Senior forward Nikki Marshall dribbles the ball past Texas Tech defense during Friday's game at Prentup Field. The Buffs beat the Red Raiders 2-0. (CU Independent/Lee Pruitt)
Piles of snow surrounded Prentup Field like a frozen moat while the Colorado Buffaloes soccer team closed regular-season competition with some familiar sights: a Kara Linder shutout, a Nikki Marshall goal and a victory.
Coming off two road losses last weekend, Colorado (9-9, 6-4 Big 12 Conference) edged Texas Tech (8-8-3, 3-4-3) 2-0 on Friday in Boulder during CU’s Senior Day celebration.
A heavily stalemated first half ended with both sides giving off equal attacks and defensive pressure as the Red Raiders racked up 11 shots and the Buffs notched 10.
Marshall opened the scoring in the 53rd minute after a scoreless first half. After a rebounded shot gave her another opportunity, she shot the ball and buried it in the upper left corner.
“It feels great,” Marshall said of the win. “We had a rough few games and I think this is huge for us, especially for the seniors, to leave here on a 2-0 win. It’s huge.”
The goal was Marshall’s eighth of the season and the 42nd of her career.
Five minutes later, freshman forward Erin Bricker ended the Red Raiders hopes for an equalizer, scoring inside the goal area off of a Kate Russell pass in the 58th minute to seal the victory for CU.
The shutout was the goalkeeper Linder’s sixth of the season, and she said she didn’t consider a shutout coming into the game.
“I really didn’t think about that, but to go out on a good note is definitely awesome,” Linder said. “It’s always my goal, but I was kind of looking more towards the win. But to get the shutout too, it’s awesome.”
Linder and Marshall were two of seven seniors who were honored as part of the Senior Day celebration.
Midfielders Ally Goodman, Tobie Rippy and Mary White, forward Kelly Menachof and defender Kelly Ross were all presented with a bouquet of flowers after the game. All seven had their numbers chalked onto Prentup Field as part of the celebration.
Head coach Bill Hempen, who delivered an emotional speech addressing the seniors after the match, said the game will give the team confidence heading into the Big 12 tournament next week.
“We survived,” Hempen said. “Some of what was going on at about the middle of the first half when they hit the post, and all that scrambling that was going on. We’ve been giving up goals in [those] situations, and we didn’t. I think the girls kind of stood back and went ‘OK, we’re OK now.’”
Although their seeding has yet to be determined, the Buffaloes will begin the first round of the tournament on Wednesday in San Antonio.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Esteban L. Hernandez at Esteban.hernandez@colorado.edu.
