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CU soccer socks it to USC ladies of Troy
Oct 26th
BOULDER – In a hard-fought, aggressive game, the University of Colorado soccer team took down the Southern California Women of Troy 2-1 in this season’s penultimate game at Prentup Field.
In a game that saw 34 total fouls and five yellow cards, the Buffaloes came out the victor behind goals by two freshmen. Brie Hooks proved that sitting out for four games due to an injury wouldn’t slow her down. In the 66th minute, she netted her eighth goal of the season to give the Buffs a 1-0 lead. Hooks was at it again in the 72nd, assisting classmate Alyssa Herwatt to her first goal as a Buff.
“It was definitely tough not being able to play for a while, and just watching the games was kind of hard,” Hooks said. “But, then coming back in I was a little bit nervous just because it’s a knee injury and those are a little bit sketchy. Definitely as the game went on I started to get my confidence back, especially with that goal, it really helps to get my feet back on the field, so it was a good way to come back.”
With less than three minutes remaining in regulation, the Trojans found the back of the net, with Marlee Carrillo heading on in off her goalkeeper Caroline Stanley’s free kick, but it wouldn’t be enough to push the game to extra minutes.
“I think the first half was sluggish,” said CU head coach Danny Sanchez, who earned his 20th win with the Buffs on Friday. “I don’t think we were sharp in the attack, but we defended fine. I thought in the second half as the game started to get stretched, we created more opportunities. We’re happy with the win. USC – don’t be fooled by their record – is a very good team, but we know we have big challenges coming our way. We need to be sharper and play better.”
The win marks the first time the Buffs have gotten two wins over a single Pac-12 Conference opponent (the Buffs beat the Trojans 1-0 in double overtime in Los Angeles last season). The victory improved the Buffs’ record to 12-3-1 overall, 4-2-1 Pac-12. The Buffs have recorded 12 wins for the first time since 2008 and four conference victories for the first time since 2010 (when CU was a member of the Big 12). Goalkeeper Annie Brunner has now recorded 31 victories in the net for the Buffs, making her the second-most winningest keeper in program history.
USC falls to 6-8-2 overall, 1-5-1 Pac-12. The Trojans are looking to return to their unbeaten streak ways that saw them tying then-No. 8 California and defeating then-No. 5 Stanford.
The game began with a defensive battle. In the ninth minute, Katie Johnson, who tied for a team-high two shots and one on goal, got the Trojan offense going. She rushed the net and sent her shot at Brunner, who picked up her first and only save of the game.
Anne Stuller led the Buffs with six shots and four on goal. She dominated the offense in the opening 21 minutes. In the 12th minute, she edged up the left side and took a quick shot that hit the post. Two minutes later, she was in a similar spot, with Olivia Pappalardo close behind, sliding one at USC’s Stanley. The Buffs remained tight on offense, but a strong Trojan pressure made it hard for the Buffs to get a good look at the net.
In the 21st minute, the Buffs had their best opportunity of the half. Stuller once again approached the net from the left, causing Stanley to dive for another save. While the keeper was still down, Pappalardo swooped in but was unable to get her shot past Stanley. Despite some contact in the box, the Buffs were forced to get back on defense.
USC was finally able to respond in the 27th minute with Johnson hitting the ball wide this time. Multiple fouls on the Trojans helped the Buffs make the Trojans play from behind, despite the game remaining scoreless. Following two more shots by the Buffs, the Trojans were able to get their best look in the closing minutes of the half, with Tanya Smarzich beating Hayley Hughes in the backfield, but hitting the right post to close out the second half.
The game only got more physical in the second half. In the first minutes, USC made the Buffs’ defense work for stops. The Women of Troy got a corner kick in the 47th minute, and capitalized with back-to-back shots, though the first was blocked and the second went wide.
In the same span that the Buffs took two shots, the first a Pappalardo header that forced a save and the second a Stuller free kick that blasted just high, the Trojans got called for five fouls and received their first of four yellow cards. Despite their foul trouble, USC was able to answer with three consecutive corner kicks, though none would help them to a shot at the goal.
