No. 14 Colorado defeated UConn 11-5 on Mar. 18 at Kittredge Field, marking the first meeting between the two programs and securing a perfect home record for the Buffaloes in non-conference play this season.
The win is significant as it maintains Colorado’s streak of holding all opponents to single-digit scores, including four ranked teams, and builds momentum as they head into conference play. The Buffaloes now stand at 6-2 overall.
Head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said after the game, “The team showed up and competed today. We knew how aggressive this UConn team was and how good they were in a lot of different spots, just attacking and putting pressure on you. So, I’m proud of our defense for handling that, especially the first few minutes of the game, just being able to kind of stay with our plan [and] do a decent job of slowing them down.”
Four different players scored for Colorado. Rowan Edson recorded her first career hat trick while Lily Assini led with six points from four goals and two assists. Jaimey Hill contributed two goals and two assists, and Teagan Ryan added two more goals to bring her season total to a team-high 18. Assini said, “It’s definitely exciting heading into conference play on a win. Just to get that confidence for us to come next Saturday [against San Diego State]. Obviously, there’s still some stuff that we can work on on both ends of the field, but it’s definitely exciting at home to be able to get this W.” She also credited her teammates: “They’re the ones who were able to see me. Going hard to the net works, and it worked today. So, I’m happy about it, but I got to give credit to my teammates for making me open and seeing me where I was open.”
Colorado led in ground balls (16-12), draw controls (11-7), caused turnovers (9-8), and assists (6-1). The Buffs’ defense limited UConn’s scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Looking ahead, Colorado will host its conference home opener against San Diego State on Saturday, Mar. 28 at noon Mountain Time.
