Head coach Bill Hempen not only experimented during Sunday’s matchup by starting four freshmen, but he was constantly rotating everyone throughout the game.

“(Versatility) is what I expect from our players,” said Hempen. “Hayley Hughes can play left back, right back, center forward, and Alex Dohm started the game as forward and finished as defender. I just love that stuff because you never know what you’re going to need in any situation.”

Quickly after senior Amanda Foulk rotated into the game, she teamed up with freshman Anne Stuller to put CU on the scoreboard in the 29^th minute. Stuller kicked the ball between the defense to Foulk who made a sharp shot past the goalie into the lower right corner of the goal.

In addition to her assist, Stuller led the team with four shots, two of which were on goal.

The Buffs held onto a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

Air Force scored during the 62^nd minute of the game with an unassisted goal by forward Stephanie Patterson. Patterson made her way down the right side of the field past the Colorado defense where she put the ball in the back of the net.  

Colorado secured the win just seven minutes after the Air Force goal at 68:17 when Kate Russell sent the ball to Kym Lowry on the left sideline. Lowry passed the ball to Erin Bricker who buried it in the lower right corner of the goal. 

Colorado will return to the pitch as the Buffaloes take on Wyoming at 1 p.m. Sunday in the regular season opener.

The schedules are set, and the first games of the season are imminent. A national champion readies for a title defense, a few perennial cellar dwellers look for a better finish, and a host of new coaches and players ready to take the field.

First: Northern Colorado became the first Colorado institution to kick-off the fall soccer season with a Friday trip to Norman, Oklahoma.

The Bears exhibition against the Sooners is one of many preparation games ongoing for the coming season. During the next two weeks teams from Greeley to Grand Junction, Durango to Denver and Alamosa to Golden, will be running through the rituals of alumni games and preseason exhibitions.

Below are just some of the things to watch for during the coming season.

Plum Games: With 26 men’s and women’s teams taking the pitch, it’s easy to find an entertaining contest every weekend. There are some dates, however, that really stand out as I look at the fall.

Sept. 4: Colorado faces Denver at the DU Invitational in Denver. It’s nice to see two of the Division I squads get together early in the season. It will be intriguing to see the Buffs and the Pioneers collide, and the sort of matchup that builds local rivalries.

Sept. 24: Metro State women vs. Colorado School of Mines holds a lot of promise. Both teams are ranked in the NCAA Division II preason Top 10. Metro State has won eight straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles, but Mines knocked off the Roadrunners 4-3 on penalty kicks in the 2009 NCAA tournament. This promises to be an entertaining time on Auraria Field.

Oct. 8: It’s a return trip to downtown Denver as the Fort Lewis men visit Metro State. The defending National Champion Skyhawks and the Roadrunners are among the few teams that generate a true distaste for one another. These two teams don’t get along, and last year’s clash at Auraria produced a flurry of yellow and red cards. The return engagement in Durango wasn’t much better.

Seriously, I’m taking 25 minutes on the over/under for the first card in the game when these two meet.

If this doesn’t produce enough drama, the two clash again a week later in Durango.

Oct. 22: All right, this is entirely so I can mention the clip from last year’s New Mexico-BYU showdown. The women at the Air Force Academy host New Mexico. If ever there was a squad trained not to tolerate out of control Lobo defenders, this would be the team. The trip to Colorado Springs seems that much more entertaining.

Nov. 3-7: The men’s and women’s RMAC tournaments will be unfolding on these days. Odds are excellent games will be played (1) in Colorado (2) on campuses in the Denver metro area and (3) on Dirks Field in Durango. I’m in for all of it as teams scramble at the end of the regular season.

Away and Home: The Mesa State women win the prize for the split personality schedule. They open the season with six consecutive road games. While they rack up the road miles, they get a reward at the end of September. The Mavericks start a six-game homestand on Sept. 22, just as the RMAC conference schedule gets under way.

Road Warriors: CSU-Pueblo’s women and the Fort Lewis men will also be collecting miles in the first part of the season.

The Thunderwolves women play three exhibition games on the road, followed by three of the first four games on the road.

The Skyhawks open with a road exhibition game at New Mexico before playing seven of their first eight games on the road.

Aloha Rangers: The Regis women travel to Honolulu to take on BYU-Hawai’i and Hawai’i Pacific on Aug. 26 and 28, respectively, to start the Rangers’ season.

