The Colorado women’s soccer team continued its solid play after last weekend’s victory over the University of Southern California, taking down the University of Arizona Wildcats on Friday.
For the very first time in program history, the team has won back-to-back Pac-12 matches.
Friday’s 3-0 victory over Arizona was the eighth shutout for the Buffs this season, showing just how good CU’s defense has been this year. Not only did senior captain Amy Barczuk and her defense hold Arizona to just five shots on goal for the match, but two defenders, junior Lizzy Herzl and sophomore Bianca Jones, scored goals as well.
Senior Amy Barczuk dribbles the ball towards the goal against Arizona State University at Prentup Field in this file photo from Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011. On Friday, the Buffs beat Arizona 3-0. (Robert R. Denton/CU Independent File)
Part of what made the Buffaloes dominant on Friday evening was their strength on the ball, and more importantly their height advantage. Herzl, who stands at a staggering six feet tall, was able to dominate the air balls off of goal kicks and Arizona set pieces, but her height also played a key role in the 19th minute when she put the Buffaloes up a goal off of a Shaye Marshall corner kick.
In very similar fashion to the match against Stanford University earlier this month, the Buffs were able to capitalize just 16 seconds before the halftime whistle to put them up 2-0. The goal was kind of a fluke defensive play by the Wildcats, but sophomore Storie Ledger was able to screen the Arizona goalkeeper and get a foot on the ball to redirect it inside the left post.
The Buffs continued to dictate the flow of the game and the defense stood strong against Arizona’s defenders, even though the starters weren’t necessarily in the game. Head coach Danny Sanchez, for possibly the first time in Pac-12 competition, was able to relax with a comfortable lead and give a lot of girls who haven’t gotten much playing time this season a chance to get on the pitch.
On Friday, every single girl on the CU team got to play.
In the 79th minute, sophomore defender Bianca Jones worked up the field and received the ball from Nikola Machalek wide open at the top of the box, brilliantly finessing it just inside the right post for her second career goal in three games during this current road trip.
The Buffs’ record now improves over the .500 hump to 8-7-3 overall, 2-6-1 in the Pac-12, while Arizona slips to 5-10-3, 1-6-2 in the Pac-12.
The Buffs’ road trip ends on Sunday at Arizona State University. Colorado takes on ASU at 5 p.m. in a game that very well may determine whether or not the Buffs can get an NCAA Tournament bid.
Contact CU Independent Copy Editor Joseph Wirth at Joseph.wirth@colorado.edu.
