CU soccer’s Hayley Hughes kicked it into high gear to earn our CU Independent Athlete of the Week honors.
Athlete of the Week, sophomore Hayley Hughes, as she speakes with the CUI's Marlee Horn. Hughes is a defender for the CU Women's Soccer team. (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)
Friday, Oct. 21 was a big day for Colorado athletics, and Hughes played a big part. The sophomore scored the winning goal against Cal in Berkeley, Calif. to give the Buffs their first win in the Pac-12—a feat the football and volleyball teams have yet to achieve since the conference change.
Hughes scored her third goal of the season in the 62nd minute against the Cal Golden Bears, giving the Buffs a 1-0 lead, and eventually, a win.
Hughes said everything came together for her goal. The ball skimmed over a defender’s head, and Hughes was fast enough to get past another defender to put the ball in the net.
Head coach Bill Hempen said the Buffs have learned the hard way that even a few defensive mistakes can put a team in a dangerous situation. In this case, the Buffs were able to turn the game around and get on the scoreboard.
Still, just because the Buffs gained the lead didn’t mean they were in the clear. Hughes said the team had to ramp up their defense—heading balls and throwing their bodies to block shots—in the final minutes of the game.
In the end, the hard work and increased heart rates were worth the reward. Hughes said that the team has let a few leads slip past them this year, so it was nice to get the win.
“Those wins when it’s down to the wire until the very end, when the whistle finally blows, it’s so much nicer just to have that victory,” Hughes said.
This season, the Colorado native and Mountain Vista High School graduate has played both forward and defender, and has started in 14 out of the team’s 15 total games. So far, she’s had 22 shots and nine shots on goal.
Hempen said that Hughes’ speed has been a driving force in her success this season.
“What you’re finding in this particular conference [the Pac-12] is that speed is a major factor,” Hempen said. “When you’ve got somebody with Hayley’s bursts of speed and just overall athleticism, it puts you closer to an even playing field.”
Hempen said he’d like to see more speed on his team, but knows that the Buffs’ high determination has helped them make it through the season.
“I know that our record hasn’t been great so far, but we’ve been in every single game,” Hughes said. “I know we’ve had some hard losses, but I think we’ve been playing very well as a team.”
The team has relied on that dynamic in a season that Hempen said hasn’t had a lot of wins.
“They’re excited to play at practice,” Hempen said. “They’re excited to play if there’s another team on the other side of the field. That has made a challenging season kind of neat to be around. I’ve learned a lot from these kids and their resilience.”
Hughes is excited about the team’s two final home games of the season. She’s always trying to prove that the Buffs belong in the Pac-12, and said that she thinks the team plays better when they’re the underdogs.
Last season at Prentup Field, the Buffs beat then third-ranked UCLA in double overtime. Hughes said she looks forward to a rematch, and Colorado’s unique environment will work to their advantage in their games against UCLA and USC.
“Both of them don’t really know a lot about altitude and it might be cold,” Hughes said. “I’d like to see them out of their element.”
When the schedule for this season first came out, Hempen hoped that it would be cold and snowy for their final home game. Last week, the Buffs played in sunny Palo Alto, Calif., and Hempen said he knows the competition likely aren’t excited to play in this cold October weather.
“Limited oxygen and cold air: that might be the recipe for success for us,” Hempen said.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Marlee Horn at marlee.horn@colorado.edu.