The Buffs were able to grab the upper-hand in the 66th minute. A free kick by Alex Huynh found Hooks near the net. From 10 yards out, she beat the keeper down low and shot to the far corner to give the Buffs the 1-0 lead.
“(Coach Sanchez) was definitely holding me off, and then I came in and he just wanted me to go in there with all the effort I had and help us get a good start to the second half,” Hooks said. “So, when I went in there all I was thinking about as the ball was coming over was just, ‘I need to finish this, and get the half going so we can hopefully get more goals after that.’”
USC was able to get a shot of its own in the 70th minute, with Carrillo hitting one wide, but the Trojans couldn’t control the ball for long. In the 72nd minute, the Buffs were hungry for more. Hooks connected with Herwatt, who from 25 yards out chipped the ball to the net. The ball bounced off the cross bar and fell in to give the Buffs’ a solid 2-0 lead.
“I was definitely scared I was offsides at first, that’s why I kind of hesitated, but I was just like, ‘why not take it,’” Herwatt said. “I’ve had a couple of opportunities throughout this season that haven’t gone in, so I was really excited this one finally got in. It felt great to have my first goal.”
With a goal and an assist in the game, Hooks continues to shine in the freshman offensive record books. She ranks third with eight goals and fourth with 18 points.
Following their goal, the Buffs were only able to get one more shot off, with Stuller hitting one at the keeper. USC managed just two shots in the final 20 minutes, but their last helped tighten the score. At 87:06, Carrillo netted her third of the season, heading the ball in off a free kick from her keeper.
“They’re a good team, (USC’s Marlee Carillo) had scored a couple goals late against Arizona as well,” Sanchez said. “So, it was a great ball and I don’t think there was anything cheap about it, we had numbers we just didn’t get it, but that’s why we had a two-goal lead. It made the last couple minutes a little antsy for us, but I was happy how we killed off the game after that.”
USC continued to press in the closing minutes, grabbing another yellow card. Though the Trojans continued to fight, the Buffs’ 2-1 lead was too much to overcome.
Next up for the Buffs is No. 2 UCLA. Stuller says playing in her final game at Prentup Field will be “surreal,” but she wants to leave the field on a good note.
“They’re a good team, definitely a favorite in the College Cup this year,” Stuller said. “But, I think the way we’ve been playing we can definitely hang with them and we’re going to try to get a win, we’re not going for anything less.”
Come out to Prentup to celebrate Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 27 at noon with your CU soccer team. Make sure to stand in the Buff Brigade cheering section and cheer the Buffs to victory as they take on No. 2 UCLA in the last home game of the season!
—
Marlee Horn
Graduate Assistant SID
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Broncos lose first game of the season to the Colts
Oct 21st
Manning loses shootout to Andrew Luck
INDIANAPOLIS — It almost seemed right. Just as he had done so many times before, quarterbackPeyton Manning had the opportunity to engineer a game-winning drive at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Only this time, it would be for the opposing team. But on the first play of the pivotal fourth-quarter series, his team down just six points, Manning threw an interception after his arm was hit when he released the ball.
Manning loses QB duel to Luck
That allowed Indianapolis to pull out to a nine-point lead, and by the time Denver pulled back to within one possession, it was too late, as an onside kick attempt failed with 12 seconds remaining in the game. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck took a knee to seal a 39-33 victory, dropping the Broncos to 6-1 on the season.
“We still had a chance there at the end,” Manning said. “We did fight and hung in there. We can learn from it. We certainly have to improve from this game because we weren’t as sharp execution-wise as we’d like.”
The Broncos had their chances.
Even after Manning’s interception allowed the Colts to make it 39-30, the Broncos offense responded quickly, driving all the way down to the Indianapolis 2-yard line. But a Ronnie Hillman fumble — the third turnover of the evening for the team — gave the ball back to Indy and allowed the Colts to run 1:35 off the clock and force Denver to use all three of its timeouts.
