On Monday, the University of Colorado lured Danny Sanchez back to the Front Range to take over an underachieving Buffs team that stumbled badly in its first season in the Pac 12.

Sanchez, who spent the past several years turning the University of Wyoming into a winning program, has a history of winning at every level. He also has a history of taking teams that should be better and making them better.

Exhibit 1: When Sanchez arrived at Metropolitan State College of Denver, he immediately took a team that hadn’t sniffed the playoffs to the NCAA tournament in his first year. His first squad started an ongoing string of 10 consecutive tournament bids for the Roadrunners.

Exhibit 2: While at Metro State, the Roadrunners set a Division II winning streak and won national titles in 2004 and 2006. Prior to Sanchez’s arrival in Denver, the best Metro State could boast was a third-place finish in the NAIA in the mid-’80s.

Exhibit 3: In the battle to recruit talent to Laramie, Sanchez was winning. His 2011 team at Wyoming boasted a 9-8-3 record, which included wins over CU and Northern Colorado.

Past Fades: Wyoming’s success came as CU folded in the Pac 12. Head coach Bill Hempen resigned at the end of the 2011 season after watching his team give up in games on the road and at home.

It’s tough to fault Hempen, who kept coaching with a fury that got him ejected at home late in the season. Still, his team was mired in a losing rut that it seemed incapable of escaping.

Going Forward: Picking up Sanchez, 42, gives the Buffs an excellent chance to start winning now. The university is to be commended for bringing a great, albeit gruff, coach back to the Front Range.

Hempen, who shuffled players in an effort to avoid adding to a five-game losing winless streak, was ejected from the game in the 77th minute at Prentup Field. His departure was not enough to spark a comeback as Oregon claimed a 3-1 victory in Pac-12 play.

With the loss, Colorado fell to 3-9-2 overall and remains winless in conference play at 0-5-1. The team has lost four straight.

Meanwhile, the Ducks improved to 7-7-1, 2-4-0 in the Pac-12.

Although the weather was gorgeous in Boulder, the afternoon quickly turned ugly for the Buffs. A long ball out of the back from Oregon ‘keeper Lindsay Parlee was turned into the first goal of the afternoon for Bri Pugh in the 16th minute.

The Ducks added to the lead three minutes later when Scout Libke buried a penalty kick for her third goal of the season.

The second half started with more promise for CU, as the team looked sharper in the attack. However, the Buffs again were found out as Ryann Davie connected with Ally Aschbacher for Oregon’s third goal of the day in the 72nd minute.

CU finally got on the board as Kate Russell scored her third goal of the season in the 76th minute. Storie Ledger picked up the assist for the Buffaloes.

Hempen’s departure a minute later looked like it might light a fire for CU, but the Buffs were instead fortunate to not have surrendered a fourth goal as the Ducks continued to pepper Annie Brunner’s goal in the closing minutes.

Next Up: The journey to the team’s first Pac-12 victory doesn’t get any easier. Colorado travels to California to face Cal on Friday, with Stanford waiting on Sunday.

Anne Stuller led the way for the Buffs with two goals as Colorado (3-5-2, 0-1-1 Pac-12) narrowly avoided giving the Wildcats (0-8-2, 0-2-1 Pac-12) their first victory of the season.

“It was just another game where effort certainly wasn’t the issue,” CU head coach Bill Hempen said. “From our standpoint, we have to accept our opponents are going to get opportunities, and we have to be better repelling them.”

In the 35th minute Arizona struck when Jessica Culver took the ball down the right sideline before dropping it back to Kristin Strother. Strother caught CU’s defense off guard with a quick cross to an open Susana Melendez in the box who headed the ball past Buffs ‘keeper Annie Brunner.

Colorado’s Stuller evened the game at 1-1 in the 49th minute of play when Arizona keeper Ashley Jett gave up a rebound and she was able to head the ball away.

“We switched the ball to the other side of the field, and I was playing right forward at the time. Storie [Ledger] played in the first ball to Carly [Bolyard], and Carly tried to shoot it and it was deflected. I was continuing my run and was able to head it in,” Stuller said.

CU was awarded a penalty kick after an Arizona defender took down a Buff in the box in the 74th minute. Amy Barczuk, who has scored on two previous attempts this season, took the kick. Jett made a save on Barczuk’s kick, but she gave the ball straight to a rushing Stuller who scored her second of the night, and gave the Buffs their first lead of the game.

Despite being outshot, Arizona didn’t back down and tied the game after a shot off the crossbar created a scramble in front of the net. Culver was able to find the ball and score to keep her team alive.

CU ended regular play having outshot the Wildcats 16-7. The Buffs came out charging in overtime and dominated play. In the first 20 seconds, Kate Russell put a hard shot on net, but Jett was able to make the save.

Next Up: The Buffs will have a chance to find their first conference win on Sunday when they take on Arizona State at 1 p.m. at Prentup.

“We didn’t know what to expect from Colorado,” Beavers coach Linus Rhode said. “I thought it was a solid game. We had to deal with physical play and I think overall, we did a good job today. We outshot them and finished off some chances nicely.”

