Soccer to Host BYU In NCAA Tournament

BOULDER – The University of Colorado women’s soccer team has earned a berth to the 2014 NCAA Tournament and will host the BYU Cougars in the first round at Prentup Field on Saturday, November 15 at noon MT, the Division I Women’s Soccer Committee announced Monday.

“Obviously we are really excited to be selected and excited for an opportunity to host,” said Colorado head coach Danny Sanchez. “A lot of great work by our players, and our administration put a great bid together so we have an opportunity to host. We are very familiar with BYU and they’re familiar with us. They are a very good team. They really rolled through the West Coast Conference this year and will be a huge challenge for us. But right now we’re just really excited to have an opportunity to represent the University of Colorado in the tournament again and hopefully we get a good crowd on Saturday and we’re ready to go.”

The Buffaloes, 13-6-1 overall, finished third in the Pac-12 Conference, a school best since Colorado became a member in 2011 and posted the program’s first winning Pac-12 record at 6-4-1. It will be the third time CU hosts a first-round match and a first since the 2007 season.

BYU won the West Coast Conference with a 13-4-3 overall record (7-1-1 West Coast) and is ranked No. 15 in the most recent NSCAA Coaches’ Poll.

It is the Buffaloes eighth tournament appearance and the first time Colorado has earned back-to-back postseason bids since making six consecutive tournaments from 2003-08. Colorado holds a 6-7-1 record in 14 matches.

Saturday’s contest will also be the second consecutive year CU faces BYU in the tournament and third time overall in the postseason with the series tied 1-1. The two programs squared off last season in the second round with the Buffs upsetting then-No. 19 BYU 2-1 in Tallahassee, Fla. to advance to the Sweet 16 for only the second time in school history. In 2003, CU’s first trip to the tournament, the Buffs’ fell 2-0 to BYU in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Colorado enters postseason play on a three match winning streak and is unbeaten in its last four times out. The Buffs were 9-3-1 at home in the regular season and shut out eight of their 11 opponents at Prentup Field.

The Pac-12 Conference has a league-record nine teams, the most of any conference in the nation that will compete in the Division I College Cup. Also representing the conference are UCLA and Sanford who earned two of the four top seeds, Arizona, Arizona State, California, USC, Washington and Washington State. The Southeastern Conference has eight teams, and the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 each have six.

Tickets can be purchased online at cubuffs.com, by calling 303-49-BUFFS or at the gate on Saturday. Admission for adults is $7, students, seniors (55+) and children (under 12) can get in for $3 and tickets for children (5 years and younger) are $1 each.