2017 Colorado Buffaloes

The injuries hurt (although more to the players injured than the rest of us), but I wouldn't call this a rebuilding year. The coaches pick us sixth in the Pac-12. I've been overly optimistic way more than once, but I won't be surprised if we do a bit better than that. I also won't be surprised if the conference puts seven teams into the playoffs.

We get Stanford, Cal and UCLA at home. USC on the road will be a handful. Another tough road game will be Washington State. We absolutely stole one from them there last year. We graduated three starters, which means we return eight. There are talented freshmen, and as has happened a lot lately, transfers have been good to us. We will be difficult to score on. Although perhaps not an offensive juggernaut, I see us putting the ball into the net often enough for this to be a rather good season.

 

Buffs 0, Rams 0

We were the better team in the overtimes, rather clearly. And overall, shots were 20-8, on goal 10-3. But CSU didn't gives us much room when we attacked, and there were times when they would string a few passes together and get a lot of players on our side of the field. And the mild earthquake was their shot smashing off the right goalpost in the second half.

This was their first game on their new field. Beautiful playing surface, with two small bleachers. The old field was in a depression with a hill all the way around, but with this one everything is flat. Bringing a folding chair was a good idea today. There were two port-a-potties, which were locked. And there were a lot of people there.

Starters were JJ Tompkins in goal, Alex Vidger, Kelsey Aaknes, Erin Greening and Hannah Cardenas (a freshman) defending, Megan Massey, Sarah Kinzner, Becca Rasmussen (new transfer from Georgia) and Cassie Phillips (new transfer from Maryland) midfielding, and Taylor Kornieck and Libby Geraghty (a freshman) up front. CSU's goalkeeper is six feet tall and looked very good in warmups, as she was in the game. The Rams started out with two quick corner kicks which we cleared (obviously since nobody scored). The Buffs then got untracked and applied some pressure, and the Rams returned the favor as the first quarter wound down. Much of the second quarter was played in the midfield, but eventually the Buffs got the attack going. Taylor got a free kick about 22 yards out and absolutely drilled a Ram, she stayed down briefly but then got up under her own power, although she did leave the field. These young ladies are tough. Tatum Barton, a new transfer from Texas Tech, came in late in the half and immediately stirred things up in the attacking department. We got a 3 on 2 but Taylor's shot rolled to the goalkeeper. WHERE DID ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM ??

Somebody unlocked the port-a-potties, but there was no rush from the crowd to use them. Ah, to be young again and not have to pee so often.

Scout Watson started the second half, and freshman Martine Puketapu instead of Becca Rasmussen. Taylor took a long free kick that just barely cleared the crossbar. The Buffs seemed fired up, but the Rams handled the pressure. The setting sun rendered the scoreboard invisible. Buffs were slipping or stumbling on the grass occasionally. We had an edge in possession but could not get a clean shot off, and the Rams disrupted much of what we tried to do. Then they had a run of possession, and got the open shot that hit the goalpost. The Rams would often get several players on the attack, but the CU defenders kept them from getting clean shots (except the one) or any shots at all. Defender Courtney Fedor got all the way up the left side (she does that) and launched a beautiful crossing pass that just missed connecting with two Buffs. Libby took a hard shot that was tipped by the GK and hit the crossbar. Then, Libby went down, and stayed down, finally leaving the field with help. After the game she was in very good spirits with an extremely wrapped leg, I hope it's not what I fear it is. Taylor got a hard low shot off which the GK dove and saved. And we go to overtime.

The Buffs took over and were the aggressors for most of the overtimes, got corner kicks, but the goal just wasn't there.

Speaking of injuries, neither Joss Orajel nor Camilla Shymka played. Hannah Cardenas started instead of Joss and I thought she played very well. Stephanie Zuniga and goal-scoring transfer Jorian Baucom are already out for the season. Libby was very effective before her injury. We are running out of forwards.

Soccer abundance (there is no such thing as too much soccer) at Prentup on Sunday. All six Colorado D-1 teams have games, ours is the third one against Colorado College at 3:30PM. CC lost an exhibition game at Nebraska 3-1, then at home to Northern Colorado today, also 3-1. It took Denver three minutes of overtime to defeat Air Force 1-0 at home, their first Colorado Cup win in three years. The Colorado Cup schedule favors UNC, and we do not play them this year.

 

CSU has a freshman right forward from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She is going to be a good one for them.

