Colorado Buffaloes 2012

The Gold Medal Winning U.S. Women's National Team will be here on Wednesday, September 19.

Here being Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and they are playing Australia. I saw the Matildas twice at the World Cup last year. Their defenders can be beaten one on one, as can their goalkeeper, they gave up two goals that way against Equatorial Guinea, winning 3-2. To be fair, EG had one of the best forward/strikers at the tournament, she scored both goals. They defeated Norway and lost to Brazil in group play, then they lost an evenly played game to Sweden in the quarterfinal. At midfield and up front, they played well. But that was last year.

In Olympic qualifying this year, in six games against Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq, they only gave up three goals. And they scored none. Zip, zero, six goose eggs (emu eggs?).

Unkiemark, thanks for the heads up on this, I would have missed the microscopic article in the Denver Post if I hadn't been looking for it.

 

Oops ... I hit enter before I said anything. To answer Unkiemark's questions ...

I think the confidence will be fine. After spring soccer, the veterans were already looking forward to the season. As for falling behind, we'll know soon enough, I expect they will do so before conference play starts. Scoring? Look out for Hayley, and there will likely be a lot more artillery from Anne (who still calls herself Annie, I think). I wouldn't be surprised if Shaye gets several. As for the newcomers, nobody had numbers on last weekend so I didn't know who everybody was, but we already got a goal from both Carlys, and this will be a faster team than last year. There are enough defenders that even with the loss of Alex ($&*@#$!^*), Amy will be in the middle of the midfield. I could see her role being either defensive midfield to offensive midfield, depending on how a game is going.

 

Fairview High School 3, Northern Colorado 0.

 

I hit enter and it posts. I don't want to post yet, I just want to move down a line. I'll try one more time, if it posts again I'll use the office computer tomorrow.

There. It wasn't really the Fairview team, but it was two of their former players. We don't know how the Buffs will respond when they fall behind because they fell ahead five minutes in. But we know how UNC responds when they fall behind ... they dominate the game, which they did for the next 25 minutes. They played a physical game which put Buffs on the ground a lot, 50-50 balls were more like 80-20 or worse, and they got in the way of everything we tried to do. I thought the referee let a lot go, but I usually think that. UNC was not at all dirty, just physical. Then we started substituting, and you'd think the subs want to start, they way they played. We got a free kick 22 yards out or more and to the left of the left post. Annie had a conversation with Amy, pulled her socks up, and when the referee blew his whistle, took a couple of steps and it was going in the moment it left her foot, we had a perfect angle to see it, hard into the upper far corner, goalkeeper had no chance. We did well the rest of the half, our subs are better than their subs.

The Buffs came out in the second half with their tails on fire, just missed connecting on a few great plays. As the half progressed, UNC pushed forward harder and didn't appear that well organized, but they were effective, Amy and Annie B were busy (I blew a prediction, Amy was the middle of the defense, along with Lizzy), then Nikki Machalek made her debut to a totally mangled pronunciation, it's Mack-a-lack, accent on the first syllable (not how it's pronounced in Czech, I won't even try). She immediately showed the crowd that she is fast. Five minutes later she showed the crowd (and the coaches!) that she is fast and can shoot, hard into the upper far corner, goalkeeper had no chance, 3-0 Buffs. Three cheers to the defense and Annie for the shutout, UNC made us earn it.

The Colorado Cup will be decided on the field this year. Colorado College 1, Denver 0. Colorado College put on a display of up-front speed that maybe Denver didn't expect, and although CC didn't score in the first half, the shots on goal and corner kicks were quite lopsided in their favor. Denver had more possession, and were way bigger and stronger, they played a physical game which put Tigers on the ground a lot, and I thought the referee let a lot go, but I usually think that. Why does this sound familiar ... In the second half there was an assembly of players in a small area at the top of the penalty box which included the goalkeeper, a foot (toe poke?) found the ball and lobbed it over the GK, and that was the scoring, although CCs goalkeeper very nearly scored a couple of minutes later on a really long free kick that bounced over everybody. The rest of the game was just about all Denver.

We had a good crowd there, hope we do on Sunday. Denver and UNC can pound on each other in the second game, but at 1PM Sunday we play a team a lot like us, should be a good one. A few more thoughts will wait until tomorrow, it's way past my bedtime.

