On a gloomy day in Boulder, the Buffs could only muster a tie.
Colorado (6-9-2) drew 1-1 with the Seattle University Redhawks (9-5-2) Saturday morning at Prentup Field, in Boulder.
“We got another [chance] to improve our record,” said freshman defender Hayley Hughes. “It didn’t work out as well as we would have liked.”
The Colorado staff had scheduled this game only four days prior to kick-off, because CU needed one more game to play the same amount of games as all Big 12 schools.
Despite the short preparation time, Colorado felt they could have been ready, said senior defender Kym Lowry.
“We should have been ready not matter what,” Lowry said. “It was a life line for us, and should have taken advantage of it.”
Colorado struck first early in the game. In the 11th minute Hughes blasted a shot from 23 yards out, which deflected of the cross bar and into the back of the net.
Seattle responded seven minutes later, when sophomore Emma Levy got a free-header in the box from freshman forward Heather Thomas’ corner kick. Levy converted the easy chance past Colorado freshman goalkeeper Annie Brunner.
Despite Colorado out-shooting the Redhawks 8-4, the score remained 1-1.
Colorado head coach Bill Hempen said he regretted his team not taking the opportunities they were given.
“Maybe [the goal was] that little piece of luck that we could use to carry us, but [play] just bogs down, and we’re back to square one again,” Hempen said.
After the break, Colorado came out strongly, attempting eight shots throughout the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Buffs failed to find a way past Seattle junior goalkeeper Madison Goverde.
After being tied for 90 minutes the game went to overtime.
Play was more of the same in overtime, as both teams went in search of the winning goal. Colorado came the closest 13 minutes in when Hughes launched another shot that Goverde barely got a hand to.
Despite the effort, a goal never came, and the game ended 1-1.
Now, with only a week left in the season, Colorado has two conference games remaining. Sitting ninth overall they will need some help if they are to move into eighth, and make the Big 12 Tournament.
The players are frustrated that they do not control their own destiny, Lowry said.
“It sucks, especially being a senior,” she said. “This is it for me, its hard but all we can do right now is keep our heads up and go at it on Monday.”
The coaching staff is looking for someone to take charge on the field for the final stretch, Hempen said.
“I know [the team] doesn’t want it to be this way, but it is,” he said. “Somebody needs to step and make a big difference, because there is a lot of the same going on right now.”
Colorado will look to make the change on Monday, when they will take on the Kansas Jayhawks at 2:30 p.m. in Boulder.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Mark McNeillie at Mark.mcneillie@colorado.edu.
