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Matches Thread- SOCCER opens the season hosting #12 Michigan State (Thursday, 8/14/25, 7:00 PM MT) & Air Force (Sunday, 1:00 PM MT)

AztecBuff

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SOCCER (Last season - 12-5-5 overall; 4-2-5 in conference play), as usual, opens up the CU sports (academic) year for ALL sports as they host 2 teams at Prentup Field.. 1st off is a Thursday evening match against the Preseason #12 ranked Michigan State Spartans (MSU; Last season - 14-3-5 overall, 7-1-3 in the Big 10), followed up by a Sunday 1:00 match against the Air Force Falcons (AFA; last season - 5-10-3; 1-8-2 in the Mountain West).

This will be the 5th match ever with MSU, with the series tied up at 2 matches apiece. Most recently, they had a home and home a few years ago, with MSU winning in 2022 2-4 in Lansing, with CU then earning the win in the last match-up between the 2 by a 2-0 score early in the 2023 season at Prentup. Against Air Force, the Buffs have an 8 match winning streak going, with the Falcons only win being the 1st match between the 2 back in 1996. A little surprising to me this will be the 1st official match for the Buffs against the AFA since 2018 (although I assume they've played them multiple times in spring scrimmages).

Although pre-season polls are almost always worthless, using this season's would indicate the MSU could be the 2nd most challenging match of the whole regular season, with only conference-mate TCU having a higher ranking at #9. (In addition to them, there are 2 other Big 12 teams ranked - OSU at #22 and Texas Tech at #25.)

Not that it means much of anything for this season, but in the final RPI ratings for last (2024) season (dated 12/9/24, https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-women/d1/ncaa-womens-soccer-rpi ), CU ended up at #50, while MSU was #14 and the AFA #204.

Assuming video coverage is the same as last season, we can expect all home matches, along with all conference road matches, will be available for those with a premium ($) ESPN+ subscription, but so far no links have been provided for this opening weekend's matches. (See more details and links near the bottom of this post.)

Go Buffs!!!

(Cubuffs.com preview not available as I type this.)
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Links with more info on the opponents -

MSU :
Roster - https://msuspartans.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster
Stats (last season) - https://msuspartans.com/sports/womens-soccer/stats/2024
Schedule/ results for (last) season - https://msuspartans.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule/2024
Their preview article for the match with the Buffs - Not available as I type this.

Air Force :
Roster - https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster
Stats (last season) - https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/womens-soccer/stats/2024
Schedule/ results for (last) season - https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule/2024
Their preview article for the match with the Buffs - Not available as I type this.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media links:

Link to links to Live stats for both matches - https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=colo . Direct links for the matches:
MSU - https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=594039
Air Force - https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=594040

Live Video: Both matches are scheduled to be provided through the premium ($) ESPN+ subscription service, available either on the ESPN app or at:
MSU - https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a8ed8024-1a62-4758-b7cf-9df77c5e5c5c
Air Force - https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/41dbe962-2b11-483e-9bb9-bfaab9b99f97

Match notes (If blank below, they weren't available as I type this.) :
MSU - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2025/8/12/SOC_2025_Game1_Michigan_State.pdf
Air Force -
 
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Official preview now out for tomorrow's match - https://cubuffs.com/news/2025/8/13/soccer-buffs-set-for-opener-against-no-12-michigan-state

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Buffs Set for Opener against No. 12 Michigan State​

Colorado opens the season on Thursday

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER, Colo. – There is no easing into the 2025 soccer season for head coach Danny Sanchez and his Colorado Buffaloes, which open the new campaign against the No. 12 Michigan State Spartans Thursday night at Prentup Field.

Thursday's season-opener will be just the sixth time the Buffs will take on a top-25 opponent to start the season. The last time CU opened the season with a ranked opponent was a 1-0 win over No. 11 Oklahoma State to jumpstart the 2009 season.

While this may seem like a daunting task for the Buffs, Sanchez views this match as an invaluable opportunity for his team to test their mettle and assess their strengths and weaknesses early in the season.

The chance to compete against a team like Michigan State right off the bat is an exciting opportunity, and the Buffs are eager to embrace it.

"It's a big opportunity for both teams," Sanchez explained. "It's a great opportunity for us to kind of test ourselves against a team that's going to compete for a Big 10 championship and will be in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year."

The early-season clash against Michigan State also offers Sanchez a unique opportunity to evaluate his roster and identify the players who will step up in high-stakes situations.

While the starting lineup for the season opener may not be set in stone, Sanchez is open to the idea of giving players a chance to prove themselves on the field. He understands that there's a significant difference between practice and real-game scenarios, and Thursday's opener will serve as a true litmus test for his team.

"There's one thing for training and even exhibition, but it's a whole other thing when you play a team of Michigan State's caliber," Sanchez said. "So, we're really looking forward to seeing how some players step up with the competition."

One player who has consistently risen to the occasion is senior goalkeeper Jordan Nytes.