 

We are a much better team than the Rams...much better...just being honest/objective...IMHO. All we have to do is finish our chances and admittedly create a few more. BUT, if we have already lost Libby Geraghty for the season (unknown)...it's a BIG blow. She was the break-out offensive star of the game yesterday. She and Becca Rasmussen are seemingly the best technical and fastest-with-the-ball players on the team. With Jorian Baucom also out, apparently for the season, and Stephanie Zuniga as well, and Camilla Shymka just coming back from knee injury (she did not play yesterday), we now have two fully healthy, experienced talent-proven forwards on the roster...Martine Piketapu and Tatum Barton. (Sorry if I'm forgetting someone.) Freshman Hannah Cardenas did extremely well on D filling-in for Joss Orejel, who was attending a funeral out of town. Hannah made some very smart heads-up decisions, especially for a Freshman in her first D-I game. Our midfield is very strong...Taylor, Sarah, Cassie, Megan and Becca all played well. Our D is also very strong...although depth is an issue. Two excellent GKs of course in JJ and Scout. When you think that practice only began two and half weeks ago with all these new players, I can live with our result yesterday. CSU the place always gives-off a weird vibe. (derbarkasmann...I did find a bathroom for aging male bladders...in Moby Gym...my last time in that building was at a Rolling Stones concert in '69 or '70 LOL.) I am happy for them that they have a new football stadium on campus...it looks pretty cool, at least from afar from the soccer fields. Looking forward to tomorrow's game with CC.

 

I know I digress, but for the old-timers here, I checked/Googled...the Stones' concert at Moby was in November, '69. Here's the set-list. (Can't remember from the fog, but I think the opening act was that relatively unknown in the pop world at that time blues singer...B.B. King.)
01. opening M.C.
02. Jumping Jack Flash
03. Carol
04. Sympathy For The Devil
05. Stray Cat Blues
06. Midnight Rambler
07. Under My Thumb
08. Prodigal Son
09. Love In Vain
10. I'm Free
11. Little Queenie
12. Gimme Shelter
13. Satisfaction
14. Honky Tonk Women
15. Street Fighting Man

 

More age revealed ... I've seen the Stones once, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1966. They only did their early songs.

We are a much better team than CSU, but they have played us tough all three times. We dominate statistics and possession, but we only have one win, 2-1 at home, and we've tied them twice in Fort Collins. The first tie was somewhat fortunate, our goal came late in the game on a deflection. We seemed to have more people there this year than two years ago.

I'm glad that Joss is OK. I wonder how well she plays forward. Besides Martine and Tatum, there's a freshman, Katie Joella. That is the total multitude of forwards (I don't know why Camilla Shymka didn't play but it could be the knee injury from last year). Tatum started a bunch of games as a freshman at Texas Tech, and played well yesterday, 2 shots on goal in 27 minutes. Katie did not play yesterday. We may need a couple of midfielders to fill in up front. Taylor Kornieck is listed as a midfielder but spends quite a bit of time within shooting distance, she had five shots yesterday, two on goal.

I guess if there's any silver lining to the dark cloud, Libby should be able to get a medical redshirt or whatever they call it and still have four years. I thought her injury came late in regulation, but apparently it was early in overtime. Doesn't matter, losing her hurts, she's a starter and rightly so.

I will catch much of the first game and all of the last two tomorrow, but as soon as ours is over I'm hitting the road for Alliance, Nebraska to watch the eclipse. Hoping for less traffic than the half of Colorado going to Wyoming. My laptop is clinging to life most very barely, so if I'm silent for a while about Sunday's game, that's why.

I am going to jinx Northern Colorado by predicting that they will win the Colorado Cup. They defeated Colorado College 3-1 there, and the remaining games are Denver and Air Force.

 

Thanks to all for the great summaries for those of us who can't be there! And my wife and I love the banter. FWIW, when I was a child growing up in Boulder, my buddies and I loved to walk over to the Buff's football stadium while rock concerts were going on to look for frizbees (during the frizbee craze). We were able to sneak in during the Rolling Stones concert and even got behind the stage where we got to see the band members leaving the stage.

 

I'm not driving to the eclipse. I had a stroke two weeks ago and I'm going back to work on Wednesday and I would likely get approximately no sleep in my car and everybody will be coming back at once and it will be nuts and I can't do everything. So ...

Buffs 1, Colorado College 0, 2 O/T

How long did it takes us to score? Three hours and 31 minutes. But score we did, Taylor Kornieck with an assist from Tatum Barton, to defeat a most exceedingly scrappy group of Tigers.

Starters were JJ Tompkins in the net; defending were Joss Orajel, Courtney Fedor, Hannah Cardenas, and Kelsey Aaknes; Alex Vidger moved up to defensive midfielder, other midfielders were Megan Massey, Sarah Kinzner, and Becca Rasmussen; and Marty Puketapu and Taylor Kornieck up front. Martine goes by Marty, so I will call her that from now on.