A 47-yard Matt Prater field goal moved the Broncos back within six, but the ensuing onside kick with just 12 seconds left on the clock failed.
“Anytime you turn the ball over (three) times, especially on the road, it’s going to be tough,” Head Coach John Fox said.
Earlier in the game, Manning fumbled when his arm was hit, but the ball was recovered out of bounds in the end zone — which meant it was a safety, but didn’t count against the turnover margin.
“That one was, among others, a couple of plays where we gave them some points and some field position,” Manning said. “Ultimately that was just too tough to overcome.”
The Broncos fell behind by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, but were able to claw back into the game thanks to key defensive stops down the stretch.
“I thought defensively we settled down,” Fox said. “We started playing smarter, tougher football and executed better in the second half.”
Key in the comeback was a forced fumble by safety Duke Ihenacho. He ripped the ball away from Colts running back Trent Richardson and recovered it himself, a takeaway the Broncos offense converted into a touchdown.
In the first half, the Colts scored 26 points. In the second, they were held to half that.
But the Broncos couldn’t quite get all the way back on top, and mistakes were costly. What stood out to Manning is the fact that, even with the mistakes, the team “still somehow had a chance to win that game.”
“I’d like to have seen it go to a two-point game down there toward the end and seen what would have happened,” Manning said. “Never quite got to that point.”
The Broncos got the Sunday Night Football scoring started when Manning found wide receiver Eric Decker — who finished with a game-high 150 receiving yards — for a 17-yard touchdown strike.
Denver fell behind 10-7, but a 12-yard score from Manning to tight end Julius Thomas put the club back ahead 14-10. Even after the safety, the Broncos still led, but a 20-yard touchdown from Luck to his fullback Stanley Havili in the second quarter gave Indianapolis a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Six three-and-outs didn’t help Denver’s cause.
“I think they kind of kept us off balance a little bit and we weren’t able to get into a rhythm for a while,” Thomas said. “That’s not us, that’s not our identity and we have to clean that up.”
Linebacker Von Miller — who made his regular-season debut in the contest and finished with two tackles, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries — said the toughest part is knowing the team didn’t put its best foot forward.
“I think all phases of the ball, we could have done better,” he said. “We could have had a better effort, but that’s part of it. Get back in the lab, start working and get ready for Washington coming up.”
See video highlights:
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Buffs wallop Charleston Southern 43-10
Oct 19th
Video highlights of the game:
Adkins, a true freshman from San Diego, accounted for a freshman school record four touchdowns on runs of 23, 5, 33 yards and 34 yards. Entering Saturday’s game, the Buffs had scored one rushing TD in their previous five games.
“We always say we want to be about 50-50 (run-pass), it depends on how the game goes,” said Adkins, who finished with 137 yards on 13 carries. “But running today definitely was a factor.”
And how. Tailback/fullback Christian Powell also scored on a 2-yard run as the Buffs enjoyed their most productive running afternoon of the season (218 yards). Adkins’ four TDs eclipsed the school freshman record set by Herschel Troutman in 1994 and equaled by Powell last season.
The Buffs’ top rushing effort this season had been 154 yards in a 44-17 loss at Oregon State. In the two games before Saturday, they had totaled 94 yards against Oregon and 99 against Arizona State. Adkins’ carries had steadily risen in the three previous games, with his 98 yards on 14 attempts at OSU the previous high mark for a CU back this season.
“My carries have been increasing every week so I just took advantage of the carries I got,” Adkins said. “Our line blocked well and I just kept grinding and kept finding the holes . . . it gave me a lot of confidence. I didn’t score in my first two games, so scoring today gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”
The Buffs broke a three-game losing streak, evened their record at 3-3 and won their first game under first-time starting quarterback Sefo Liufau. CU returns to Pac-12 competition and remain at home next weekend, hosting Arizona (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network) in a game that suddenly looms as perhaps the schedule’s most pivotal.