As the sole captain of the team, she brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the field. Her dedication and professionalism have not gone unnoticed by her teammates and coaches. Sanchez believes that Nytes is preparing herself for a future in professional soccer, with ambitions to turn pro after this season.

Nytes has been hauling in different individual accolades this preseason. She was named Preseason All-Big 12 and landed at No. 9 on Top Drawer Soccer (TDS) Preseason Top 100 players. Nytes was also selected First Team TDS Best XI.

"She's going to be a pro in January," Sanchez added on Nytes. "That's her mentality. She's off the charts fit. Her preparation off the field has been first-class, and she's played great so far in the preseason. We know how important she is for us, so we're excited to see what she does in her last year."

Michigan State finished last season 14-3-5 and starts its 2025 season with its highest preseason ranking in program history. The Spartans advanced to the Round of 16 in last season's NCAA Tournament and return 19 players from last season's roster.

Colorado and MSU both have two wins in the series, with the Buffs earning a 1-0 win the last time the two teams met in 2023.

Brad Thompson will have the call all season long for the Buffs on ESPN+. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.

For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.
"
 
It was a tale of two halves, with the Buffs managing the first half well and Michigan State dominating the second. Fortunately for the Buffs, they defended just well enough to fend off conceding a second goal and thus preserved the tie.

CU came out with the same lineup as in last Thursday’s exhibition:

H. Leyba - Layne - Holley

Zacarias (Fr) - Meyer (Tr) - Kotschau (Tr)

Whiteaker (Tr) - Zamorano (Fr) - F Leyba - Swierenga (Tr)

Nytes

In the 4th minute Lilian Zamorano won the ball from an attacker, held some possession under pressure and then hit a wonderfully weighted pass to Hope Leyba who drove to the endline and looked to cross. A defender blocked it but it came right back to Hope who buried it near post.

The rest of the half CU managed well with some periods of possession and timely interventions. The Spartans had zero shots on goal in the half.

Things changed right out of the gate in the second half with MSU absolutely taking charge. Once they had possession they moved the ball quickly upfield via short, vertical passes which often found teammates in space. Kennedy Bell’s goal came indirectly off a throw that seemed to catch the Buffs flatfoot and gave a lot of space for her to finish.

For long periods of the second half MSU was able to repeatedly put pressure on the Buffs’ backline. If a CU defender came to challenge the attacker would spin off her into open space. When the defender played off the ball the MSU player would drive hard towards the goal with the defender continuing to back peddle.

At times it looked as if MSU would easily be able to take the lead. They had superior technical and tactical ability. They were winning all the long clearances attempted by CU. The Buffs ability to hold possession evaporated. What CU was able to do was clog up the box, limiting MSU’s ability to get off clean shots. Still, they had to weather a lot of pressure including 14 MSU corners. Of course there was Jordan Nytes in goal who made a number of challenging saves.

Given the course of the entire match it was a good result for the Buffs. Michigan State looks like they could make a run in the NCAA tourney.

YouTube Highlights

Air Force is at Prentup Sunday at 1pm following their 1-2 loss at home to Denver.
 
The Buffs went up in this one in the 16th minute with Holley scoring a nice goal with a hards shot from ~5 yards beyond the top of the penalty box that clangs in from the left post. 1st Buff and collegiate point for frosh Zacarias, who gets the assist.

Still 1-0 in the 20th minute.
 
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And it's 2-0 in the 27th minute after a couple nice passes give H. Leyba a 1-1 with a defender in the penalty box and she earns an obvious penalty after the defender trips her up. New Buff transfer Kotschau then knocks the PK in to earn her 1st goal as a Buff.
 
2-0 is the halftime score.

I started watching a little before the 1st goal, and it looks to be an entertainly up and back match. Nytes already has at least 1 VERY good save, and already has almost as many credited saves (4) as she had all last match against MSU (5).

The highlight of the 1st goal is in the 2nd tab of the below post -

 
Early in the 2nd half (48th minute) H. Leyba makes it 3-0 off a nice corner kick from Kotschau bounces around close to the goal and Leyba's able to poke it home. Kotschau and F. Leyba are credited with assists. (Per the announcer that's now goals in 5 of the last 6 CU matches for Hope going back to last season.)
 
4-1 is the final.
(The final goal was a nice one late in the match as transfer Swierenga's beautiful service from at least 30-40 yards away found Holly only ~4-5 yards from the goal and she easily pounded it home with a diving header to earn the brace.)

Way to go Buffs!
 
Air Force looks better than they did the other night against DU. Nice to see somebody besides Leba score. I thought CU was a little too nonchalant and it allowed AFA to pressure them during the second half. I hope that player is all right after she did not play last year with a knee injury at KSU.
 
Media after yesterday's W:

Article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2025/8/17/soccer-holleys-brace-helps-buffs-past-afa

"

Holley's Brace Helps Buffs Past AFA​

Colorado picks up its first win of the season

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER, Colo. – Jace Holley recorded her first-career multi-goal performance on Sunday, notching two goals, the first and the final, to help the Buffaloes past the visiting Air Force Falcons, 4-1.

