The Colorado women’s soccer team has been strong on the road all season. Lately, the Buffaloes have also been a tough second-half team.
Both trends continued for CU at Wake Forest in an NCAA Tournament second-round battle on Friday. They just didn’t continue quite well enough for the Buffs to keep their season alive.
CU surrendered goals early in each half before watching a late rally fall short, as Wake Forest ended the Buffs’ season with a 3-1 decision at Spry Stadium. The Buffs were seeking the third Sweet 16 berth in program history but instead see their season end at 12-5-5.
“Buff Nation should be really proud of this team, of the season and their performance tonight,” CU head coach Danny Sanchez said. “We went through that rough stretch (at the end of the regular season), and they could’ve been pointing fingers and making excuses, but they continued to battle because they know the quality of this group.”
Second-seeded Wake Forest dominated the possession early and struck early against a CU squad that was chasing the ball. The Demon Deacons took advantage in the sixth minute, netting a goal by Emily Colton that gave the hosts a 1-0 lead.
CU soon settled in and gradually increased pressure on the Wake Forest defense, but the 1-0 deficit held through halftime. Wake Forest picked up a critical second goal in the 61st minute, as the Demon Deacons’ Emily Morris made a long run that wasn’t picked up by the CU defense, and she converted a left-footed chance to put the Buffs in a 2-0 hole.
Each of CU’s previous two wins — against Utah in the Big 12 tournament and at Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament — featured second-half comebacks by the Buffs, and Colorado once again didn’t go away quietly.
Boulder native Ava Priest converted a free kick in the 74th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1, and the Buffs just missed a potential equalizer when a Priest cross led to a chance for Michaela Rosenbaum that was smothered by Wake Forest goalie Valentia Amaral.
With the Buffs pressing forward seeking the second goal, Wake Forest was able to put together an open counter that Emily Murphy converted with less than 3 minutes remaining, clinching a Sweet 16 berth for the Demon Deacons.
“The early goal, it would’ve been easy for us to hang our heads or pack it in, but I was really pleased with how we responded the rest of the first half,” Sanchez said. “Really, going into halftime down 1-0, we felt pretty good about it. I thought the beginning of the second half we really started to press, create some opportunities. The second goal, it could’ve been a back-breaker, but once again this team has been so resilient this year, especially the last few games when we had our backs against the wall and we needed to get results. I was really pleased with how we responded.”
Notable
CU fifth-year senior Shyra James ends her CU career as the program’s all-time goals leader (47) while ranking second in points (101). … Buffs goalie Jordan Nytes made seven saves, matching her total from CU’s first-round win against Georgia. Those marks tie the fourth-most by a CU goalie in an NCAA Tournament game. … Buffs forward Hope Leyba was unable to get off a shot on goal after scoring in each of the previous three games. … Leyba led the Buffs with eight goals, while Priest finished her sophomore season with six goals and five assists.
(2) Wake Forest 3, CU Buffs women’s soccer 1
Colorado 0 1 — 1
Wake Forest 1 2 — 3
Goals — Colorado: Priest (unassisted), 74th minute. Wake Forest: E. Colton (Murphy, Hanks), 6th minute; Morris (unassisted), 61st minute; Murphy (E. Colton, A. Colton).
Goalies (Min.-goals allowed-saves)—Colorado: Nytes (90-3-7); Wake Forest: Amaral (90-1-4).