BERKELEY, Calif. – As the final minute of regulation ticked down at Goldman Field at Edwards Stadium, the University of Colorado soccer team looked primed to upset No. 9 California.

With 42 seconds remaining, Cal netted the equalizer, tying the game at 1-1, a score that would hold for two overtimes.

After a defensive battle in the first half, the Buffaloes grabbed the lead in the 67th minute. Madison Krauser, assisted by Anne Stuller, found the back of the net for her third goal of the game. In the final minute, following a Colorado foul, the Golden Bears tied the game up, with Emi Lawson heading one in off an Arianna Martinez assist. Cal outshot CU 6-1 in overtime play, but neither team could get their golden goal, giving the Buffs their first tie of the season.

Madison Krauser

“I think the first half was pretty tight,” CU head coach Danny Sanchez said. “There weren’t a lot of chances to be had either way. In the second half, Madi scored a great goal with a nice feed from Anne Stuller that banged the back of the goal. At that point, Cal started sending everybody forward. We withstood a couple really dangerous opportunities and they got that one there at the end. I’m pleased with how we responded in overtime. The tendency is to get down, but we kept battling. When it’s all said and done, I think it’s a good result to get on the road against a top 10 team. I’m disappointed that they scored so late, but if you take a step back and look at it, it was probably a good result over 110 minutes.”

The last time the Buffs tied a ranked team was in the 2010 Big 12 Tournament, when CU pushed No. 6 Texas A&M to 0-0 double overtime draw. (That same season, the Buffs beat the No. 6 Aggies 2-1 in an overtime battle in College Station, Texas to record their first regular season victory over A&M – marking the Buffs’ last victory over a ranked opponent).

CU moves to 11-3-1 overall, 3-2-1 Pac-12 Conference. With its fifth tie of the season, Cal is now 9-1-5, 2-1-3 Pac-12. The Bears’ lone loss of the season was to No. 2 UCLA last weekend.

Cal has allowed just one first half goal this season, and that early defensive pressure showed on Friday. The Buffs were held to just two shots in the opening 45 minutes, but got opportunities off five corner kicks (Cal took zero corners in the first half).

In the eighth minute, Stuller took the Buffs’ first corner kick. Five minutes later, Emily Paxton took the first shot of the game, making Cal goalkeeper Emily Kruger grab a save.

Cal quickly responded, with Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick forcing Anne Brunner to grab a save of her own. Though the Buffs took two more corners, the Bears were back on the attack with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Samantha Witteman and Celeste Boureille both hit on target, with Brunner snatching two more saves.

In the final five minutes before the break, the Buffs hit two more corner kicks and Darcy Jerman got her shot blocked, keeping the game scoreless.

Both teams were ready to get on the board in the beginning of the second half, with Cal’s Mekenna DeBack hitting one wide, and Stuller responding with a shot for the Buffs. In the 58th minute, Carly Bolyard took a corner kick. The Buffs kept possession, and Paxton got another shot at the keeper.

In the 67th minute, the Buffs finally hit the back of the net, with Krauser dribbling into the center from the left past a Cal defender and putting the Buffs up 1-0. The Buffs remained on the attack, with Paxton forcing another Kruger save in the 69th minute.

Back-to-back corner kicks helped Cal get back on offense, with Arielle Ship hitting one wide. Though the Buffs responded with shots by Brooke Rice and Olivia Pappalardo, Cal dominated the final minutes of regulation. In the 86th minute, Fitzpatrick once again rushed the net and Brunner got the save.

As the clock wound down, the Buffs were seconds away from the upset. At 89:53, Alex Huynh received a yellow card, helping turn the tides for the Bears. With just 42 seconds remaining, Emi Lawson headed the ball in off an Arianna Martinez assist, sending the game into overtime.

“They had a lot of players going forward and they won a free kick in the corner,” Sanchez said. “It was a great service and a great header. I don’t think there’s anything we could about either one of them. If you’re going to get scored on, you want it to be a good goal like that one … It doesn’t matter when you score them; it’s just that you score them. That’s why Cal’s a good team. They got one late, but we responded well. To get that result in the Pac-12 on the road is good.”

In the first five minutes of overtime, Cal took three shots. Colorado was never able to find its offensive stride, but looked strong defensively. Though the Bears took two corner kicks in the final four minutes of the first overtime, the Buffs kept them from any good looks. The teams were in familiar territory in the 100th minute, as Cal’s Fitzpatrick received a yellow card, but 45 seconds wasn’t enough for the Buffs to put the game away.

Pappalardo hit the Buffs’ only shot in the extra minutes, which Kruger saved at the 102:01 mark. Cal’s leading scorer and 2012 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Ifeoma Onumonu took her first shot of the game in the final minute, but Brunner was ready one final time for the save.

“They were great,” Sanchez said of the Buffs’ defense. “Ifeoma is so dangerous, and I think we did a good job of pushing her wide and making her be the provider and not the finisher. I felt we did a pretty good job on her, but she’s just so dangerous over the full stretch of the match. Those are the type of forwards you face in the Pac-12, and our back four did enough to get us the result. We’re pleased with the result and we’re really pleased with what they did and what Brunner did.”

The Buffs return home next weekend for their final games at Prentup Field. The tough competition continues as the Buffs face USC and UCLA. Both games will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.

“USC had a bit of a stumble at the beginning of Pac-12 play, but they’ve been hot,” Sanchez said. “They tied this same Cal team, and beat Stanford. They’re really playing well. UCLA, at this point, is the frontrunner to win the league. They’re still undefeated in the league. They’re a very good team and very deep with talent. We know the challenges. I think it will be great to be back home, especially with our last home games of the season and Senior Day on Sunday. We hope to get a big crowd out and to get some results. We have five games left in conference play, and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with your CU soccer team in the Breast Cancer Awareness game on Friday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. The first 500 fans to arrive will receive a FREE pink CU rally towel!

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Marlee Horn

Graduate Assistant SID

University of Colorado

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