A look at Colorado’s first five Big 12 matchups

Colorado Buffaloes soccer huddles after a goal against the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Aspen Doust/Sko Buffs Sports)

Last season, conference play derailed the Colorado Buffaloes' season, which had seen them rank as high as No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Women’s Top 25 Poll. The Buffs had gone into conference play 7-1, but inconsistent play saw them drop points in seven conference matches.

The first five conference matchups will be a hard test for Colorado, as none of its opponents have lost more than one game.

Kansas State (5-1-1) at Prentup Field on Sept. 18

The Buffs will open up Big 12 play against the Kansas State Wildcats at home on Thursday. Last season, Colorado forward Jace Holley scored the lone goal as the Buffs defeated the Wildcats 1-0 in Kansas.

K-State is led by the sophomore striker duo of Hannah Palmer and Allison Marshal, who both have three goals in seven appearances. Palmer has also assisted another four scores, even though she has primarily come off the bench.

The Wildcats’ biggest win this season was a 4-0 result at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. In that match, three different players had two goal contributions, and there were four different goal scorers.

Kansas State’s only loss so far was against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-0-3). In the match, the Huskers dominated on both sides of the pitch and did not allow the Wildcats to find the back of the net.

The single common opponent for the teams thus far has been Colorado College. Both squads took care of business, but CU did not concede a goal, unlike Kansas State, which let in one.

Iowa State (3-1-2) at Prentup Field on Sept. 25

A week after their clash with Kansas State, the Buffs will host the Iowa State Cyclones. Last season, the Buffs defeated Iowa State 1-0 thanks to an Emerson Layne goal.

This season, the Cylcones are led by redshirt junior defender Ella Zimmerman, who has been the squad’s best centre-back and leads the team in goals with three.

Iowa State’s biggest win so far is its 4-0 victory against North Dakota (5-3). In the match, the Cyclones were able to convert from the penalty spot twice and allowed only two shots on goal.

The Only loss for Iowa State was in their Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game against the No. 11 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1-2) that ended 1-0.

Colorado striker Hope Leyba pushes the pace against the Wyoming Cowboys. (Jacob Hock/Sko Buffs Sports)

Houston (5-0-2) at Prentup Field on Sept 28

Three short days after they meet with Iowa State, Colorado will take on the Houston Cougars, a team they did not face at all last year.

Houston has 14 different players who have been able to find the back of the net. The undefeated Cougars have a +22 goal differential thanks to their defense only conceding one goal through their first seven matchups.

Houton’s most impressive win this far was a 4-1 dismantling of the Texas Longhorns. In the matchup, the Cougars were able to score four second-half goals to overcome a 1-0 first-half deficit.

No. 14 TCU (6-1) at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium on Oct. 2

Next, Colorado will travel to see a team it has been looking forward to facing for the past nine months, TCU. 

Following a 6-1 loss against the Horned Frogs last season, the Buffs dropped points in five consecutive games. Later in the season, the two squads met in the second round of the Big 12 tournament. Once again, TCU dominated Colorado.

2024 All-Big-12 First-Team forward Seven Castain has five goals and two assists through seven starts. Castain has two braces this season and is the current Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week. 

This season, the Horned Frogs are off to a hot start. In their third matchup of the season, they took care of No. 9 Iowa, 3-2. TCU’s only loss is a 1-0 result against the Northwestern Wildcats (4-1-3).

Baylor (5-0-2) at Betty Lou Mays Field on Oct. 5

Three days later, the Buffs will travel to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears. In their latest meeting last season, the teams split points following a 1-1 draw.

In their second matchup of the season, the Bears tied 1-1 with the Denver Pioneers (3-3-3). In CU’s most recent game, the Buffs dominated the Pioneers 2-0.

Baylor’s most impressive result is a 2-0 win against No. 17 Mississippi State. In that game, the Bears' backline only allowed one shot on target.

The Baylor defense has been the most important part of their team this season. Through seven matchups, the defense has only allowed two goals.

The Buffs open up Big 12 play against K-State on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT (ESPN+).