Buffs Fall to Wildcats
TUCSON – For the first time, all season the Colorado Buffaloes were unable to find the net in its 2-0 loss at Arizona on Friday. The Wildcats scored in the early minutes and kept Colorado at a distance for much of the night.
Arizona (5-6-2, 2-3-1 Pac-12) got a goal from Nicole Dallin to open the night in the fourth minute and that was all the offense the Wildcats would need. UofA added a goal in the 54th minute to give a cushion to the advantage.
"We started really slow," head coach Danny Sanchez said after the match. "Have to give credit to Arizona. They played great last weekend, they played great tonight and deserved the win. We came out slow and gave them some chances early. It was 1-0 at halftime and we made some adjustments. I thought we played well in the first 15 minutes of the second half. I think the second goal kind of broke our back. Credit to our group, they kept battling."
The shutout against the Buffs was the first since a 2-0 loss to Washington State back on Oct. 3, 2021. Friday was also Arizona's first win over the Buffs since 2013.
Colorado (8-4-3, 2-3-1 Pac-12) never got into an offensive flow, managing just six shots on the night. Arizona fired off 20 shots, forcing CU keepers Dani Hansen and Bella Grust to combine for six saves.
How it Happened
The Wildcats got on the Buffs from the opening kick and got a pair of shots off in the 3rd minute. Arizona's Nicole Dallin followed up her header attempt that was bobbled by Hansen and slotted the rebound across the goal line to pick up the early 1-0 advantage.
Hansen recovered nicely as the Wildcat offense kept pushing. She made a pair of saves in the 28th and 44th minutes to help keep the Buffs within striking distance at the half. Hansen totaled five saves in the first half, before giving way to Grust at the start of the second half.
Colorado's best scoring chances came after the team conceded the second goal in the 54th minute.
The Buffs drew a foul just outside of the penalty area in the 73rd minute, giving CU a direct kick from 22 yards out. Civana Kuhlmann directed the ball toward the net, but couldn't clear the Arizona defensive wall.
Emerson Layne deflected a ball on net from three yards out, but it was right in on Arizona netminder Hope Hisey. Kuhlmann gave chase on the rebound but was called for a foul, making contact with Hisey in the chase.
"Their keeper made a great save with five or six minutes to go which could have made it interesting," Sanchez noted. "We don't have any time to feel sorry for ourselves with UCLA and USC coming to town next week and then at Cal and Stanford before finishing with Utah. We can feel sorry for ourselves a little bit tonight, but we have to get back at it this weekend and get ready for next week. It's only going to get more difficult."
Up next
Colorado will be back at home for a pair of ranked matchups, hosting No. 1 UCLA and No. 18 Southern California.
Notes
Kayleigh Webb made her 93rd consecutive start for the Buffs, giving her the most games played in CU history…Hansen's first save of the night was her 200th at CU…Grust made her seventh appearance in net for the Buffs this season…CU's scoring streak closes at 14 games, tying a program record for most consecutive games with a goal in a single season.