Buffs and Wildcats Draw to Open Big 12 Play

BOULDER — Colorado and Kansas State finished in a scoreless draw to open the Big 12 Conference season Thursday night at Prentup Field.

Colorado (6-1-2, 0-0-1) tallied 14 shots, with five on target, while Kansas State (5-1-2, 0-0-1) managed seven shots, including one on goal. Jordan Nytes recorded the shutout with one save over the 90 minutes. The clean sheet marked the 22nd shutout at CU for Nytes, moving her one behind Annie Brunner for third in program history.

"The second half was a little bit better, but not drastically," head coach Danny Sanchez expressed after the draw. "We have to sit back kind of and really evaluate how we prepared for this match, because for whatever reason, the first half, we weren't ready to go, and that's on me and the coaching staff."

Emerson Layne led the Buffaloes with six shots, including one shot on goal. Reagan Kotschau contributed four shots, two of which were on goal.

Thursday was the second consecutive game Colorado has limited the opponents to one shot on goal in the 90 minutes.

"We played well defensively," Sanchez continued. "We didn't give them anything. We didn't produce enough going forward, and there just wasn't enough composure through the midfield third. It was just frantic, and we knew that's what they wanted, and we played right into it."

How it Happened
The first half began with both sides showcasing defensive resilience, resulting in a scoreless half. Kotschau tried to spark the Buffs with two first-half shots, both narrowly missing the target. Nytes was instrumental in maintaining the deadlock, making a crucial save in the 38th minute off a shot by Kansas State's Hannah Palmer. Despite several corner kicks, including two in quick succession around the 29th minute, the Buffs were unable to convert these opportunities into goals as the half ended 0-0.

The second half opened with the Buffs immediately on the attack, as Caley Swierenga's early shot in the 46th minute was saved by Kansas State's goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing.

The Buffs maintained offensive pressure, with Layne leading the charge, recording multiple shots, including attempts in the 55th and 81st minutes, the first just missing the near post and the latter a header that went straight down inside the six-yard box.

"It just wasn't our night," Sanchez added. "We didn't rise to the occasion of conference play against a team that was 5-1-1 and only given up three goals all year, and didn't give us a lot tonight either."

Colorado totaled five corner kicks and 10 shots in the second half, but the final 45 minutes remained scoreless.

Up Next
Looking ahead, the Buffaloes welcome Iowa State to Prentup Field on Thursday, September 25. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. as the Buffs aim to defend their home turf.

Notes
Colorado is now 9-7-1 in Big 12 openers and 13-13-4 in conference openers all-time…Thursday was the second game in the last three that CU did not find the back of the net...Colorado is now 96-0-15 all-time when not allowing a goal under Coach Sanchez…Nytes now has 205 career saves at CU, closing in on Jessica Keller (208) for seventh in program history.

For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.

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Team Stats

Emerson Layne

Reagan Kotschau

Caley Swierenga

Jace Holley

Players Mentioned

Reagan Kotschau

Emerson Layne

Jordan Nytes

Caley Swierenga

Players Mentioned

Reagan Kotschau

Emerson Layne

Jordan Nytes

Caley Swierenga