Yes, there will be the challenges of travel and time changes, but doesn’t this sound like the perfect cap to a summer?

Suddenly, all the photographers and every writer at ColoradoSoccerNow.com were ready for an out of town trip.

What Time?: If you are going to a Fort Lewis women’s game and forget the start time, gamble on it being 1 p.m. The Skyhawks play 10 of their 18 games at 1 p.m.. Throw in the Aug. 23 exhibition against Colorado College, and 11 of the team’s games start at 1 p.m.

No other Colorado team comes close to such consistency.

And with that, we begin.

The Aggies, who made it to the third round of the 2009 NCAA Championship and finished the season with a 15-7-3 mark, garnered eight first place votes.

Also receiving first place tallies were Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma State, who rank second, third and fourth respectively. While Texas A&M collected 95 cumulative points to top the rankings, only six points separate Nebraska from Missouri, Oklahoma State, and fifth-ranked Texas.

The defending Big 12 regular season champion Tigers checked in just one point ahead of Oklahoma State, winner of the Big 12 postseason title, while Texas ranked just one point behind the Cowgirls.

The remainder of the poll consists of Texas Tech, Colorado, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Iowa State.

All Big 12: No Colorado players were named to the preseason All-Big 12 squad, but one player with Colorado roots made the list.

Texas A&M defender Bri Young, a junior, graduated from Castle Pines North.

The cup will feature both the school’s men’s and women’s club soccer programs squaring off against one another in one doubleheader event. 

The Inaugural Rocky Mountain College Cup will take place on Sept. 11 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, with the women’s game starting at 5 p.m. followed by the men’s match at 7:30 p.m.

The total aggregate goals scored by the both the women’s and men’s teams from each school will go toward crowning the champion for 2010.  Additional details will likely be up on www.coloradorapids.com.

I won’t take it any further because it only leaves me questioning the wisdom of this move. While I applaud it as a fundraiser for the clubs, I’m left cold by the teams NOT included in this foray. Colorado is home to national champion college soccer programs, and the Rapids have decided to promote a college cup of club soccer teams.

This is not the best that can be done.

If you want to have a game to determine bragging rights, go snare some of the talented teams in this state. The Fort Lewis men’s team and Metro State’s women each have a pair of national titles in the past six years. Shouldn’t they be on the field?

Yes, I get it. CSU and CU have the name recognition. But is that all?

BOULDER –University of Colorado soccer coach Bill Hempen announced the signing of four prospective student-athletes to national letters of intent to continue their education and play soccer for the Buffaloes. Additionally, Hempen announced one freshman who graduated high school early and one transfer student-athlete who are both enrolled this spring.

All Colorado natives, Alex Dohm (Colorado Springs), Lizzie Herzl (Littleton), Hayley Hughes (Highlands Ranch) and Anne Stuller (Boulder) will all join the team next fall while Annie Brunner (Arvada) graduated high school early and Amy Steiner (Littleton) and is already enrolled at CU and transferred from Arizona.

“This class obviously has a big Colorado look and we are proud that all these kids are ours,” Hempen said. “We have the Storm Soccer Club, headed by coach Scott Dedyker, the REAL Soccer Club and coach Lorne Donaldson and the Pride Soccer Club from Colorado Springs headed by coach Sian Hudson all represented. There are all wonderful club programs, and better yet, they develop quality kids and players.

“We have lost back-to-back senior classes that have had an incredible impact on our program, but looking forward, we think these kids understand that they are more than capable of making their own impact on Colorado Soccer.”

Player Position Height Hometown (High School/Club Team/Former College)
Annie Brunner GK 5-9 Arvada, Colo. (Arvada West High School/Storm)
Alex Dohm D/F 5-7 Colorado Springs, Colo. (Liberty High School/Pride)
Lizzie Herzl D 6-0 Littleton, Colo. (Heritage High School/Storm)
Hayley Hughes F/M/D 5-4 Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Mountain Vista/REAL Colorado)
Amy Steiner D 5-3 Littleton, Colo. (Mullen/Colorado Rush Nike/Arizona)
Anne Stuller F 5-7 Boulder, Colo. (Fairview High School/Storm)

The Force also had two central defenders drafted. The University of Kansas’ Estelle Johnson went to Los Angeles in the third round, and Nebraska standout Carly Peetz was taken in the sixth round by Boston.

