Soccer Battles No. 15 BYU In First Round Of NCAA Tournament

BOULDER – The University of Colorado women’s soccer team opens the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Prentup Field against No. 15 BYU on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. MT.

The match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Ann Schatz has the call alongside Kyndra de St. Aubin as color analyst.

After a program best, third place finish in the Pac-12 Conference, Colorado earned a trip to the tournament for a second consecutive year and an opportunity to host for the first time since 2007. The Buffaloes finished their regular season schedule with a 13-6-1 overall record and 6-4-1 in conference play.

BYU arrives in Boulder after winning its third straight West Coast Conference title with a 13-4-3 mark. Saturday’s match will be the third postseason meeting between the two teams. The Buffs also faced BYU last season in the tournament, defeating the Cougars 2-1 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.

Fans who would like to attend the match can purchase tickets online at CUBuffs.com, by calling 303-49-BUFFS or at the gate on Saturday. Adult tickets are $7, students, seniors (55+) and children (12 and under) are $3 and tickets for children under 5 years old are $1.  

QUICKLY: After a program best, third place finish in the Pac-12 Conference, the University of Colorado women’s soccer team earned a trip to the 2014 NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. Colorado posted a 13-6-1 overall record and was 6-4-1 against Pac-12 opponents. The Buffaloes face No. 15 BYU in the first round of the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. at Prentup Field.

DON’T MISS IT: Saturday’s match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Ann Schatz has the call alongside Kyndra de St. Aubin as color analyst. Live stats will be available by visiting CUBuffs.com.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: For those members of the media wishing to interview the women’s soccer team during the season, please contact Assistant Sports Information Director/Soccer Contact Ashley Braun at (303) 492-7525 or ashley.braun@colorado.edu.

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

COLORADO VS. BYU: The Buffaloes and Cougars have met five times prior, three matches during the regular season and twice in postseason play. Colorado holds a 1-3-1 all-time record against BYU and they are 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament against the Cougars. The match marks the second straight year the two teams will face each other in the postseason. Last season, Colorado defeated BYU 2-1 in the second round of the tournament, eliminating the Cougars to reach the Sweet 16 for only the second time in school history. The Buffs also faced BYU in 2003, CU’s first tournament appearance, dropping the first round match 2-0. Both postseason contests have been held at a neutral sites.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS: No. 15 BYU won its third straight West Coast Conference with a 13-4-3 overall record. In their final match of the regular season, the Cougars fell 3-2 to Pepperdine, which ended a 13-match unbeaten streak and 15-match conference unbeaten streak. Sophomore Ashley Hatch leads the attack for the Cougars with 18 goals and six assists. Sophomore Michele Murphy has the next most, scoring six goals and collecting six assists. Their offense averages over 19 shots and two goals per match. Nine different Cougars have scored this season and four players have at least five goals. BYU’s defense has held 10 opponents scoreless in 2014 and goalkeeper Katherine Snyder has only allowed 13 goals over 20 contests. The Cougars were 6-2-2 on the road this season.

LAST WEEK: The Buffs won their third straight, defeating Utah 2-0 at home in the regular season finale. Darcy Jerman started the scoring for Colorado, recording her fifth goal and Brie Hooks added the second, notching her eighth of the year. CU also celebrated Senior Day, honoring the careers of six Buffs: defenders Brooke Rice and Bianca Jones, forwards Tori Cooper and Storie Ledger and midfielders Carly Bolyard and Jerman.

SCHEELE’S SHUTOUTS: Goalkeeper Kate Scheele earned her 10th clean-sheet in Colorado’s 2-0 win over Utah last Friday, which ranks second all-time for the most clean sheets by a CU goalkeeper in a single season. In just her first year with the Buffs, Scheele already ranks fifth all-time in career shutouts. Jessica Keller holds the record with 25 from 2003-05. Scheele ranks third in the Pac-12 in total shutouts.

