In both teams’ final Big 12 game ever, Colorado and Nebraska put on a show.
Colorado Women’s soccer (8-9-2 overall, 4-5-1 Big 12) beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-5-1, 5-4-1 Big 12), 2-1 at Prentup Field in Boulder Friday afternoon.
“This was not a cake walk for sure, and I’m proud of the way our kids handled it,” said head coach Bill Hempen. “I think the first 15-20 minutes we weren’t quite ready for that intensity, but we definitely gained our respect again for the Cornhuskers.”
While the first half was scoreless, both teams had several chances. Nebraska out shot Colorado 5-4, but the Buffs had 2 more on goal. The closest scoring chance fell to the Cornhuskers, who failed to convert on a scramble in front of the goal in the 35th minute.
Knowing if they lost Colorado would have been done for the season, the Buffs played the second half like their lives were on the line.
Sophomore midfielder Amy Barczuk got the Buffs on the scoreboard first. Senior defender Taryn Victacca’s pass found Barczuk at the top of the box and, after controlling the ball with her chest, she fired the ball into Nebraska net.
The Buffs lead was doubled through sophomore forward Erin Bricker. Bricker received the ball on the left wing and flew towards the goal. She beat the last defender in the box, and put away the easy chance.
Bricker’s goal gave Colorado some newfound hope.
“We didn’t let them dictate the pace,” Bricker said. “Everybody’s mind-set changed. We just didn’t want [the season] to end, and we wanted to make a statement.”
Colorado had their lead cut in half in the 63rd minute, when senior forward Jaclyn White scored from a corner. The Buffs defense cleared the first Nebraska chance from sophomore forward Morgan Marlborough, but the rebound fell to White, and put the Cornhuskers on the score sheet.
The last half-hour of the game saw the Buffs flying around the field, making last-ditch tackles and doing all they could to stop the rush of Cornhuskers trying to score an equalizer. Nebraska head coach John Walker even substituted goalkeepers to give his team more of an offensive threat.
The onslaught was expected by Colorado’s defense.
“[Nebraska] played really well, and they’re such an aggressive team,” said senior defender Kelly Ross. “[They] are so direct with their play that you could see every time their defense got the ball that all they wanted to do was send it over.”
The Buffs managed to hold on to their one goal advantage, and now have secured a spot as the eighth seed in the Big 12 Tournament
Colorado would like to take the momentum of this past week and use it to shock some teams in the tournament.
“We’re starting to get more confident and respect each other and depend on each other more,” Ross said. “I think our confidence level is going to be good. We love the Big 12 tournament, so we want to be there as long as possible.”
Hempen said he hopes his team is up to the tournament’s challenges.
“It is definitely going to be knock-down, drag-out, but the kids are excited about the opportunity,” Hempen said. “Up until about 25-30 minutes ago, we weren’t really sure if we were going to play again, but here we are and we’re excited about it.”
Colorado will play their first game of the tournament in San Antonio, Nov. 3. Their opponent has yet to be determined.
Contact Staff Writer Mark McNeillie at Mark.mcneillie@colorado.edu.