With Saturday’s win, CU’s goal now becomes to win its first Pac-12 game under first-year coach Mike MacIntyre next week and exit October 4-3 overall. That leaves five conference games in the season’s final month for the Buffs to get two wins and reach six for bowl qualification – something that hasn’t happened since the 2006 season.
“If we get the one next week,” said MacIntyre, “it means November matters in Colorado.”
A true freshman from Tacoma, Wash., Liufau made his college debut last weekend at Arizona State, replacing junior Connor Wood in the first quarter of CU’s 54-13 loss. Liufau finished 18-of-26 for 169 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, in that game.
In his first start Saturday, he was 14-of-20 for 198 yards. Liufau’s TD pass covered 60 yards, most of them courtesy of fleet junior Paul Richardson in the second quarter. Richardson finished with eight receptions for 122 yards.
“It feels good,” Liufau said of his home debut and first start. “It was fun being out there with the guys and just playing and having fun.” He called he confidence gained from the win “a tribute to the team – the O-line blocking, the receivers running the routes. Paul had a great play there . . . I definitely got confidence as I kept going.”
The game against previously unbeaten CSU, the FCS’ No. 24-ranked team, was arranged last month to replace Fresno State on the CU schedule. The Fresno State contest was postponed due to the mid-September floods that ravaged Boulder and Boulder County.
“I’m thankful that Charleston Southern wanted to play us,” MacIntyre said. “Or we couldn’t have played today.”
CSU, which entered the afternoon 7-0, was without its first two quarterbacks and started freshman Kyle Copeland, who was playing in only his third game and had thrown two incompletions in his only two attempts. Copeland’s final passing stats: 7-of-14 for 48 yards, one TD, one interception.
CU outgained CSU 416-196 in total offense, with the Buffs adjusting to the Buccaneers’ option attack and holding them to zero points and 46 total yards in the second half.
“(CU) is just a better team than us,” said CSU coach Jamey Chadwell. “We had seven wins before today and I don’t think that’s going to change. The only difference is that won’t play quite as good of a team. They made some good adjustments during the second half, and as for us, we’re going to keep doing what we do.”
The Buffs got out of the first half with a 22-10 lead largely made possible by a timely fumble recovery by Nate Bonsu and Richardson’s runaway speed.
Bonsu got the loose ball following defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe’s strip of CSU quarterback Kyle Copeland at the Buccaneers’ 12-yard line in the second quarter. Two plays later, Adkins took a handoff headed off left tackle, weaved to his right and scored from 5 yards out.
Will Oliver’s PAT staked CU to a 15-3 lead that ballooned to 22-3 after a three-and-out CSU series and a 60-yard pitch-and-catch executed by Liufau and Richardson.
Credit Liufau with keeping the play afloat; he fielded a bouncing center snap, collected himself and spotted Richardson crossing right to left in front of the formation. “P-Rich” took the short pass, reversed his field and outran two Buccaneers in pursuit to the right pylon.
Oliver again kicked the extra point and CU seemed comfortably ahead 22-3. The Buffs had opened the game with a 65-yard, six-play scoring drive, getting 52 yards on the ground – the last 23 by Adkins. They went ahead 8-0 when holder Darragh O’Neill ran for the two-point conference.
But after CU had surged in front 22-3, CSU collected itself for its second 9-plus minute drive of the half – the first ended with a field goal when an apparent TD pass on a well-designed pitch was reviewed and overruled – and scored on a 7-yard Copeland to Colton Korn with six left before intermission.
The disallowed TD proved pivotal. The play initially was reviewed and not overturned, but MacIntyre called a time out to allow another look and said he was told by an official that the ball being bobbled by tight end Nathan Prater was missed on the first look.
Chadwell said he was upset because “they took a time out, they reviewed the play (and) it was fine. Then the other review took an hour. They (officials) didn’t go by their protocol . . . I just felt like it was huge deal momentum-wise, because that could have meant a touchdown for us.”
