Matches Thread- #20 SOCCER hosts Texas A&M-Commerce (Thursday, 9/1/22, 4:00 PM MT) & Omaha (Sunday, 1:00 PM MT)

[AztecBuff]

Media after today's win. (Now it's off to face off against the 2 Big 10 Michigan schools on the road.)

Article -




Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2022/9/4/soccer-buffs-offense-grounds-mavericks.aspx

"
BOULDER— The No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes' offense continued to fire on all cylinders, pouring in another five goals on Sunday. The team's defense did its job as well, holding Omaha off the scoreboard in the 5-0 result.

Colorado (5-0-1) scored four goals in the first half and totaled 11 goals in the two-game homestand, pushing the season total to 26.

Junior Shyra James extended her scoring streak into double digits, marking her 10th straight game with a goal. Junior Civana Kuhlmann contributed a goal and an assist, giving her 13 points this season and 60 in her career. Kayleigh Webb, Hannah Sharts and Jayden Newkirk also got in on the scoring.

"This was a game we had to take care of business in," head coach Danny Sanchez said after the win. "Omaha has some good results against Power 5 teams with Missouri and Oklahoma State. I liked how we started. Once we got that second goal, I thought we really played well. The ball movement was good. We scored some good goals and got everybody a lot of minutes. We know next weekend is going to be a huge challenge on the road with Michigan and Michigan State, but we're excited for the opportunity."

Sophomore Bella Grust got the start in net, making three saves in her first solo shutout of the season. The Buffs now have four shutouts this season and have outscored opponents by 23 goals.

"We're [the defense] fighting like warriors every game to try and keep that shutout," Newkirk explained. "I think that really says a lot about our defense and our mentality to carry this throughout the season as we face tougher opponents, keeping that mentality building and everyone wanting to keep that shutout. It says a lot about our team camaraderie."

Eight players contributed to CU's 15 points. Sunday marked the fourth game this season with the team tallying 10 or more points. The Buffs have now scored five or more goals in four games, adding to the team's record start.

"Like we've talked about, we have good depth in this squad," Sanchez continued. "Everybody's still fighting for starting spots and minutes, especially when you look at [upcoming] games like Michigan and Michigan State. I thought some players really put themselves in a position to make difficult decisions for the coaches and that's all they can do. They [the players] can control what they can control. They can control by contributing and performing when they get the opportunity."
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Up Next
Colorado will hit the road for a pair of Big Ten tests next week, starting at No. 24 Michigan on Thursday. The Buffs will wrap up the trip at Michigan State on Sunday.

Notes
Colorado's 26 goals are more than the team has scored in seven previous seasons (season record is 47 in 2018)…James moved into a tie with Anne Stuller for sixth on CU's all-time goal list with 22…Her eight goals this season rank tied with Nikki Marshall (2008) and Anne Stuller (2012) for sixth-most by a junior…James' 16 points are the ninth-most by a junior…Kuhlmann's 1 G, 1 A, day marked her sixth career game with a goal and assist…Rosen's two assists marked her first-career multi-assist game…Webb has started in all 84 games she's played, good for fifth all-time in starts and eighth all-time in games played.
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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/sports/womens-soccer/stats/2022/omaha/boxscore/15882

Highlights -

 

[MarkW]

Colorado 5, Omaha 0, the goals continue to flow at home. It was an eleven goal homestand this weekend. Omaha had had some success against P5 opponents Missouri with a 1-1 draw and a 1-2 loss to Oklahoma State, but they really couldn’t keep pace with CU..

Although it took some time for the first goal to come, the Buffs would score four times in the first half. Senior Kayleigh Webb struck first stealing a pass in Omaha’s half then noticing the keeper was off heer line launched a 35 yarder that found the back of the net. Prior to her strike CU was having trouble getting the ball into the final third as Omaha had set their restraining line near midfield and the Buffs were patiently probing with little success to find a way through.

Following Webb’s golazo the goals started flowing for CU. The second came off a classic Shyra James finish when she one timed a deflected pass into the goal. She has developed into a clinical finisher needing very few touches in a match to produce a goal. This season she has eight total in six matches. Last season she led the team with nine goals.

The final two goals of the half came from set pieces, the first a corner from Rachel Rosen that found the head of Hannah Sharts and the second from a free kick by Rachel Rosen that was headed home by sophomore Jayden Newkirk.

Four goals in the first half but only one in the second, a reversal from previous matches where the Buffs were generally prolific after intermission. Civana Kuhlmann finished off CU’s scoring with a close range shot off a feed from Jenny Beyer.

Bella Grust started and played the full 90 in goal for the Buffs coming back from injury which caused her to miss the second half of the BYU match as well as Thursday’s with Texas A&M- Commerce. It appears that Dani Hansen still isn’t 100%.

This week, the Buffs travel to face Michigan and Michigan State. This road trip should give a bit of a clue about how they will fair once conference play begins.

 

[MarkW]