Late Kansas goal sinks No. 10 Colorado in 1-0 defeat
The No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes (9-4-1, 3-3 Big 12) fell to the No. 30 Kansas Jayhawks (10-3-1, 4-1-1 Big 12) 1-0 Sunday afternoon after conceding a goal late. The loss ended CU's program-record 14 straight wins at home.
The Buffs survived an early scare from the Jayhawks, who had a corner just ten minutes in. Goalkeeper Brooke Goerish made her presence felt, and the Jayhawks missed their chances.
Kansas controlled possession for most of the game, and the Buffs couldn't break away in the first half.
When the Buffs got the ball, they used their skill and prowess to impose their will against the Jayhawk defense.
A few passes and an impressive slide tackle from forward Michaela McGowan sent the ball to forward Hope Leyba, who took a shot that went just over the top of the crossbar.
The Buffs started to gain momentum, and a corner from middle Reagan Kotschau put the ball in prime position for Colorado to score. Defender Faith Leyba headed it to her twin for a shot on goal, but a Kansas defender headed it out of the danger zone.
For forward H. Leyba, Kansas’ defensive approach made it difficult for Colorado to create consistent scoring opportunities.
“They double team every time you get the ball, and they just kick it down the field, so it makes it hard to play,” Leyba said following the loss.
The game was back and forth, with neither team able to gain momentum or break away to goal.
The Jayhawks started to gain momentum and earned a throw-in on the right side of the Colorado sideline, right next to the corner pole.
The Buffs cleared the ball out, but the Jayhawks sent it right back in prime attacking position. A series of deflections put the ball right in front of middle Marit McLaughlin, and she buried the ball in the bottom left of the net to give the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead with six minutes left.
Despite having four minutes to find an equalizer, Colorado head coach Danny Sanchez felt his team failed to respond with the urgency the situation demanded.
“We still had seven minutes or so, and we just didn’t understand maybe the urgency of the moment,” Sanchez said.
The Buffs tried to fight back, but it was in vain. The final whistle sounded, and the Jayhawks upset the Buffs.
The Buffs travel to Manhattan, Kansas, on Friday to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT. (ESPN+)
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