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Buffs Travel to No. 6 TCU for First Road Test

Sep 1, 2021

FORT WORTH – For the second consecutive game the Colorado Buffaloes will take the field against a top 10 opponent, traveling to No. 6 TCU on Thursday. 

Colorado (2-1-0) generated some national notoriety following its 2-1 defeat to No. 1 Florida State last Sunday. The Buffs picked up a few more votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, increasing from 10 last week to 13. CU has been receiving votes in all three polls this season. 

"It was a tough match for us," head coach Danny Sanchez explained. "I thought we played well in the first half. We get the goal and all of a sudden, it's 2-1 and anything can happen, but we didn't really get a chance after that. The bigger picture was it was a great showcase for Colorado soccer. At the end of the day, we can be proud of our effort, but we didn't get a result and it's a results-oriented business."

 CU is no stranger to difficult schedules. The Buffs often face the nation's top teams inside the Pac-12. This is the first time the Buffs will play back-to-back top 10 opponents since the 2018 season when they played No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Southern California and No. 8 UCLA in consecutive matches. 

The Buffs held their own against ranked opponents last season, defeating three top 25 teams (No. 10 California, No. 14 USC and No. 17 Arizona State) for the first time in program history. 

"They [TCU] have similar stats to Florida State and it's at their place where they will have a huge crowd on Thursday night," Sanchez added. "We've talked about how we bounce back, how do we deal with the adversity. About two minutes after the [FSU] game we started talking about TCU."

TCU (3-0-0) enters Thursday ranked in the top 10 nationally in eight offensive categories. The Horn Frogs, the 2020 Big 12 champs, are averaging 25 shots per game and have scored 15 goals in the young season. 

"TCU presents a different challenge for us," Sanchez continued. "It's more like a game we're going to see in the Pac-12. There'll be a little bit more up and down. We will have more opportunities, but they are going to create a lot of their own. It's going to be a huge challenge for us, but we're excited to get out there and test ourselves against the Big 12 champs."

For the time being, CU can brag about having the only goal allowed by Florida State this season. Junior Allie Palangi launched herself into oncoming traffic to head the ball into the FSU net, capping off her week with four points (1 G, 2 A). Palangi and Shyra James (2 G) lead the Buffs with four points. 10 different Buffs have a point through the first three games, compared to 12 players for all last season.

Thursday's game is set for a 6 p.m. MT kickoff and will be streamed on BIG 12 NOW on ESPN+.