CC was small, quick and physical, and they had much of the possession the first 10-12 minutes, then the Buffs had the ball for much of the next ten minutes or so. A bad pass led to a CC breakaway, but Courtney caught up with it and broke it up. We seemed to be launching a lot of long passes over the midfield that were well handled by CC defenders. The first quarter ended rather evenly with neither team generating much offense. It took CC 33 minutes to record a shot on goal, then they could have scored two minutes later but missed an open shot. GOOD NEWS: Camilla Shymka came in in the 38th minute. A hard CU shot two minutes later was deflected, but right at the goalkeeper. Undeflected, it looked like a goal. Tatum Barton took a hard shot at the upper corner of the net which required a leaping save to keep the half scoreless. Shots were 4-3 Buffs and it appeared to be an evenly played game. Not for long.

Scout Watson started the second half, and CU came out on fire. Three corner kicks fairly quickly. Taylor just missed off of one of them. We kept CC completely trapped in their own end for about ten minutes, then they got off a quick counter-attack that led to a hard shot right at Scout. Another CU corner kick had the ball flopping around on the ground in front of the goal but CC finally cleared it. A quick counter-attack resulted in an open shot but a defender blocked it. Although the Buffs pretty much owned the third quarter, all the pressure resulted in no shots on goal. Camilla came in for Joss, who had played like a woman possessed in the third quarter and she has been at sea level for a few days and needed a breather.

MY GRANDMOTHER HAS BEEN BURIED IN MOSS LANDING, CALIFORNIA SINCE 1971 AND SHE SAW THAT HAND BALL. .

 

Oops, that wasn't supposed to post yet.

 

The referee was standing right there and didn't call it. A very few seconds later Cassie Phillips slammed a shot off the crossbar. What do we have to do to get a goal? Another CU corner kick, Taylor got mugged, not the first time today. The Buffs had been on a rampage for 30+ minutes with nothing to show for it and maybe it took a lot out of them. CC relieved the pressure on themselves, and in the last few minutes of the half had a dangerous crossing pass that Scout intercepted, got a good shot on goal that she saved, and in the 89th minute they missed an open shot. That was their last chance ...

because the overtimes were ALL Buffs. 30 seconds in, Taylor missed an open shot. Sarah shot over the net. A hard Taylor shot was just tipped over the net. Sarah shot over the net again. CC could not cross midfield. A long free kick missed everybody. Joss took a long shot that was very barely high. Megan missed an open shot. Erin's hard cross was snatched by the goalkeeper. All in ten minutes. And then ... I thought Tatum shot and it was deflected, maybe it was a pass, but it deflected right to Taylor who was WIDE open a couple of yards behind the penalty spot, dead center. The goalkeeper had no chance. Celebration? You can't imagine.

Shots were 16-7, corners 7-0. So why did it take so long? Shots on goal were 4-4.

Next up is Texas Christian Friday afternoon. They are off to a good start. 5-0 over Louisiana Monroe, shots were 23-0, on goal 13-0, corners 11-0. Texas San Antonio put up a bit more resistance, but also 5-0, shots were 21-5, on goal 16-1, corners 7-2. Score was 2-0 after seven minutes, 5-0 at halftime, the bench was cleared for the second half. Hopefully we won't be quite as easy.

BTW, we play UTSA there next month.

 

The other games:

Denver 1, Colorado State 0, 1 O/T

I missed the first half, which was mostly CSU. Denver had an edge after I showed up, but both teams had their chances. It was entertaining, as not that much of the game was played in the middle of the field. Denver did a better job of keeping the ball near or in the box when they attacked, but CSU had a vicious counter-attack or when they gained possession in the middle of the field. The winning goal came on a lob over the goalkeeper and under the crossbar. Denver could win the Colorado Cup, but they will likely have to defeat us by a few goals.

DU returns home to play UC Riverside and Albany, while the Rams have a long 20-mile trip to Northern Colorado on Thursday.

Northern Colorado 2, Air Force 0

UNC led 2-0 after 16 minutes and it looked like a long afternoon for the Falcons. Did UNC let up? Maybe, because they clearly dominated play those first 16 minutes and didn't for the rest of the game. Shots wound up 7-6 Air Force, on goal 4-3, and UNC had the edge in corner kicks 5-4. Unlike the first game, most of this one was played near midfield. Despite the Bears being taller and faster, Air Force had a definite edge in the run of play after the goals. UNC lost their exhibition to Denver 1-0, but has two wins in the Colorado Cup with a +4 goal differential and can quite possibly win the cup Thursday night when they host Colorado State. Denver also has two wins with a +2 differential, so if UNC wins Thursday, the cup will be theirs unless Denver runs all over us which I don't think they will do. If UNC loses, the cup is ours with a win at Denver. Go Rams !! Then UNC hosts Texas Christian on Sunday. Good luck with that one.

BTW, Libby Geraghty is definitely out for the season. This sucks ... she was the star on the field Friday at CSU. She will definitely seek a "medical redshirt" and still have four years. The good news is that we do have Camilla Shymka back, she's just being played sparingly for now.