The University of Colorado women’s soccer team fell short of a victory on Sunday to the Northwestern Wildcats in a physical 1-0 overtime loss at Prentup Field.
Coming off a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Denver University on Friday night, the Buffaloes had great momentum going into Sunday’s game against, but the Wildcats’ aggression put an end to CU’s four-game win streak.
A scoreless first half that saw only three shots on goal by the Buffs and two by the Wildcats made for a more physical game. The Buffaloes ended up with 13 total fouls, while the Wildcats limited their total to three. Junior forward Brie Hooks received a yellow card in the second half along with Northwestern’s head coach Michael Moynihan.
Both teams came out with a more aggressive offense in the second half, with the Buffaloes out-shooting the Wildcats nine shots to seven. Junior forward Danica Evans and Hooks combined for a total of eight shots for the match. The push was not enough for the Buffaloes;Wildcat goalkeeper Lauren Clem posted four saves.
Colorado stayed in contention with game-saving defensive play by senior forward Madison Krauser. Eight seconds remained in regulation when Krauser slid and tackled Northwestern’s Niki Sebo in front of an open net, keeping the game scoreless and forcing overtime.
“I kind of saw the girl coming across,” said Krauser. “I just stepped into it. I was hoping she wasn’t going to get by me.”
The Buffaloes came out aggressively again in overtime, with Hooks taking a shot early and Nikki Machalek making a nice block to protect the goal. But it wasn’t enough to keep the Wildcats from scoring — CU’s senior goalkeeper Kate Scheele, who made two saves during the regular period, couldn’t stop the shot from Wildcats forward Michelle Manning. In the 96th minute, Manning, assisted by forward Addie Steiner, crossed in front of the net and dribbled around the left back to score past Scheele.
“It just came down to the lack of energy and this kind of nonchalantness going in [the game],” Scheele said.
Colorado head coach Danny Sanchez commented on the goal saying, “It started with our throw in and losing possession, (Steiner) dribbles, and it was a great play.”
“Having said that, in 96 minutes they had two good chances at goal,” said Sanchez. “Defensively, I thought we were fine. I think it was a good goal.”
The loss leaves Colorado with a 5-2-1 record for the season; Northwestern now improves to 6-1-1. In the all-time series between both schools, the Wildcats now lead 1-0-1.
The Buffaloes must now look towards to their next game as they try to put the difficult loss behind them.
“Watch film, learn from our mistakes, try to pick up the energy in practice this week, and encourage one another,” Krauser said in regards to bouncing back from the loss. “I wouldn’t necessarily try to forget about the game, but move on from it; we now need to move forward to the next game.”
The Buffs will return to Prentup Field on Sunday, Sept. 30 at noon, to take on the Villanova Wildcats.
Fans who stick around after the match can participate in an autograph session with the players. It will also be Chip’s Kids Club Day, where kids in eighth grade and under are invited to come out to the match early and participate in field day activities, including an obstacle course bounce house, craft stations, face painting and more. For additional information and to sign up for Chip’s Kids Club, please visit their page.
Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Alex Aiello at alexandra.aiello@colorado.edu.