Taryn Hemmings, a standout forward-midfielder from the University of Denver, the Real Colorado Cougars and Greeley West High School, was selected by Boston in the seventh round (a real steal that late in the draft, I might add).

Marshall’s selection marks the first time a CU player has been a first-round draft pick. She was one of seven players invited to attend the draft in person (Click here to see a photo of all the invitees; Marshall is second from right, wearing a red Washington Freedom scarf).

Washington Freedom coach Jim Gabarra said it was Marshall’s personality that was the deciding factor in drafting the Buffaloes’ leader.

“We were looking for someone that will help us defensively but also a versatile player,” Gabarra said. “We were prepared to pick between her and one other player, both of (whom) we knew would be available. But she was the one we have had targeted for the past four to six weeks.”

“She deserves it,” CU coach Bill Hempen said. “Somebody did their homework and found out the package she brings to a program. She’s one of the best.”

The Freedom went 8-7-5 in 2009. Washington is one of the WPS teams held over from the previous top-flight women’s pro league, the WUSA.

“I want to make an impact on this league and on this team,” Marshall said in a press release. “I cannot be more elated to play with Cat Whitehill and Abby Wambach.”

Marshall, from Mead, is the most decorated women’s soccer player in CU history. For three consecutive years she was named first-team NSCAA All-Central Region, while earning second-team All-Central Region honors during her freshman year at CU. Marshall owns four first-team All-Big 12 honors and was named CU athlete of the week six times and Big 12 player of the week on three occasions. She is CU’s all-time leader in scoring, with 93 points and 42 goals.

Marshall has spent considerable time playing internationally as a member of the U.S. national team’s U-20 and U-23 programs. She last played for the U.S. in February on the U-23 side, when the Americans won three straight matches and the championship of the Four Nations Tournament in La Serena, Chile, with victories over England, Norway and Chile. In December 2009 she helped the U.S. win a U-20 World Cup and was named MVP of the final against North Korea. She played every minute of every game in the World Cup.

“I think when she got the taste of a higher level, it made her more determined to go as far as she possibly could,” Hempen said. “It’s something she’s worked for. A top 10 draft pick in the WPS, that’s a pretty big deal for Nikki and for our program and certainly lets people know we have something going on at Colorado.”

Johnson, from Fort Collins, has been a mainstay for the Jayhawks defense, earning all-region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Soccer Buzz. She was a member of the Big 12 all-tournament team in 2008 in addition to receiving other defensive and academic honors from the conference. She was a four-year letter winner at Rocky Mountain High School and was named all-state as a junior and senior.

Colorado Force coach Craig Deacon said he became certain of L.A.’s interest in Johnson when team representatives called him on Friday and asked him to break down everything he knows about her.

“Estelle is quality,” Deacon said. “I spoke numerous times with L.A. GM Charlie Naimo on her behalf, encouraging him to take a look and that she’s the real deal. It is great to see her have this opportunity.”

Peetz, a Lincoln, Nebraska native, has received several all-Big 12 accolades in addition to defensive awards and being on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll six times. She was a charasmatic leader on and off the pitch for the Huskers who started every game in her Nebraska career.

“Peetz is another player who have been in the U-20 national team player pool, like Nikki,” Deacon said. “She was solid for us and has been in several environments which have helped her get to the professional level.”

Force owner Amy Snider was thrilled by the news.

“What an honor for our program to have three of our core players get drafted to the WPS,” said. “I am extremely proud of our players and our head coach for their accomplishments. We’re excited to follow their progress over the next few months and keep Force fans updated as they make their marks as professional athletes.”

Deacon agreed.

“We’ve got three players going on to the level they deserve to be playing on,” Deacon said. “Those guys in the Big 12 have done well. All the teams know about them. Those are three massive players that we lose, but this is what the W-League is about: to give players an opportunity. We lose three good players, but we’re very excited and wish them the best.”

Hemmings was sensational for the Pioneers. During her senior season, 2008, she was named the team’s comeback player of the year, Sun Belt player of the year, Sun Belt tournament MVP, Soccer Buzz All-Central Region first team, NSCAA/adidas all-region second team, All-SBC first team, Sun Belt all-tournament team, CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 7 University Division First Team and Academic All-America University Division second team. She ended her career as Denver’s second all-time career scoring leader, with 112 points on 42 goals and 28 assists. She tied program record for career goals and ranked third in career assists.

