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Match Thread- Soccer scheduled to host Utah (Friday, 4/16, 3:00 MT, Pac 12 Network) for Senior Day

AztecBuff

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With the NCAA tournament down to 48 teams this season rather than the normal 64, the Buffs (8-5-2, 4-4-2) probably face a must win situation to even be considered for post-season play as they host Utah (4-8-3, 3-5-2) for Senior Day tomorrow afternoon.
(The Buffs are currently 6th in the Pac 12 standings (https://pac-12.com/womens-soccer/standings), which this year look to be placing teams based on their average points earned per match played.)

Preview -


Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2021/4/15/soccer-cu-closes-out-against-utah.aspx

"
BOULDER — Colorado soccer has been putting in work for the 2020, now 2021 spring season since mid-summer. The Buffaloes began preparing for an August start back in June of 2020, now after a few hurdles along the way the team is set to take on Utah in Friday's regular-season finale.

Colorado (8-5-2, 4-4-2 Pac-12) hopes this isn't its last hurrah. The Buffs with 1.4 points per game this season sit sixth in the Pac-12 standings. A win on Friday would go a long way to help CU secure a spot in the 48-team NCAA Tournament.

"We put so much work, time and energy on and off the field as all the teams around the country have," head coach Danny Sanchez explained. "To be able to go into the end of April and still have stuff to play for is exciting."

The Utes (4-8-3, 3-5-2 Pac-12) sit in the bottom third of the Pac-12 standings with 1.1 points per game. The Buffs already picked up a non-conference result at Utah (1-0), but in recent history, Utah has been a spoiler for the Buffs. The past two regular seasons have concluded on the opposite side of 1-0 contests against the Utes.

"We know the quality of Utah," Sanchez continued. "They've been playing very well just like we have. They got two great results last weekend, beating Arizona and Arizona State. We played them earlier this year to 1-0, but it was a very even match that could have gone either way. We know that we have to bring our best soccer."
...

The Buffaloes will honor senior Katie Joella and junior Libby Geraghty as part of the team's annual pregame Senior Day celebration. Joella has played in all four years at CU, totaling three goals and an assist. Geraghty, a senior academically, will not be returning for her final season of eligibility. She has battled through injuries in her four seasons, totaling six goals and five assists. Team manager Cole Sanchez will also be honored.

Friday's match will be on the Pac-12 Networks. Thad Anderson will have the call at 3 p.m. MT.
"
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A little more on the Utes -

Roster
- https://utahutes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster
Stats - https://utahutes.com/sports/womens-soccer/stats/2020?path=wsoc
Schedule/ results for this season - https://utahutes.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule
Their preview article for the matches with the Buffs - https://utahutes.com/news/2021/4/14/soccer-closes-out-regular-season-at-colorado.aspx
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media links:

Live stats -
https://cubuffs.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary

Live Video -
Match is scheduled to be shown live on the Pac 12 National and Mountain channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to either of those Pac 12 channels, assume it can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/womens-soccer/event/2021/04/16/utah-colorado .

Match notes -
 
Agree with @AztecBuff that a win tomorrow afternoon i a must to have a shot at the NCAA tourney. It seems that CU often has a hard time with the Utes in this type of situation.

Hoping that the snow doesn't have much of an impact on the match. Five inches are predicted from now until late tomorrow morning and then more in the afternoon.
 
Wanted to mention - I just checked the Buff roster, and with the preview article linked to in the OP saying "The Buffaloes will honor senior Katie Joella and junior Libby Geraghty as part of the team's annual pregame Senior Day celebration. "; not sure if that means that some or all of the 3 other seniors on the roster (Haileigh Adams, Gabbi Chapa and Shanade Hopcroft) are planning on returning next season?
 
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Had the pleasure of watching in person. Lot's of times it felt it could go either way. In the first half both team had chances that they just couldn't convert. Haileigh Adams hit the cross bar on the long range shot. Tessa Barton just missed on a header. Looked like Libby Geraghty missed a point blank header. But in the long run it was the outstanding long ball from Hopcroft to Geraghty that got the Buffs on the board. Both parties did their part exceptionally well.

On the winning goal Hopcroft was lining up the shot well before she hit it. IT was an amazing strike. Very technical.

Let's hope the Buffs get an NCAA tourney bid.
 
Article and highlights (within the tweet) after today's win -
(Note- per the article below, the NCAA tournament selection show is Monday at 11:00 AM MT.)



Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2021/4/16/soccer-geraghty-hopcroft-seal-victory-for-the-buffs.aspx

"
BOULDER—Two unanswered goals from Libby Geraghty and Shanade Hopcroft helped keep Colorado's NCAA Tournament hopes alive on Friday.


