Thursday, August 29
Greensboro, NC
5 p.m.
Colorado
4-1-0, 0-0-0
1
at
0
UNC Greensboro
0-2-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Colorado
0
1
1
UNC Greensboro
0
0
0
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Nytes, James Come Up Big for Buffs on the Road
August 29, 2024 | Soccer
Colorado scores the 1-0 win to open the road trip
GREENSBORO — Colorado goalkeeper Jordan Nytes got it done on offense and in the net Thursday night in the Buffaloes' first road test of the season. She picked up her third shutout of the season and assisted on the game-winning goal in the 1-0 win.
Colorado battled the heat and humidity all night following a 30-minute weather delay prior to kickoff.
"Whenever you go on the road, there's going to be different weather, different surfaces, and different opponents you're not used to," head coach Danny Sanchez explained. "Unfortunately, it took us about 25 minutes to get into the game. After that, I thought we were fine. But there's a bigger challenge coming on Sunday."
Fifth-year senior Shyra James broke the scoreless tie in the second half, heading home her 45th career goal. James and Hope Leyba led the team in shots with three apiece.
Nytes, the reigning Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week, only needed to make one save on the night. The shutout marks her 11th as a Buff and 17th of her career. Her assist was the first of her career and the first by a CU keeper since Jalen Tompkins at Oregon State in 2018.
"She's a great ball striker," Sanchez said of Nytes' assist. "Maybe one of the best ball strikers on the team. We don't care where the assists come from."
The Buffs ended the night with 10 shots, landing three on target. The Spartans closed the night with six total shots.
How It Happened
The two sides packed all the action into the final 45 minutes, playing to a scoreless draw in the first half.
"Credit to UNC Greensboro," Sanchez continued. "They really caused us problems, especially in the first 20-25 minutes. Not a lot in the final third, but through the midfield they really had the run of play. Towards the end of the first half, we made some adjustments and did better. The second half was tremendous for the Buffs. Great energy. Great commitment to getting a result on the road against a good team."
Colorado got two early chances with a pair of corner kicks in early in the second half. The Buffs totaled seven corner chances on the night.
Hope Leyba got the first shot of the half or the Buffs in the 49th minute. Faith Leyba got in on the action on a header off another corner attempt in the 65th minute.
Ava Priest battled for a ball just inside the midfield line in the 71st minute, leading to a free kick chance for the Buffs. Nytes ran up out of her net and across half-field to take the kick for the Buffs. She placed the ball directly at the backside post, finding James for the header and the game-winning goal.
The goal was reviewed by the officials with VAR and was confirmed.
"I thought Shyra was very good in the second half," Sanchez added. "Yes, she got the goal, but I really liked her work rate. Defensively, she helped kill the game off and doing things that maybe we didn't do a couple of Sundays ago [against North Carolina]. I thought the whole team was committed to the cause tonight. Now our attention is on Sunday with NC State."
H. Leyba had got loose in the offensive zone late in the half but was unable to find the back of the net.
Up Next
The Buffs will head to Raleigh to close out the trip, taking on No. 25 NC State on Sunday (5 p.m. MT/ACC Network)
Notes
Thursday's win was No. 500 combined between men and women for Coach Sanchez in his career 29th season (coached Mesa CC men to 96 wins from 1995-2001)…CU's goal was its sixth off a set piece this season…Colorado improved to 3-6-0 all-time in the state of North Carolina…Nytes became the 11th different Buff to have a point this season…The win was the 17th in Nytes' career at CU, eighth in program history and three behind Kara Linder's 20 wins.
Colorado battled the heat and humidity all night following a 30-minute weather delay prior to kickoff.
"Whenever you go on the road, there's going to be different weather, different surfaces, and different opponents you're not used to," head coach Danny Sanchez explained. "Unfortunately, it took us about 25 minutes to get into the game. After that, I thought we were fine. But there's a bigger challenge coming on Sunday."
Fifth-year senior Shyra James broke the scoreless tie in the second half, heading home her 45th career goal. James and Hope Leyba led the team in shots with three apiece.
Nytes, the reigning Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week, only needed to make one save on the night. The shutout marks her 11th as a Buff and 17th of her career. Her assist was the first of her career and the first by a CU keeper since Jalen Tompkins at Oregon State in 2018.
"She's a great ball striker," Sanchez said of Nytes' assist. "Maybe one of the best ball strikers on the team. We don't care where the assists come from."
The Buffs ended the night with 10 shots, landing three on target. The Spartans closed the night with six total shots.
How It Happened
The two sides packed all the action into the final 45 minutes, playing to a scoreless draw in the first half.
"Credit to UNC Greensboro," Sanchez continued. "They really caused us problems, especially in the first 20-25 minutes. Not a lot in the final third, but through the midfield they really had the run of play. Towards the end of the first half, we made some adjustments and did better. The second half was tremendous for the Buffs. Great energy. Great commitment to getting a result on the road against a good team."
Colorado got two early chances with a pair of corner kicks in early in the second half. The Buffs totaled seven corner chances on the night.
Hope Leyba got the first shot of the half or the Buffs in the 49th minute. Faith Leyba got in on the action on a header off another corner attempt in the 65th minute.
Ava Priest battled for a ball just inside the midfield line in the 71st minute, leading to a free kick chance for the Buffs. Nytes ran up out of her net and across half-field to take the kick for the Buffs. She placed the ball directly at the backside post, finding James for the header and the game-winning goal.
The goal was reviewed by the officials with VAR and was confirmed.
"I thought Shyra was very good in the second half," Sanchez added. "Yes, she got the goal, but I really liked her work rate. Defensively, she helped kill the game off and doing things that maybe we didn't do a couple of Sundays ago [against North Carolina]. I thought the whole team was committed to the cause tonight. Now our attention is on Sunday with NC State."
H. Leyba had got loose in the offensive zone late in the half but was unable to find the back of the net.
Up Next
The Buffs will head to Raleigh to close out the trip, taking on No. 25 NC State on Sunday (5 p.m. MT/ACC Network)
Notes
Thursday's win was No. 500 combined between men and women for Coach Sanchez in his career 29th season (coached Mesa CC men to 96 wins from 1995-2001)…CU's goal was its sixth off a set piece this season…Colorado improved to 3-6-0 all-time in the state of North Carolina…Nytes became the 11th different Buff to have a point this season…The win was the 17th in Nytes' career at CU, eighth in program history and three behind Kara Linder's 20 wins.
Team Stats
COL
UNCG
Goals
1
0
Shots
10
6
Shots on Goal
3
1
Saves
1
2
Corners
7
1
Fouls
7
4
Scoring Plays
Shyra James (5)
Assisted By: Jordan Nytes
GOAL by COL James, Shyra Assist by Nytes, Jordan.
70:35
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
fwd
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
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