Oddly, Hemmings’ selection marks the second time in two days that a DU player was selected with the final pick in a professional soccer league’s draft. Pioneers defender Kris Banghart was taken by Real Salt Lake with the final pick in Thursday’s Major League Soccer draft. Both were excellent picks.

Here is a list of all the picks in the WPS draft:

FIRST ROUND
Atlanta – Tobin Heath, North Carolina
Boston – Lauren Cheney, UCLA (Pali Blues)
FC Gold Pride – Kelley O’Hara, Stanford
Chicago – Whitney Engen, North Carolina
Los Angeles – Nikki Washington, North Carolina
New York – Brittany Taylor, Connecticut
Washington – NIKKI MARSHALL, Colorado
Los Angeles – Casey Nogueira, North Carolina
Los Angeles – Kiersten Dallstream, Washington State
FC Gold Pride – Ali Riley, Stanford
Boston – Alyssa Naeher, Penn State

SECOND ROUND
FC Gold Pride – Becky Edwards, Florida State
Philadelphia – Malorie Rutledge, LSU
Los Angeles – Michelle Enyeart, Portland
Chicago – Jessica McDonald, UNC
Boston – Jordan Angeli, Santa Clara
St. Louis – Kristina Larsen, UCLA
Washington – Carly Dobratz, Washington State
St. Louis – Ashlyn Harris, UNC
FC Gold Pride – Kaley Fountain, Wake Forest

THIRD ROUND
Atlanta – Blakely Mattern, South Carolina
Los Angeles – Kiki Bosio, Santa Clara
Atlanta – Shameka Gordon, West Florida
Chicago – Kelsey Davis, Portland
Los Angeles – ESTELLE JOHNSON, Kansas (and Colorado Force)
New York – Katie Schoepfer, Penn State
Washington – Beverly Goebel, Miami
St. Louis – Amanda Poach, Santa Clara
New York – Melissa Clarke, LSU

FOURTH ROUND
Atlanta – Jill Hutchinson, Wake Forest
Philadelphia – Kelly Henderson, Boston College
FC Gold Pride – Erin Guthri, Rutgers
Chicago – Michele Weissenhofer, Notre Dame
Boston – Katherine Reynolds, Santa Clara
New York – Danielle Johnson, Mississippi
Washington – Kristi Eveland, North Carolina
St. Louis – Veronica Perez, Washington
Los Angeles – Mary Casey, Maryland

FIFTH ROUND
Atlanta – Mallori Loften-Malachi, University of South Florida
Philadelphia – Carrie Patterson, University of Georgia
FC Gold Pride – Ashley Bowyer, Ohio State University
Chicago – Sophie Reiser, Columbia
Boston – Cynthia Morote-Ariza, Loyola-Chicago
New York – Meagan Snell, Santa Clara
Washington – Lauren Robertson, Ohio State
St. Louis – Carolyn Blank, West Virginia
Los Angeles – Lindsay Browne, Clemson

SIXTH ROUND
Atlanta – Kasey Langdon, Oklahoma State
Philadelphia – Jenifer Anzivino, Rutgers
FC Gold Pride – Elizabeth Harkin, Arizona State University
Chicago – Fiona O’Sullivan, San Francisco
Boston – CARLY PEETZ, Nebraska (Colorado Force)
New York – Kelly Isleib, Utah
Washington – Mara Osher, Boston University
St. Louis – Sarah Teegarden, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Boston – Gina DiMartino, Boston College

SEVENTH ROUND
Atlanta – Shaneka Gordon, West Florida
Philadelphia – Caitlin Farrell, Wake Forest
FC Gold Pride – Lauren Wilmoth, UCLA
Chicago – Jackie Santacaterina, Illinois
Boston – Casey Brown, Boston University
Philadelphia – Danielle Collins, William & Mary
Washington – Caitlin Miskel, Virginia
St. Louis – Elisabeth Redmond, Duke
Boston – TARYN HEMMINGS, Denver (Real Colorado Cougars)

Texas came out with a spark in the game’s second overtime, and Erica Campanelli headed a shot with 3 minutes, 30 seconds left that hit the crossbar and bounced back into play. Courtney Goodson was on the receiving end of the deflection and sent a square ball in the box to Hannah Higgins, who volleyed the ball over the head of CU goalkeeper Kara Linder and into the back of the net.