Chelsea Buckland scored twice for the Beavers. Buckland now has six goals this season, and all have come in the past three games.

“Well, Chelsea is obviously back to form,” Rhode said. “That is great for her and great for the team. Our job and her job is to keep her in that zone for the rest of the season.”

Oregon State had several other chances to score during the game. The Beavers outshot Colorado 17 to 11. Buckland almost had a hat trick in the 81st minute when Milan Cabrera sent a ball over the Buffalo defense. Buckland tried to chip it over the goalkeeper again, but missed the goal by inches.

Amy Barczuk and Caroline Danneberg each scored goals for Colorado, at CIBER Field in the first match of the Denver Invitational on the DU campus.

Colorado dropped to 2-4-1, while Auburn moves to 5-1-1 overall.

Colorado head coach Bill Hempen made a move early, starting Barczuk up front at center forward, instead of back on defense. Hempen was looking for more physical play from his forwards, and the move paid off early on with Barczuk scoring in the 29th minute.

Auburn quickly struck back on a Katy Frierson free kick from 22-yards out, just to the left of the goal. Frierson found an opening on the near side while CU goal keeper Annie Brunner was still blocked off by the wall in front of her. Frierson’s boot curved just inside the near pole to even the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute.

Danneberg gave Colorado the lead back in the 52nd minute with her first career goal. The senior defender, playing in her 69th career game, set up for a free kick 35-yards out after Auburn’s Mary Nicholson received a yellow card. Danneberg lofted a high ball, hoping to connect with a teammate for a scoring opportunity. Instead, the ball bounced untouched right around the penalty kick spot. Golightly mistimed her approach on the ball, and it bounced over her head, and into the net for a 2-1 Colorado lead.

“We really challenged our players pregame,” Hempen said. “(We’re) a team that just can’t get a break but we are a team that does not give in. We could have won…effort had never been an issue.”

Ana Cate had the equalizer for the Tigers in the 66th minute. Maddie Barnes gained possession of the ball just on Colorado side of midfield and sprinted down the middle of the field. She found Cate between two CU defenders at the top of the box, and tied the game with a shot in the upper right corner of the net.

Next Up: Colorado returns to action on Sunday, as the Buffaloes return to CIBER Field to play CSU Bakersfield in the third game of the Denver Invitational at 3 p.m.

The Pioneers (5-1-0) followed their early season script of scoring the first goal of every match, as forward Kalie Vaughn opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Kristen Hamilton and forward Kaitlin Bast exchanged a few passes down the left side before finding a streaking Vaughn in the middle. Vaughn took a touch before placing it with her left foot into the corner past CU ‘keeper Annie Brunner.

Denver has scored the first goal in each of its first six matches this season.

“It’s always nice to come out and score the first goal,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “I was really impressed with the goal, four or five players all got one or two touches, great combinations, great movement which makes it very tough to defend when you have that many players moving diagonally off the ball.”

With 10 seconds remaining, the Buffs (2-4-0) earned a corner, took it quickly and got a shot off as senior defender Maggi Steury got a boot on it, but her attempt was wide.

Lara Campbell made just her second start of the season and made seven saves in the contest, one shy of her career high that she set in the Colorado match last season. The afternoon’s shutout was the first of the season for the Pioneers and the 19th of Campbell’s career.

Similar to the match that the Pioneers played against Colorado College at Prentup Field in August, the backline was tested time and time again in the final third of the game. The Buffs held an 11-4 advantage in shots in the second half, giving them a 17-8 advantage in the match.

Denver will now prepare to host the Denver Invitational next weekend as they welcome CU, Cal State Bakersfield and Auburn to CIBER Field for a full weekend of matches. Denver will host Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, after CU opens play against Auburn. On Sunday, DU will open play against Auburn, before CU and CSU Bakersfield wrap up the invitational.

The Buffs ended there two game scoring drought, but lost 3-2 in a tight game against No. 17 Illinois.

Colorado took advantage of two Illinois fouls late in the first 45 minutes. Midfielder Kate Russell was chosen to take the second free kick 20 yards out from Illinois keeper Steph Panozzo. Russell was familiar with the situation, as it was a play she has practiced and prepared for.

“Kate was pretty excited [about the free kick], because she’s been working on it for probably three years,” CU head coach Bill Hempen said.

Russell sent a blazing shot past Panozzo, and the Buffs took a 1-0 lead with eight minutes left in the half.

CU came out looking sharp in the second half and had a couple of opportunities before Illinois tied it up.

The game went to 1-1 after Illinois’ Marissa Mykines scored an unassisted goal at the 50 minute mark. Mykines was able to catch CU keeper Annie Brunner off balance to score her third of the season.

Colorado came back and scored its second goal that stemmed from another Illinois foul. CU took a free kick from outside of the box, but was awarded a penalty kick when an Illini player was called for a hand ball from the ensuing kick. Amy Barczuk put CU’s first PK in the top-right quadrant, and Colorado had a 2-1 lead 67 minutes in.

With under 19 minutes remaining in the game, Illinois’ Niki Read played a slow pass five yards into Colorado’s box where teammate Vanessa DiBernardo was able to one-touch the ball past Brunner to tie the game, 2-2. Three minutes later, DiBernardo picked up a loose ball and scored to give Illinois a 3-2 lead. Her eighth goal of the season would be the game-winner.