HOOKS’ SUPERB SEASON: Hooks has started all 20 matches this season and has tied her career-high with eight goals, while setting a new personal best with six assists, 22 points and 56 shots. In Colorado’s sophomore offensive record books, she ranks first in points, tied for second in goals, third in shots and tied for fourth in assists. She finished the regular season in the Pac-12’s top seven in assists, goals, points and shots, and led the Buffs in the same respective categories. During CU’s three-match winning streak to end the regular season, she recorded at least one point in each contest. Over the three matches Hooks had two goals (one game-winner) and two game-winning assists.

JERMAN’S CAREER YEAR: Senior Darcy Jerman has set a new single-season career-high in goals (5), assists (4) and points (14). She is tied with Brie Hooks for the most game-winners (3) on the team and is a perfect 2-2 on CU’s only penalty kicks.

MORGAN STANTON'S PAC-12 HONORS: Sophomore Morgan Stanton was named Pac-12 Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Buffaloes defeat Utah 2-0 on Nov. 7. She played in all 90 minutes and led a Colorado defense that limited Utah to 11 shots and only five on goal as the Buffs recorded their 11th shutout of the year and fifth against a Pac-12 opponent. She also started the attacking sequence that led to eventual game-winning goal scored by teammate Brie Hooks. It was Stanton’s first conference Defensive Player of the Week honor of her career and second consecutive week a CU player earned the award. Senior Bianca Jones took home the honor last week. Senior Tori Cooper also received the recognition the week of Oct. 6.

ALL-PAC-12 TEAM: Brie Hooks and Tori Cooper earned all-conference honors as they were named to the All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team for their impressive performances during the regular season. Hooks, selected for her significant contributions on offense and Cooper was honored for her outstanding play on defense. Cooper began the season as a forward and then made the transition to the CU backline. It was the first-all conference honor for Cooper and second for Hooks, who was selected to the Freshman Team last season.

WINNING: The Buffs’ 13 total wins in 2014 ranks seventh most-all time. Their six conference victories is the most they have ever recorded while a member of the Pac-12 and first time CU has posted a winning Pac-12 Conference record. The last time Colorado finished with at least a .500 conference record or better was in 2009 when they were part of the Big 12.

HOME SWEET HOME: Colorado was 9-3-1 on its home turf during the regular season. It is only the fourth time the Buffs have recorded at least nine victories at home in school history and just the second at Prentup Field. The 1999 and 2003 seasons were the two other times they reached this mark, which is when they played home matches at Pleasant View Soccer Complex.

SHUTOUTS: CU recorded 11 shutouts in 20 matches in the regular season, five of which came against Pac-12 opponents. It is the first time in program history CU held five Pac-12 teams scoreless in a single season. Its 11 shutouts is tied for second most all-time, last accomplishing the feat in 2005. Also, eight of their clean sheets were at home.

SHARING THE BALL: Colorado has recorded 33 assists as a squad which is tied for third most all-time. CU ranks fourth among the Pac-12 schools in assists.

FINDING THE BACK OF THE NET: Ten different Buffaloes have tallied at least one goal this season, bringing the team’s total to 31, which is tied for second most all-time in a single season. The last time CU has tallied the same mark was 1999.

SANCHEZ IN POSTSEASON: It is head coach Danny Sanchez’s second NCAA Division I Tournament appearance with the Buffs and second of his career as a coach. He holds a 2-1 postseason record while at CU. He also achieved tournament success earlier in his career while coaching at Denver’s Metro State where he led the team to five DII Elite Eights, including two National Championships. As a player, he helped lead the University of Connecticut to the 1989 Big East Conference Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

TOURNAMENT HOSTING: Saturday’s match will be the third time Colorado has hosted a first-round contest and a first since the 2007 season. They are 2-0 at home in the tournament.

LEADERS OF THE PACK: 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.

BUFFS IN THE NCAA:
The Buffs have earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids for the first time since making six consecutive appearances from 2003-08. It will be CU’s eighth appearance overall and they hold a 6-7-1 record in 14 matches.

