the season. Beyer will be in Costa Rica with the U20 German National Team for the U20 Women's World Cup. Beyer missed all of last season for CU, recovering from a knee injury suffered in the delayed 2020 season.

The Buffs' biggest statistical departure comes from graduated senior Shanade Hopcroft. Hopcroft, now playing professionally for the London City Lionesses, who totaled six goals and 10 assists in 2021. Anyone of the team's new freshmen goal-scorers could be turned to help fill in that production.

"I think the players are smart enough to realize this team has a lot of potential," Sanchez expressed. "I think the trickle down you hope for is that everyone will work hard and they will continue to push each other as we build towards that first game."

Colorado opens the season on the Pac-12 Network against Weber State (Aug. 18, 4 p.m. MT). The Buffs will host San Diego (Aug. 21) and Valparaiso (Aug. 26) before heading on the road to take on No. 3 BYU (Aug. 29).

Players Mentioned

Jenny Beyer

Dani Hansen

Shanade Hopcroft

Shyra James

Civana Kuhlmann

Hannah Sharts

Kayleigh Webb

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