 

I didn't look at the statistics until after I wrote last night, UNC outshot us 15-9. But most of those shots were well-contested by defenders, and on one open one, Annie stole a goal from them. But of our nine, six were on goal and three went in and it took two really good saves to keep two more out. Coach Sanchez said it was not a 3-0 game and I agree. If there are any Bear People who read this, your team is better than that score.

The roster shows six defenders. One of them is Lauren, who I think plays midfield a lot. Freshman Heather Ward is injured although I expect we will see her soon. Of the remaining four, Quinn, Lizzy and Bianca have all started quite a few games on defense, and freshman Amanda Simpkins got the start Friday night. Putting Amy back there gives us a substitute defender. Freshman Jenna Glad, who I think is a future star at midfield, played on the back line for a while. We are not awash in defenders. And it seemed like Amy was everywhere, and a bunch of the credit for the shutout has to go to her.

UNC has a totally outstanding soccer facility

 

Another oops ...

It wasn't Amanda. Courtney Dudley, a freshman midfielder, started at defense.

 

I will miss the game today. In the overall scheme of things this might not even rate as a hiccup, but today, a soaking wet cat is a picture of joy and elation compared to how I feel about this development.

I invite anyone who reads this and was at the game to give us your thoughts.

So GO BUFFS, and I'll be back after the home opener next Friday (if not sooner).

 

When will we get another shot?
0-0 in overtime. Madison took our last shot (not shot on goal ... shot) ... never mind, Shaye just hit the crossbar, but we went over 45 minutes without a shot. CC hit the post near the end of the game. Tough game.

 

0-0
It's over. We were outshot 12-6, and Shaye got our only shot in the final 62 minutes. I THINK this means we win the cup, unless they go to (PLEASE NO !!) penalty kicks.

 

Fear not.

No pk's in the regular season-- NCAA rule.

 

A tale of two halves, and one position change. CU 2, LIU Brooklyn 0.

The shot on goal, singular, for both teams, of the first half came three minutes in when we just missed scoring, and for the next 35 minutes, the game was all LIU. We went long stretches without the ball, and when we got it, could not advance to midfield except by a long pass over it to Hayley or Annie or somebody, but if they got the ball they were immediately double or triple teamed and often hammered to the ground. The referee's whistle was apparently stuck up his ... but I usually feel that way about what doesn't get called. The Blackbirds didn't look bigger that the Buffs, but they were knocking us all over the place and winning most of the 50-50 balls. The crowd was quiet. But with all their possession domination, LIU couldn't get quality shots off and had none on goal. Then Coach authorized a position change. Amy moved one position forward, from center defense to defensive midfielder, and the game was transformed. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the move ignited the Buffs. Of course Amy didn't just sit back there and defend the midfield, at times she seemed to be everywhere. The last few minutes of the half, LIU had a game on their hands. But very 0-0.

CU used to be a second half team, but got away from that the past 2-3 years. The second half began with Amy in the midfield, and it was immediately evident that the Buffs were possessed. Madison, in particular, was in a state of skilled berserk, although her play was more noticeable because she was right in front of the stands. This was not the same team that had been pushed around and stifled during the first half. LIU was steamrolled, and eight minutes in to the second half it was Annie 2, LIU 0, and they never quite recovered. Annie had 6 of our 13 shots, 3 of the 5 on goal, and 2 of the 2 goals.

Looking at the score and statistics, it's hard to believe the extent to which LIU controlled more than a third of the game, but they did. Annie Brunner had a mostly quiet game, although she kept the ball out of the net twice late in the game, neither shot was very hard and neither was deemed to be a shot on goal.

In the first game, Denver tied Wright State 1-1 in a game that was just about all Denver (shots 23-5). Before I got there, Denver apparently missed two shots in which the words "wide open" do not adequately describe the lack of impediment between the DU player's foot and the back of the net. LIU seemed to handle the altitude well, but Wright State appeard gassed by the end of regulation and struggled during the overtime.

 

Buffs 2 (Annie 2), Wright State 1

Closer on the scoreboard and on the field than I thought it would be. Wright State's substitutes held their own when facing our starters.

WSU had a very good team last year that graduated a lot of talent, and has 12 freshmen this year. That last part sounds familiar. One of the talents who hasn't graduated yet is the goalkeeper, and she flat out stole two from us early in the game. By the end of the first quarter, WSU was already substituting. About 25 minutes in, Quinn's pass found Annie, but there was a lot of grass and defenders between her and the net, so she shot with her left foot (she is ambifooterous), low, hard, and in. I think it got deflected a little bit early in its rapid journey, but it may just have been an eyeball loose in its socket. So we're up 1-0, could have been 3-0, and a lot of their second unit was in the game. The rout was not on. The subs apparently want more playing time, and for the last 10 minutes of the half, I thought the Raiders outplayed us a bit.
A highlight of the first half was a shot, Shaye I think, that went over the trees. I've seen a few go into the trees, but never over.