CU, which was leading 8-0 at the time, finished the half with 164 yards in total offense, while CSU had 150. Liufau attempted only six first-half passes, completing four for 74 yards – Richardson’s long TD was for 60 – and being sacked once. Copeland, playing in only his second game and 0-2 in passing, was five-for-eight for 27 yards and a TD. The Buccaneers controlled the ball for 21:51 to 8:09 in the opening half.
The Buffs scored on their first possession of the second half, opening a 29-10 lead after a 13-play, 64-yard march capped by Christian Powell’s 2-yard run. Exactly 3 minutes later – at 4:11 – Liufau and his offense failed to capitalize on a Jered Bell interception near midfield, and the quarter ended with CU clutching its 19-point lead.
With 11:22 to play, Adkins’ 33-yard jaunt and Oliver’s extra point sent the Buffs comfortably ahead 36-10. Just over 5 minutes later, Adkins broke loose again and broke three tackles en route to his record-setting fourth rushing TD.
Wood replaced Liufau and Tony Jones replaced Adkins with just over 3 minutes remaining, with CU taking possession near its 15-yard line and ending the game near midfield.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Game Story by B.G. Brooks CUBuffs.com contributing editor
BOULDER – Stepping away from their Pac-12 Conference schedule on a perfect mid-October Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes eventually stepped out of Folsom Field with a 43-10 romp past overmatched Charleston Southern.
The Buffs’ Big Stepper was tailback Michael Adkins II.
Michael Adkins II
Adkins, a true freshman from San Diego, accounted for a freshman school record four touchdowns on runs of 23, 5, 33 yards and 34 yards. Entering Saturday’s game, the Buffs had scored one rushing TD in their previous five games.
“We always say we want to be about 50-50 (run-pass), it depends on how the game goes,” said Adkins, who finished with 137 yards on 13 carries. “But running today definitely was a factor.”
And how. Tailback/fullback Christian Powell also scored on a 2-yard run as the Buffs enjoyed their most productive running afternoon of the season (218 yards). Adkins’ four TDs eclipsed the school freshman record set by Herschel Troutman in 1994 and equaled by Powell last season.
The Buffs’ top rushing effort this season had been 154 yards in a 44-17 loss at Oregon State. In the two games before Saturday, they had totaled 94 yards against Oregon and 99 against Arizona State. Adkins’ carries had steadily risen in the three previous games, with his 98 yards on 14 attempts at OSU the previous high mark for a CU back this season.
“My carries have been increasing every week so I just took advantage of the carries I got,” Adkins said. “Our line blocked well and I just kept grinding and kept finding the holes . . . it gave me a lot of confidence. I didn’t score in my first two games, so scoring today gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”
The Buffs broke a three-game losing streak, evened their record at 3-3 and won their first game under first-time starting quarterback Sefo Liufau. CU returns to Pac-12 competition and remain at home next weekend, hosting Arizona (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network) in a game that suddenly looms as perhaps the schedule’s most pivotal.
With Saturday’s win, CU’s goal now becomes to win its first Pac-12 game under first-year coach Mike MacIntyre next week and exit October 4-3 overall. That leaves five conference games in the season’s final month for the Buffs to get two wins and reach six for bowl qualification – something that hasn’t happened since the 2006 season.
“If we get the one next week,” said MacIntyre, “it means November matters in Colorado.”
A true freshman from Tacoma, Wash., Liufau made his college debut last weekend at Arizona State, replacing junior Connor Wood in the first quarter of CU’s 54-13 loss. Liufau finished 18-of-26 for 169 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, in that game.
In his first start Saturday, he was 14-of-20 for 198 yards. Liufau’s TD pass covered 60 yards, most of them courtesy of fleet junior Paul Richardson in the second quarter. Richardson finished with eight receptions for 122 yards.
“It feels good,” Liufau said of his home debut and first start. “It was fun being out there with the guys and just playing and having fun.” He called he confidence gained from the win “a tribute to the team – the O-line blocking, the receivers running the routes. Paul had a great play there . . . I definitely got confidence as I kept going.”