Colorado's (1-0-1) four-goal effort at Prentup Field on Sunday was its most goals scored in almost a year. The Buffs put up five last season against Wyoming on Aug. 22. Holley's brace against the Falcons was the first time a CU player had a multi-goal output since Shyra James' hat trick against Wyoming.

"I feel really good," Holley said after the win. "I was really nervous going into our first game of the season, but I think the second game at home, we got one under our belts. This one felt a lot more comfortable, but I felt really good out there."

Goalkeeper Jordan Nytes made seven saves on eight shots on goal from AFA. Reagan Kotschau added both a goal and an assist, also converting a game-winning penalty. Hope Leyba accounted for the third goal of the match, marking her second straight game with a tally.

Caley Swierenga and Vivi Zacarias each contributed with an assist, playing crucial roles in setting up scoring opportunities.

"We're always pleased to get a win," head coach Danny Sanchez noted. "I thought we scored some good goals and created good chances. Credit Air Force. I think they deserved a goal and maybe more. I thought they were good going forward, created some good opportunities. There's a lot for us to clean up. But having said that, I thought there were some stretches where we played really good soccer. This is the best Air Force team since I've been around. I think they're going to do well as they get through the rest of their season."
...

Up Next
Colorado will host Fordham on August 21. The match is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Prentup Field.

Notes
H. Leyba has now scored in consecutive matches, and five of her last six matches dating back to Oct. 30, 2024…Colorado has now won the last eight meetings with Air Force and is 8-1 against the Falcons all-time…The win for Nytes was her 26th as a Buff…Kotschau, Swierenga and Zacarias each recorded their first point as a Buff…Kotschau recorded her first career match with a goal and assist…CU's four assists were its most since having four against Wyoming (Aug. 22, 2024)…Colorado had seven corner kick chances on Sunday…Kansas State transfer Kenzi Gillispie was removed from the game in the first half due to an apparent knee injury.

Quotes
Head coach Danny Sanchez
On the team's rhythm – "There were some good stretches, but it wasn't consistent enough over 90 minutes. I thought the first 30 minutes of the game were good, and I thought the last 15 minutes or so were good. But there were stretches in there where I think we just have to play with a little bit more confidence. It's always a work in progress early in non-conference play."

On the emergence of Caley Swierenga – "I thought Caley was very good today. Not only her service, obviously, the last ball to Jace was first class, but I thought her defending was good. We need her on both sides of the ball. She missed the whole spring, but so far so good with what she's done for us."

On Kenzi Gillispie – "We don't know anything [at the moment]. But it doesn't look good. It's very disappointing because even though she has only been with our program for a little while, her commitment to the team, being a great teammate, and her work ethic to come back from an injury last year, it's heartbreaking. But we know the type of kid she is, and she'll come back stronger, whatever the diagnosis is, and the team will have her back."

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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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/sports/womens-soccer/stats/2025/air-force/boxscore/17495







 
With a three goal victory it might appear that the Buffs dominated this match, rather the difference was goal keeping and finishing. CU was superior in both and that provided the margin of victory rather than dominating possession and creating a large number of quality chances.

CU’s starting lineup was unchanged from the previous two matches. Ava Priest did not play and it can be assumed she’s still recovering from an injury. On Thursday night v Michigan State she came off the bench and played 36’.

Large portions of the match featured “loose passing” leading to lots of turnovers and disjointed play. Despite this, both teams were creating scoring chances. Sophomore Jace Holley opened her scoring account in the 18’ minute when she was able to drive at the Air Force backline and then get off a screamer with her left foot from outside the box that had a bit of bend to it.

In the 27’ Hope Leyba was able to dribble into the box and then get taken down which resulted in Reagan Kotschau taking and making the PK. Hope scored in the 48’ off a corner when the ball fell right to her feet and she whacked it in. It’s very early, but thus far her finishing is better than last season.

Air Force pulled a goal back in the 65’, but with it didn’t appear likely they would be able to catch the Buffs. A final insurance goal came in the 86’ when Caley Swierengan hit a long curling ball from about 30 yards out that Holley flew onto with her head.

Defensively CU had a hard time containing Air Force with the Falcons putting eight shots on target - although most of them were routine saves by Jordan Nytes (although she did have to come up with a few that were difficult). By contrast, the Buffs put seven on goal.

CU’s Lexi Gillispie went down with a serious injury in the second half.

Freshman Lilian Zamorano continues to look good and is being tried in a variety of positions. She starts at center back, pairing with Faith Leyba. In this match she also played in the midfield and left back. With her soccer IQ and technical ability it appears the coaching staff is trying to workout her most impactful role.

YouTube Highlights

The Buffs host Fordham Thursday night and UNC-Greensboro Sunday afternoon.
 
Lexi Gillispie had the big knee brace on in the pictures of the buffs welcome back picnic. That is so sad. I agree. Lots of loose passing and sloppy play by the buffs. Air Force looked the best I have seen them look but CU has to clean up stuff
 
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