The Buffs finished with a 9-10 overall record. The Longhorns improved to 9-8-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Colorado’s best opportunity to score came in the second half. In the 72nd minute, junior forward Amanda Foulk received a through-ball in the box and fired a hard shot, but Texas goalkeeper Alexa Gaul came off her line and was able to make the save.

The last time the Buffs faced the Longhorns in the Big 12 tournament, the game was decided on penalty kicks after a 110-minute battle in the opening round in 2007. Wednesday’s game marked the ninth overtime game that Colorado has forced in the past six years at the conference tournament.

“The game was kind of the epitome of our season,” Coach Bill Hempen said. “We played well to a certain point. But when it meant the most, we were unable to execute, and that was ultimately our downfall.”

Texas outshot Colorado 23-15.

Buffaloes senior standout Nikki Marshall wraps up her college career as the all-time leader in points (93), goals (42) and winning goals (18). Marshall has also tallied more shots than any other player in the program (261).

Linder leaves CU with a 0.97 goals against average, good for third in program history, and she sits at No. 6 in total saves with 126.

2009 marks the first time in seven seasons that Colorado has not advanced to the NCAA tournament, and it’s the first time since 2001 that CU did not tally at least 10 wins.

“I’m very disappointed,” Hempen said. “This will be the first year in the last seven years that we won’t make the NCAA tournament, and it’s very disappointing.”

And now, courtesy of CU, here is a massive list of facts about the Buffs, the Longhorns and the Big 12 tournament:

• This is CU’s second time as the #3 seed at the Big 12 championships.

• CU has been seeded in every position from first to seventh but has never been seeded eighth.

• Colorado has faced seven of the 11 Big 12 teams in tourney history before this year.

• This will be CU’s sixth match against Texas in the postseason.

• CU is 8-8-4 in the Big 12 tourney.

• Only two Buffaloes on this year’s squad have netted goals in the Big 12 tournament: Nikki Marshall (2) and Kelly Butler.

• CU coach Bill Hempen has a record of 6-5-4 in the Big 12 tournament.

• CU has had nine players selected to the All-Tournament Team: Katie Griffin, Kat Grandinetti and Darci Smerchek in 2005; Alex Cousins, Brittany Dornseif, Nikki Marshall and Nikki Keller in 2006; and Kirstin Radlinski and Michelle Wenino in 2008.

• The Buffs have made it to the championship game three times in the past four years.

• CU lost 1-0 to Missouri in the 2008 final.

• Colorado has never won the Big 12 tournament.

• Colorado trails the all-time record with the Longhorns 4-11-3.

• Texas finished 4-3-3 in Big 12 play, good for sixth place.

• CU is 1-2-2 in the last five meetings with the Longhorns.

• Colorado dropped a 1-0 double-overtime decision to the Longhorns 10 days ago in Austin.

• Texas’ leading scorer is Kylie Doniak, who has five goals and two assists for 12 points. Alexa Gaul has been the Texas netminder with a 1.24 GAA and three shutouts, posting a record of 7-6-3 on the season.

• Hempen owns a record of 4-5-3 against Texas.

• The last time the Buffs faced Texas in the opening round of the Big 12 championships was in 2007. Texas advanced on penalty kicks.

• Fans can watch the match live on the Big 12 Conference Web site, big12sports.com. Each game leading up to the final will be available for free (registration is required).

• Colorado finished the conference season allowing the fewest amount of goals (seven) and the lowest goals against average (0.68) in Big 12 play.

• Marshall finished in the top five in goals scored (five) in Big 12 play. Marshall leads the Buffs in scoring with eight goals and one assist for 17 points overall.

• CU senior goalkeeper Kara Linder held the best GAA (0.69) and save percentage (.851) and the most shutouts (five) in conference play.

• CU’s seniors: Ally Goodman, Linder, Marshall, Kelly Menachof, Tobie Rippy and Mary White.

Colorado finishes the regular season 9-9, 6-4-0 in the Big 12, while the Red Raiders fall to 8-8-3 overall and 3-4-3 in conference.

Senior Nikki Marshall notched the 18th winning goal of her college career. After a scoreless first half, she wasted little time in putting the Buffs on the scoreboard. Freshman Erin Bricker sent a pass to Marshall at the top of the box and Marshall got around the defender and placed her shot in the upper left corner of the goal for a 1-0 CU lead in the 53rd minute.