2003: 2003 was a season of firsts for the Buffs. On Sept. 8, the Buffs earned their first national ranking, coming in at No. 16 in the NSCAA poll after defeating No. 9 Denver 3-0 the prior week. CU peaked at a No. 5 ranking during the Big 12 Conference Tournament. The Buffs broke 14 records that season on their way to the Big 12 regular season title. Fran Munnelly was named the conference’s Player of the Year, Bill Hempen the Coach of the Year and Katie Griffin the Rookie of the Year. In their first NCAA Tournament, the No. 11 Buffs fell 2-0 to BYU.

2004: After an impressive 2003 campaign, the Buffs entered 2004 ranked No. 23 in their first four games. CU went on two separate six-game winning streaks on their way to 15 wins on the season. After a 3-1 loss to No. 10 Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament, the Buffs bounced back in their second consecutive NCAA appearance. CU defeated Utah 3-0 in the first round before falling 3-0 to No. 6 Portland in the Round of 32.

2005: The Buffs once again impressed on the national stage in 2005. CU played seven games as a ranked team and advanced to its first Big 12 Championship game, where it fell to No. 10 Texas A&M. Entering the conference tourney, CU led the conference defensively, with a Big 12 play-best goals allowed (eight), goals-against average (0.78) and shutouts (six). CU advanced to the second round of NCAAs after a 4-3 shootout win over UC Riverside. The Buffs fell in the Round of 32 to No. 4 UCLA, an eventual College Cup finalist.

2006: With the help of Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Nikki Marshall (who set 21 class records in her debut season), the Buffs had another historic season. Upsets over two top 15 teams helped lead the Buffs to their second straight Big 12 championship game and their best ever postseason finish (a record that holds to this day). The Buffs beat in-state rivals Colorado College and Denver 2-1 in the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney before falling to No. 1 ranked Notre Dame 3-0 in the Sweet 16.

2007: Ten shutouts helped a strong CU squad to its sixth consecutive 10-win season. The Buffs advanced to the second round of NCAA Tournament the fourth consecutive year. In the opening round, the Buffs defeated Hawaii 2-0. In the next, No. 3 Portland again ended CU’s season, handing the Buffs a 1-0 defeat.

2008: CU once again had a record-breaking season in 2008, taking a program-best 472 shots and 191 shots on goal. CU recorded 14 wins in a single season for just the third time in program history and placed a record eight Buffs on All-Big 12 teams. In the first round of NCAA play, the No. 15 Buffs faltered in a 1-0 loss to South Dakota State.

2013: Colorado earned a spot in the tournament for the first time in five years and reached the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history, knocking off two ranked opponents to get there. In the first round, the Buffs shut out No. 15 Denver 1-0 on the Pioneers’ home turf and then defeated No. 19 BYU 2-1 in Tallahassee, Fla. during the round of 32. CU’s historic run ended in the Sweet 16 when they fell 4-0 to the third-ranked Florida State Seminoles.

COLORADO'S RECORD WHEN:
Home....................................................................................9-3-1
Away.........................................................................................4-2
Neutral......................................................................................0-1
Leading at halftime..................................................................8-0
Tied at halftime....................................................................4-4-1
Trailing at halftime..................................................................1-2
In Overtime..........................................................................0-1-1
Against ranked opponents.................................................1-4-1
Scoring first............................................................................12-1
Opponent scores first..............................................................1-5

2014 SEASON AWARDS:
Carly Bolyard
UNLV Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team

Tori Cooper
All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week
UNLV Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team

Kahlia Hogg
CU Athlete of the Week

Brie Hooks
All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team
College Sports Madness All-Pac-12 First Team
UNLV Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team

Darcy Jerman
CU Athlete of the Week
UNLV Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team

Bianca Jones
CU Athlete of the Week
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week

Morgan Stanton
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week