Colorado returns home to play DU at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Prentup Field in Boulder.

Purdue was coming off a three-game losing streak, but opened the game with a great scoring chance. The Boilermakers tested Colorado’s defense early, when they put a header on goal after a corner kick, but CU’s defense cleared it for a team save.

Colorado responded and was able to flip the momentum midway through the first half. The Buffs didn’t get their first shot on goal until 23 minutes in. Kate Russell blasted a shot from 30 yards out and though it didn’t go in, it changed the ball possession to CU’s favor.

CU had a big scoring opportunity 32 minutes in when sophomore sparkplug Hayley Hughes shot a ball wide from just outside the box. Colorado outshot Purdue 6-2 and won the majority of the 50-50 balls to close out the first 45 minutes of play.

When CU took the pitch to start the second half, it looked as though the team was going to dominate again. The Buffs had five shots in the opening 13 minutes with Hughes leading the way. She would finish the night with seven.

“I felt like we had control of the game again,” coach Bill Hempen said.

Purdue didn’t give up, and the Boilermakers caught a break with 27 minutes remaining in the second half. Hempen said Purdue intercepted a pass by the Buffs and counter-attacked hard.

Freshman Chinyelu Asher took the ball down the sidelines, got it by CU’s defense and sent it over to freshman Alex Hairston who was able to bury the ball past CU keeper Annie Brunner.

Colorado must now refocus and prepare for Sunday’s game. The Buffs will head to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to take on the No. 17-ranked Fighting Illini.

It was CU’s first loss of the 2011 season, and the Buffs dropped to 2-1-0.

Colorado used its momentum from last week’s Colorado Cup tournament victory, and came out strong against the visiting Cowgirls. Despite their efforts, CU failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities and fell to Wyoming for just the second time in 10 matches. It was also Colorado’s first loss to Wyoming at home.

“[The loss] just gets us back to reality,” CU head coach Bill Hempen said. “We were flying high, scoring eight goals in two games, and you have these kinds of games. You have an opponent who knows their chances are going to be limited, and they have a plan to try and win by one. [Wyoming] did it.”

The Buffs created chances early on, putting up 10 shots to Wyoming’s seven in the first half. Midfielder Kate Russell led the CU offense with three first half shots, including the first two of the game.

Colorado had a chance to take the lead 21 minutes in when freshman Darcy Jerman forced Wyoming keeper Courtney Merkle to make a diving save. Jerman got the ball right back and hit the post.

Both teams were looking for the first goal of the game, and came out aggressive in the second half. That first goal proved to be the most important of the afternoon, as it would become the game-winner.

Just eight minutes in, CU goalkeeper Annie Brunner misplayed a ball straight to the feet of Wyoming forward Sara Paul. Paul was able to take a quick touch before burying her shot to put Wyoming up 1-0.

“Obviously it was my fault, so it’s pretty devastating to lose 1-0. I’ll go home, reflect, obviously a terrible goal, so it won’t happen again,” Brunner said.

The Buffs didn’t give up, and worked tirelessly to score. Colorado ended up outshooting Wyoming 22-9, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

The Buffs will head to the Midwest for their first road trip of the season on Thursday. They attempt to even up their records against Purdue on Friday and Illinois on Sunday.

Playing at the University of Denver, the Buffaloes came out on the attack and were quickly rewarded.

Early Chances: Carly Bolyard put Colorado on the board in the second minute when she took a quick pass off Amy Barczuk’s free kick and scored from the middle of the box with a shot toward the far post. The Buffs doubled their advantage a little more than 12 minutes later on a shot by Hayley Hughes that glanced off CC goalkeeper Hannah Berglund’s hands and eluded senior defender Kelly Brown’s sliding save attempt at the goal line.

“To put [Bolyard] in that position that early in her career and she finishes it? I’ll take a bunch more of those,” CU head coach Bill Hempen said.

The Tigers had a chance to slice Colorado’s lead in half in the 26th minute, but CU’s Annie Brunner stopped a drive by Brittney Lyman, and Jessie Ayers header off the rebound went just outside the left post.

Second Helping: Any hopes for a Colorado College comeback evaporated in the 54th minute when Anne Stuller gave Colorado a 3-0 advantage, and the Buffs got goals from Lauren Shaner and Darcy Jerman to close out the scoring.

“Credit to Colorado,” CC head coach Geoff Bennett said. “They took advantage of their opportunities. We had some chances, especially in the first half, but were not able to capitalize.”

Berglund made five saves for the Tigers, while Brunner stopped three shots for the Buffaloes.

Scoring Touch: After scoring 24 goals total last season, the Buffs seemed to find a scoring touch. So what went right this game?

“Our shots were on target. They came from some unlikely characters, but at the same time, they went in. Some days they don’t. Today, they happened to go in,” Hempen said. “We’ll take it.”

Next Up: The Buffs will be back in action on Sunday when they face Northern Colorado at Prentup Field in Boulder at 3 p.m. Colorado College will take on DU at Prentup in the other match on Sunday.

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