The goal gives Marshall 42 career goals, 93 points and 18 game-winners, adding to all three of the CU career records that she holds.

The Buffs struck again five minutes later; this time Bricker would find the back of the net. Bricker took a pass from sophomore Kate Russell, took one touch around the Tech defense and placed her shot inside the left goal post.

“The best move we made today was putting Kate Russell in at outside-midfielder,” CU coach Bill Hempen said. “Kate opened up our game a lot. And as soon as she switched positions, we were getting excellent opportunities on crosses, through-balls and corners. She really helped us establish our offense in the second half.”

The shutout was CU’s fifth this season at home. Texas Tech outshot the Buffs 21-16, but senior goalkeeper Kara Linder recorded her sixth shutout of the year.

Colorado, which finished the regular season 6-1 in Boulder, will travel to San Antonio for the first round of the Big 12 championships on Wednesday.

WOMEN
Metro State 2, Adams State 0: The No. 4 Roadrunners held a 36-2 advantage in shot attempts in their the 16th consecutive win. Metro State received all the scoring it would need just 94 seconds into the match: Freshman defender Hayley Renko scored her first career goal after the Grizzlies could not fully clear a corner kick. Ashley Nemmers then scored her seventh goal of the season with just 2:30 left in the first half as Metro improved to 18-1 overall and to 15-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Grizzlies finished their season with a 6-12-2 overall mark, just one win shy of the school record.  Adams State finished 4-10-2 in RMAC play as senior Ashley Sales  and redshirt junior Ashley Grover, who has decided to forgo her final season of eligibility while graduating early, played for the final time in a Grizzly uniform. Grizzlies sophomore goalkeeper Kirsten Dorsey made nine saves, and teammate Amber Drumm blocked a shot on a Becca Mays breakaway. Nemmers, who scored a header goal off a nice Aleah DeGeneres pass, led the Roadrunners with 11 shots, and Mays had 10. Metro goalkeeper Becca Maloney recorded her ninth shutout of the season. The Roadrunners are  14-0 all-time against the Grizzlies and had outscored the Grizzlies 38-2 in the previous five meetings.

Colorado College 5, UTEP 2: Fueled by freshman Brittney Lyman’s five goals in the second half, the Colorado College women’s soccer team refused to be denied its most important game of the season on Friday night. CC thoroughly dominated but needed to come from behind twice in the team’s regular-season finale at Washburn Field. With one of their biggest victories since joining Conference USA as an affiliate member in 2006, the Tigers overtook the University of Memphis for second place in the final standings and earned a bye in the opening round of the Conference USA playoffs next week. Lyman, a 2009 graduate of Arvada West High School, wiped out 1-0 and 2-1 deficits with her first two tallies of the match before adding a natural hat trick. Colorado College will play in the semifinals of the league tournament in Dallas next Friday against the winner of one of Wednesday’s opening-round matches.

Northern Colorado 4, Northern Arizona 0: In Greeley, senior Marcie Johnson had two goals and an assist in the final game of her college career. Johnson got the game going with an unassisted goal in the 19th minute. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Ariel Cook received a pass from the corner from junior Olivia Deadmond and made a short shot to put the Bears up 2-0. Cook increased the lead to 3-0 with a shot seven minutes later, taking the assist from Johnson and making the shot from only three yards out. Johnson sealed the deal for Northern Colorado with her second unassisted goal of the night after a breakaway from 10 yards out. The match was also the final one for UNC senior Sydney VanderVelde. “Marcie played a great game and played with a lot of confidence tonight,” Coach Tim Barrera said. “Sydney and Marcie played really well. We are all really happy with how the team played tonight.” The Bears finished 2-5 in Big Sky play, 6-10-1 overall.

Colorado-Colorado Springs 5, Nebraska-Kearney 0: UCCS kept itself relevant in the RMAC playoff picture at Mountain Lion Stadium. Five players scored for the Mountain Lions: Jessica Escobedo, Julia Saenz, Lauren Hall, Krista Mirabelli and Brianna Guzzardo. Seniors Hall and Mirabelli were playing the final home game of their collegiate careers. UCCS improved to 7-8-1 overall and 6-8-1 in RMAC play with the win, good for 19 points (three for each conference win and one for the tie). UCCS is now in sixth place in the conference, two points ahead of Colorado Christian. Six teams advance to the playoffs. The five goals was a school record for the Mountain Lions’ second-year program.