I should mention here or sooner that Amy played defense the entire game. The second half onslaught that we saw against LIU did not materialize, and at no time did the lead look at all secure. Wright State substituted profusely, every time there was a stoppage of play, two or three Raiders came in, It worked ... they did not run out of gas like they did Friday. With ten minutes left, Shaye blasted, I mean serious smoke here, a shot right at the GK's bread basket, and she didn't quite catch it. It didn't land far from her, but barreling into the penalty box was one Annie Stuller, the ball was right there and so was she, 2-0. That lead looked more secure, except it wasn't.

Wright State has four players from Colorado Springs, one is a senior defender named Lauren Patterson, family and friends were there, and if anybody was going to score for them, I'm glad she did it. They got a free kick way to the left of the penalty box and not that far from the end line. The kick may have been on goal, all I saw was that it got deflected, no loose eyeball this time, and it turns out that the deflection was intentional and off of Lauren's head. No way Annie could have anticipated that.

The Buff Brigade was a lot smaller than Friday, but WAY more active. After the game, the team went there first, except by then they had scattered. Heather's boot is off, but it still looks like a few weeks. Although we need defenders, if her season is going to be short, I hope she gets to redshirt and becomes a team leader four years from now as a fifth-year senior.

IMHO, after the first goal, we were kinda flat, and Wright State played a very good game, they seemed to know it afterwards. I can't name anybody who played flat, although Buffs got run over a lot, the way to stop Hayley seems to be to hammer her to the ground, don't bother listening for a whistle because there won't be one. To be fair to the ref, his whistle was not totally silent, but a lot ... oh, you know what I always think about that. He did call one when Erin stole the ball and was headed upfield with it and the closely pursuing Raider gave her a two-handed shoulder rub. Gee, they're being nice to us and he calls a foul.

Right now, this team is not Pac-12-ready, doesn't mean they won't be. One player should not determine the fate of a team, and Amy is doing a great job as a defender, but what a difference she makes when she's in the middle of the game and not one end of it. Speaking of Amy, whenever there is a corner kick for either team, her head rises above the occasion, the first goal that the GK thieved from us was an Amy header off a corner kick.

See y'all in Denver in two weeks, DU Friday and Cincinnati Sunday at CIBER field. Next weekend is a game at Northwestern, a few parents are making the trip, and Carly M. and Olivia will have family and friends there.

Here's a short article with box score from the Wright State website: http://www.wsuraiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27000&ATCLID=205669360

 

News of the Neighborhood, and a bit of an upset of a Pac-12 team.

Playing at home Friday night, Northern Colorado scored twice in less than 5 minutes in the second half to come from two down to tie Colorado College 2-2. Statistics were pretty even except corner kicks were 12-1 CC. UNC travels to Utah State Friday afternoon, and hosts Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday, while CC hosts Utah Thursday afternoon and travels to BYU on Saturday.
Playing just before us this weekend, Denver tied Wright State 1-1 (shots 23-5 DU), and defeated Long Island University Brooklyn 2-0 (shots 15-3). They travel to play St. Louis Friday night, and the following Friday host a herd of large prairie animals from a few miles up the turnpike.
Air Force were the road warriors, losing away to St. John’s 2-1 in the second overtime, and tying Farleigh Dickinson 0-0. They host Eastern Washington Friday afternoon.
And Wyoming won their home opener 6-5 (really, no overtime) over Montana State – Billings, all 11 goals were scored by different players, then things calmed down a bit and they defeated Weber State 1-0 in Utah.

My father graduated from West Virginia University and the Stanford Law School. There is a WV logo magnet on the back of my car. At the Penn State Invitational this afternoon, Stanford put its 64 game regular season winning streak on the field against the Mountaineers (1-2 ). Stanford had 17 shots, ONE on goal, one corner kick, WVU scored in the 83rd minute, 1-0 Mountaineers. YES !!!!!

 

Correction, again ...

PLEASE ignore my description of Annie's first goal today. That was her first goal Friday. Unkiemark's description is correct, the only part I got right was the left foot. Age. Too much sun. Blame the computer.