The game against previously unbeaten CSU, the FCS’ No. 24-ranked team, was arranged last month to replace Fresno State on the CU schedule. The Fresno State contest was postponed due to the mid-September floods that ravaged Boulder and Boulder County.
“I’m thankful that Charleston Southern wanted to play us,” MacIntyre said. “Or we couldn’t have played today.”
CSU, which entered the afternoon 7-0, was without its first two quarterbacks and started freshman Kyle Copeland, who was playing in only his third game and had thrown two incompletions in his only two attempts. Copeland’s final passing stats: 7-of-14 for 48 yards, one TD, one interception.
CU outgained CSU 416-196 in total offense, with the Buffs adjusting to the Buccaneers’ option attack and holding them to zero points and 46 total yards in the second half.
“(CU) is just a better team than us,” said CSU coach Jamey Chadwell. “We had seven wins before today and I don’t think that’s going to change. The only difference is that won’t play quite as good of a team. They made some good adjustments during the second half, and as for us, we’re going to keep doing what we do.”
The Buffs got out of the first half with a 22-10 lead largely made possible by a timely fumble recovery by Nate Bonsu and Richardson’s runaway speed.
Bonsu got the loose ball following defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe’s strip of CSU quarterback Kyle Copeland at the Buccaneers’ 12-yard line in the second quarter. Two plays later, Adkins took a handoff headed off left tackle, weaved to his right and scored from 5 yards out.
Will Oliver’s PAT staked CU to a 15-3 lead that ballooned to 22-3 after a three-and-out CSU series and a 60-yard pitch-and-catch executed by Liufau and Richardson.
Credit Liufau with keeping the play afloat; he fielded a bouncing center snap, collected himself and spotted Richardson crossing right to left in front of the formation. “P-Rich” took the short pass, reversed his field and outran two Buccaneers in pursuit to the right pylon.
Oliver again kicked the extra point and CU seemed comfortably ahead 22-3. The Buffs had opened the game with a 65-yard, six-play scoring drive, getting 52 yards on the ground – the last 23 by Adkins. They went ahead 8-0 when holder Darragh O’Neill ran for the two-point conference.
But after CU had surged in front 22-3, CSU collected itself for its second 9-plus minute drive of the half – the first ended with a field goal when an apparent TD pass on a well-designed pitch was reviewed and overruled – and scored on a 7-yard Copeland to Colton Korn with six left before intermission.
The disallowed TD proved pivotal. The play initially was reviewed and not overturned, but MacIntyre called a time out to allow another look and said he was told by an official that the ball being bobbled by tight end Nathan Prater was missed on the first look.
Chadwell said he was upset because “they took a time out, they reviewed the play (and) it was fine. Then the other review took an hour. They (officials) didn’t go by their protocol . . . I just felt like it was huge deal momentum-wise, because that could have meant a touchdown for us.”
CU, which was leading 8-0 at the time, finished the half with 164 yards in total offense, while CSU had 150. Liufau attempted only six first-half passes, completing four for 74 yards – Richardson’s long TD was for 60 – and being sacked once. Copeland, playing in only his second game and 0-2 in passing, was five-for-eight for 27 yards and a TD. The Buccaneers controlled the ball for 21:51 to 8:09 in the opening half.
The Buffs scored on their first possession of the second half, opening a 29-10 lead after a 13-play, 64-yard march capped by Christian Powell’s 2-yard run. Exactly 3 minutes later – at 4:11 – Liufau and his offense failed to capitalize on a Jered Bell interception near midfield, and the quarter ended with CU clutching its 19-point lead.
With 11:22 to play, Adkins’ 33-yard jaunt and Oliver’s extra point sent the Buffs comfortably ahead 36-10. Just over 5 minutes later, Adkins broke loose again and broke three tackles en route to his record-setting fourth rushing TD.
Wood replaced Liufau and Tony Jones replaced Adkins with just over 3 minutes remaining, with CU taking possession near its 15-yard line and ending the game near midfield.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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