When his team still was playing an 18-game conference schedule, Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle periodically lamented how difficult it was to get quality nonconference foes to play his squad in Boulder at altitude.
In recent years, CU women’s soccer coach Danny Sanchez has had no such issues.
The latest marquee opponent to visit Prentup Field will be one of the most prestigious women’s soccer programs in the nation, as the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Buffaloes at noon on Sunday. It will be UNC’s first visit to Prentup, although the Tar Heels did visit Boulder in 1998 when the Buffs still played at the Pleasant View Soccer Complex.
Last year, a 14th-ranked Michigan State squad, which eventually reached the Sweet 16, visited the Buffs. In 2021, top-ranked Florida State visited Prentup, as did a ranked Texas team in 2019. Sunday’s match is the first of a home-and-home set that will take the Buffs to North Carolina next season.
“I think as the power four (conferences) continue to break away a little bit, I think teams have to play each other. Because these other teams aren’t going to travel as much and give you a home game for nothing,” Sanchez said. “I think you’re going to see more and more of it. For us, the top, top teams, I think they look at this as a great RPI game. A great (nonconference) trip. And, obviously, kind of a different environment for teams from different parts of the country.
“We’re willing to play anybody home and away. We’ve always been like that. We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to set up with a lot of the top teams in the country to do a home and away. We’ve been pretty fortunate with it.”
The winners of 21 national championships (although none since 2012), the Tar Heels reached the Elite Eight last year but bring a team to Boulder that is looking to replace its top three scorers (plus four of the top five) while also breaking in a new starting goalie. UNC opened the season with a 2-1 win at the University of Denver on Thursday night.
For the Buffs, the matchup represents a huge early opportunity toward the team’s quest for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Although the early national rankings are all but certain to shuffle as the season’s opening weeks unfold, CU plays only one other team ranked in the preseason top 25 — Texas Tech, which is tied for eighth with the Tar Heels. CU’s Big 12 Conference schedule doesn’t include No. 3 BYU. TCU, which visits Prentup Field on Oct. 5, unofficially is ranked No. 28 among the other teams receiving votes.
“This is exactly the kind of matchup I committed to play in,” said freshman forward Jace Holley, a Fort Collins native who scored the season’s first goal for CU in Thursday’s opening win against Marquette. “Another big team with a big name. And it’s good to be someone who’s not necessarily ranked to be able to play one of them and show them what we’ve got. We can play with anyone.”
No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels at CU Buffs women’s soccer
KICKOFF: Sunday, noon, Prentup Field.
TV: ESPN+.
RECORDS (2023): North Carolina 13-2-8, 5-0-5 ACC; Colorado 13-5-3, 5-3-3 Pac-12.
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS (2023 stats): North Carolina — M Evelyn Shores, So. (four goals, three assists); F/M Kate Faase, Jr. (two goals, three assists); F/M Bella Sember, Sr. (three goals, one assist). Colorado — F Shyra James, 5th yr. (15 goals, two assists); M/D Ava Priest, So. (two goals, six assists); M/D Rachel Rosen, Gr. (one goal, five assists); D Faith Leyba, So. (three goals); F Hope Leyba, So. (two goals, one assist); GK Jordan Nytes, Jr. (.802 save percentage, 0.86 goals-against average).
NOTES: CU is 0-6 all-time against North Carolina, getting shut out in all six defeats. The last three of those matchups occurred in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2019. … UNC’s No. 8 ranking is its lowest among the matchups with CU. In the six other meetings, the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1 twice, No. 2 three times, and also No. 6. … Tessa Dellarose and Bella Sember scored the goals for UNC in its season-opening win on Thursday at Denver. The Tar Heels surrendered just two shots on goal, with one of them happening on a penalty kick that accounted for DU’s lone goal. … UNC hasn’t won the national title since 2012, but the Tar Heels reached the title game in 2022, 2019 and 2018. … The Buffs’ Jace Holley and Sami Fisher became just the second CU duo to both score goals in their collegiate debuts during Thursday’s win against Marquette. Juliauna Hayward and Emerson Layne achieved that feat in 2022. … Jordan Nytes notched her 14th win with CU on Thursday, moving into a tie for eighth in goalie wins in team history. … CU’s season-opening four-game homestand continues on Thursday against Wyoming (7 p.m., ESPN+).
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Publish date : 2024-08-17 08:45:00
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