MEN
CSU-Pueblo 1, Mesa State 0: Dylan Cook scored an unassisted goal in the 75th minute as the Thunderwolves won at home. Mesa State dropped to 2-14-2 (2-10-1 RMAC), and CSU-Pueblo raised its record to 8-10-0 (4-9-0 RMAC). Pueblo’s Jacob Blum made two saves in recording the shutout. Josh Tinaglia made seven saves for Mesa.

Fort Lewis 3, Colorado-Colorado Springs 0: Joe Barnd scored twice for the third-ranked Skyhawks at Mountain Lion Stadium. Fort Lewis improved to 16-0, 13-0 in the RMAC. Barnd now has seven goals in 10 matches this season. Abdel Becerra opened the scoring with a skillful goal in the 34th minute. He dribbled toward the goal, and when UCCS goalkeeper Adam Liszewski came out to cut off the angle, Becerra chipped it over his head and into the net. Barnd’s first goal came in the 59th minute, when he headed in a crossing pass by Dimo Krymanidis. Barnd converted a far-post shot from the left side with less than three minutes remaining. Liszewski made seven saves in the losing effort for UCCS (7-10-1, 4-8-1 RMAC).

The University of Colorado soccer team will host Texas Tech at 3 p.m. Friday in its final regular-season match.

The Buffaloes (8-9, 5-4 Big 12) will celebrate Senior Day and honor Ally Goodman, Kara Linder, Nikki Marshall, Kelly Menachof, Tobie Rippy and Mary White with a post-game celebration. The game is set to air live at 3 p.m. on FSN with an approximate 3:08 p.m. kickoff. Marc Stout will handle the play-by-play duties, and Marcelo Balboa will provide the analysis.

The Buffaloes are coming off a pair of Big 12 road games last weekend in which they dropped a 2-0 decision to No. 20 Texas A&M on Friday and fell 1-0 in double overtime to Texas on Sunday.

Texas Tech (8-7-3, 3-3-3 Big 12) enters the weekend after back-to-back ties with Texas on Friday and Texas A&M on Sunday. Tech had an early 2-0 second-half lead over Texas, but the Longhorns fought back in the last 20 minutes. Two days later against Texas A&M, Tech held the nationally ranked squad scoreless in 110 minutes of play. The Red Raiders are led by Dawn Ward with 13 goals and one assist and Taylor Lytle with four goals and 11 assists. Colorado owns the overall series with Texas Tech by a decisive 10-2-1 margin, and CU is 5-1 when facing the Red Raiders at home.

Colorado’s senior class came to campus in a few waves, starting in the fall of 2006. Goodman, Linder, Marshall and White arrived as freshmen, Rippy as a sophomore and Menachof as a junior. The class has helped lead the Buffs to three NCAA tournament appearances, including three 10-plus win seasons.

Colorado is fourth in the latest Big 12 Conference standings with 15 points. With just one conference match remaining, CU is guaranteed to make its eighth-straight appearance in the Big 12 championships. The top eight teams based on points at the end of the season qualify. In league play, three points are awarded for a win, one for a tie and zero for a loss.

Colorado is 6-1-0 at Prentup Field this season, and four of the six wins have been 1-0 shutouts. The Buffs have outscored opponents 12-4 in Boulder.

Marshall leads the Buffs in scoring with seven goals and one assist. Sophomore Kelly Butler follows Marshall with four goals and two assists for 10 points, along with eight other Buffs who have found the back of the net. Freshman Erin Bricker leads the team with three assists, and Linder owns a 1.15 goals-against average, including five shutouts.

Already CU’s all-time leading goal scorer, Marshall became the all-time points leader in a win over Oklahoma. She shattered former All-American and Fran Munnelly’s record (84). Marshall has 91 points and at least two games still to play.

KICK OR TREAT: Kids and adults are invited to wear costumes and trick-or-treat with other student-athletes before kickoff on Friday. Those dressed in a costume will have a chance to win prizes. Kick or Treat activities will start at 2 p.m. The first 100 fans will also receive a free poster autographed by CU’s seniors. At halftime, Top Chef New York winner Hosea Rosenberg will appear. Admission and parking for all CU soccer games are free.