Buffs Roundup: Team sports struggle on Family Weekend

BOULDER — This week marked some up-and-down games  across the board for the Colorado Buffaloes, as they had some struggles against conference competition.

Here’s the recap:

Football

The Buffs’ football team dropped to 3-2 on Saturday evening as they could not hold on against Arizona, losing 35-30.

With Laviska Shenault, Jr. still out, it took the Buffs a bit of time to find a spark. Ultimately, the juice came on a double end-around that resulted in a 38-yard touchdown pass from receiver K.D. Nixon to Dimitri Stanley, followed by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Steven Montez to Brady Rusell with just three seconds left, giving the Buffs a 20-10 halftime lead.

Unfortunately, the Buffs luck ran out as they failed to contain Wildcats quarterback Kahlil Tate (427 total yards, three touchdowns). The team, now third in the Pac-12 South, looks ahead to a brutal matchup against No. 13 Oregon in Eugene. The game is at 8 p.m. Friday.

Soccer

The Buffs fall to 9-2-1 in soccer as they leave this week with a draw and a loss.

First, against Oregon, the Buffs ended in a 2-2 draw as they started out hot but gave away a late goal in the 86th minute to allow the Ducks to tie it up. Nobody scored in either overtime, though the Buffs dominated possession and shot totals.

The headline leaving Thursday’s matchup was Taylor Kornieck’s goal in the third minute, which made her Colorado’s all-time leading scorer. The Buffs honored Kornieck’s achievement with an announcement and standing ovation during the football game, giving Taylor the chance to celebrate with her parents in front of 50,000 screaming fans.

The celebrations ended there, however, as the Buffs dropped to Oregon State 1-2 on Sunday evening, despite out-shooting the Beavers 23-7, with three more shots on goal. The Buffs were able to tie the game in the 72nd minute just to give one more up four minutes later, leading to a tough loss.

The Buffs now look forward to an LA road trip as they take on No. 22 UCLA and No. 4 USC on Thursday and Sunday, respectively. These contests will be huge tests for the Buffs as they try to regain a place in the Top 25.

Volleyball

The Buffs fall to 8-6 on the season following two more losses to Arizona State and Arizona, increasing the teams losing streak to four matches.

First, against ASU, the team was able to take the first set but lost 1-3, being out-killed on the court by nine despite having a higher hit percentage and eight more blocks. The team was led by Meegan Hart and Justice Spann with 13 and nine kills, followed closely by Sterling Parker with seven.

Their next match against Arizona was not as close as the first, as the Buffs started slow and could not come back, dropping three straight sets. This game the Buffs were outdueled on nearly every front, including kills and hit percentage. Justice Spann was able to continue her consistent run with 13 kills to go along with two blocks.

The Buffs now look ahead to a homestand against the LA schools on Friday and Sunday, with both games being held at the CU Events Center.

Golf

The men’s golf team still looks forward to hosting the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, while the Women finished seventh at the Molly Collegiate Invitational.

The Buffs finished the tournament at 44-over after a porous 16-over final day. In a field of 11 teams, a seventh-place finish does not bring a lot to smile about, but there were some impressive individual outings. Sophomore Alisha Lau finished six-over-par and tied for a ninth-place finish. Freshman Sophie Johnson tied for 16th at nine-over.

The women’s team now looks forward to the Betsy Rawls Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Austin Texas at the University of Texas Golf Club.

Cross Country

The team of the week has to be the men’s and women’s cross country teams, as the men finished first while the Women finished in a close second at the Joe Piane Invitational.

The men, with an impressive 36-point victory, came into the week ranked fourth in the country and were led by two seniors: two-time all American Joe Klecker (third, 23:17.83) and John Dressel (tenth, 23:32.44). The men’s huge victory involved a field of 11 teams ranked in the top-30.

The women came away in second, just six points behind the leaders. The team was led by senior and three-time All-American Sage Hurta with a tenth place time of 16:29.82, followed closely by Tabor Scholl with a time of 16:32.46 and a 12th place finish.

Looking ahead, the team’s next meeting will be Oct. 19th at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana.