University of Northern Colorado Athletics
University of Northern Colorado
Colorado College
Women's Soccer Opens Season with Colorado College, Colorado.
8/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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Northern Colorado Game NotesGREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado kicks off its 2014 campaign Friday, Aug. 22 against Colorado College and Colorado Sunday, Aug. 24 (Televised on the Pac 12 Network) in the famed Colorado Cup, showcasing the state's soccer talent at the Division I level. UNC looks to continue the success of last season reaching the Big Sky Conference tournament for the fifth time under head coach Tim Barrera's tenure.
““We are very excited to be hosting Colorado College in a Colorado Cup tournament game this Friday,” said Barrera. “The Tigers are a talented team that has been to the NCAA Tournament the last two years, so we will have our hands full.”
UNC finished the 2013 regular season with a 9-6-5 record and a 5-2-2 record in the Big Sky, before falling to Portland State, 2-0 in the opening round of the conference tournament. Though the Bears graduated 10 players in 2013, UNC will still have tenured players on the pitch, looking to senior forward, Juliana Grover and senior defender, Ambree Bellin for experience.
Grover finished last season second on the team in goals scored, with four. She was also selected on the Big Sky All-Conference first team, starting 18 out of the 20 games for the Bears.
Bellin started 19 of 20 games played and served as a valuable asset on offense despite her position as a defender. She finishing tied for the team lead in assists with five last season, tying her for sixth in most assists in a season since the Bears joined the Big Sky in 2006-07.
“We have 9 freshmen and 20 players overall who are freshmen or sophomores, so we are a young team,” Barrera stated. “The energy has been very good and we have seen good leadership from our older players. We know that CC and CU are two of the toughest opponents on our schedule. The players are excited to get out and play and be challenged by these two top teams.”
The Bears are looking to accomplish something that's never been done under Barrera, or any coach in the program's history, defeat Colorado College and Colorado. Since 1985, the women's soccer program has gone 0-14-1 against the Tigers, with the first tie happening in 2012 after a grueling, 2-2 double-overtime match and 0-7-0 against the Buffaloes.
Game Details
Game 1: Northern Colorado (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Big Sky) vs. Colorado College (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Mountain West)
When: 7:00 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22
Where: Greeley, Colo. - Jackson Stadium
Coaches: Bears - Tim Barrera (122-117-23 @ UNC) vs. Tigers – Geoff Bennett (113-60-28 @ CC)
All-time series: Colorado College leads 0-14-1.
Game 2: Northern Colorado (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Big Sky) vs. Colorado (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Pac 12)
When: 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24
Where: Boulder, Colorado – Prentup Field
TV: Pac-12 Network
Coaches: Bears - Tim Barrera (122-117-23 @ UNC) vs. Buffaloes - Danny Sanchez (22-15-6 @ CU)
All-time series: Colorado leads the series 0-7-0.