The Buffaloes fell behind after allowing the first goal to Utah in the 23rd minute but drew back to even in the 25th minute off the foot of Geraghty. Hopcroft notched the game-winner in the 83rd minute to close out the 2-1 result.


"I couldn't be prouder of this team," head coach Danny Sanchez commented after the win. "Not because we won the game, but because the last few weeks we had no room for error. To battle and get these results that we had to have, against quality Pac-12 teams was just fantastic.

"To go down a goal today and still battle—it wasn't our best performance today but to keep battling and to see Libby Geraghty get a goal after all she's been through on Senior Day just warms my heart. Then Shanade was just quality at the end to put that in."

The match had a sense of Déjà vu after the Buffs found themselves trailing. Utah had won the previous two regular-season finales by 1-0, keeping CU out of the NCAA Tournament in 2018.

"If you look at every game we have with Utah at the end of the season it always seems like it comes down to needing to get a result," Sanchez explained. "It cost us a bit in 2018 when we didn't get the win. In 2019 it probably put us really on the bubble and we got in, but it made things nervous for Selection Day."

Colorado moves to 9-5-2 overall and 5-4-2 in the Pac-12. Utah's season closes at 4-9-3 overall and 3-6-2 in the conference.
...

BY THE NUMBERS
Colorado
Goals:
2
Shots: 11
Fouls: 11
Saves: 3

Utah
Goals:
1
Shots: 12
Fouls: 12
Saves: 2

UP NEXT: The Buffs will await the NCAA Tournament selections on Monday. The show will stream live on NCAA.com at 11 a.m. MT.

"In a normal year I'd feel really good [about tournament positioning]," Sanchez added. "If there were 16 more spots to be had. When you look at it there's so much uncertainty this year, but you look at our results in the league and look at our win over Denver, which is a very good result. We play in the toughest league in the country. Three of the four final four teams in 2019. At the end of it, I think everybody agrees the Pac-12 should get the most bids of anyone. If that's the case I feel good about our chances, but you just don't know."

QUOTABLE: "I think in all my four years, the best part was the people. We have a really good culture here. Every single year we've had such a good group of people and I've become so close with all of them. That's going to be the hardest part of seeing them three hours a day, six days a week." – Libby Geraghty

"As far as Libby, to get a goal on Senior Day—As I said, not everybody is privy to everything she's had to go through to get to this stage. The amount of work and surgery she's had to do. It's a testament to her and her family. Her commitment to the team, being a captain and a leader for us. We couldn't be happier, but I think at the end of the day, the win is the most important thing for her." – Danny Sanchez

NOTES: CU closes the regular season on a four-match unbeaten streak…CU swept the season series against Utah…CU's five Pac-12 wins are the most since 2018 (5-4-2)…Hopcroft became the first Buff to have a goal and an assist in the same match this season and first since Taylor Kornieck had a goal and assist against Northern Colorado in the 2019 NCAA Tournament…the team honored Katie Joella, Geraghty and team manager Cole Sanchez before the game for Senior Day…Geraghty a redshirt junior is not returning in the fall due to injuries throughout her career…Hopcroft now has eight points on the season (3 G, 2 A)…Geraghty has five points (2 G, 1 A)…Hansen has an even 90 saves on the season.
"
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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2021/4/16/Soccer_Box_Score_15_.pdf

 
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Wanted to mention, I looked quick at a couple different sources I've used in the past, and it looks like both have guessed the Buffs will make the tourney. I would GUESS the Buffs are one of the last in, With their #33 RPI (as of yesterday, so before today's win over the #133 RPI Utes) and 5th place Pac 12 finish hopefully being enough (although with a smaller than normal non-conference schedule, RPI might not mean as much?):
  • In its bracketology guess on April 12th, topdrawersoccer.com did have the Buffs being selected.
  • Chris Henderson is someone I remember who in past years has consistently done bracketology stuff, usually in the https://www.allwhitekit.com/ website. Although I can't see a full bracketology analysis in that website this year, he did tweet out the below-
 
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Buffs in 5th in the Pac 12 on points per game, which in theory gives them a good shot at getting into the NCAA tourney. Selection show is tomorrow (Monday) at 11am.
 
Chris Henderson in his last projection predicts the Buffs will be selected (Although they are in the always nerve wracking "last 4 in", although at least he has them 3 up from the bottom).



Edit - He also gave his projected bracket, at least for the 2 rounds. I know in other sports these are not that accurate, but for entertainment value here's what he came up with. (He has the #25 seeded Buffs playing #40 Stoney Brook in the 1st round, with the winner drawing #8 seed West Virginia in the 2nd round.)

 
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YESSS BUFFS!!!!

They get selected, and will 1st be facing South Alabama, with the winner facing off in the 2nd round against #10 seed Oklahoma State.
 
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