Playing in front of a packed house, the University of Colorado women’s soccer team held on for a 3-1 victory over Oklahoma State Saturday. With 1,181 people in attendance at Prentup Field, the Buffs advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Thanks to a pair of early own-goals by the Cowgirls, the Buffs took a 2-0 lead in the first half. In the 18th minute, OSU’s Haley Woodard mistakenly headed in senior forward Danica Evans’ flip-throw for the game’s first score. Nineteen minutes later, senior midfielder Mikaela Kraus’s free kick was also headed in by OSU.
If the first half was characterized by mistakes, the second was defined by missed opportunities. Both teams had chances in the box to score, and both teams squandered their shots. Twice Colorado got right in front of the goal, but was denied by OSU’s defense and goalkeeper Michela Ongaro.
OSU’s Courtney Dike managed to finally break through in the 52nd minute, dribbling down the left side and netting a goal just inside the left post. It was the Cowgirls’ only score of the day.
With 35 minutes remaining, tensions between the referees and the Cowgirls’ coaching staff boiled over. Head coach Colin Carmichael earned a yellow card from the officials after vocally opposing a no-call on the Buffs. Immediately after, OSU assistant coach Justin Elkington was ejected with a red card for insulting the referees.
Holding a 2-1 lead, the Buffs kept the lead for the remainder of the game. With only 12 seconds left, senior forward Emily Bruder broke free and found Evans in the middle of the box. Evans juked out the goalkeeper and gently lobbed it in to put one more score on the board before time expired.
After the game, Colorado head coach Danny Sanchez praised his team’s performance.
“I couldn’t be more proud. It was a tough game today — Oklahoma State is a tough team. I thought we played very well in the first half, they got that goal but I was really happy with how we responded,” Sanchez said.
Next up, the Buffaloes will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks for a chance to face either Oklahoma or BYU in the third round.
Contact CU Independent Sports Writer Kyle Rini at kyle.rini@colorado.edu.
