University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, August 24
Greeley, Colo.
7:00 pm
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Colorado State University
Photo by: Colorado College
@UNCBearsSoccer opens home slate this week against Rams, Frogs
8/22/2017 5:25:00 PM | Women's Soccer
GREELEY, Colo. – Tim Barrera knows it's a cliché, but he doesn't care.
"It really is one game at a time," said the Bears' head coach, now in his 24th season. "No one on our team is looking past CSU."
And with good reason, or three reasons to be exact. First, the Bears (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky) kick off their home schedule Thursday in a 7 p.m. match against Colorado State at Jackson Stadium. Second, UNC enters with a golden opportunity to win the Colorado Cup, the annual state-wide competition of the six Division I programs. And third, the Bears are off to their best start in seven years and with a win Thursday can post their first 3-0 record since they opened 6-0 in 1998.
Following Thursday's match, UNC hosts TCU on Sunday, a 1 p.m. matinee back at Jackson Stadium. The Bears know TCU is a Power Five team from the Big 12, but Barrera said UNC's sights are firmly focused on the Rams.
"CSU's just up the block," he said. "A lot of our players have looked at CSU. We know that team pretty well. All of our games since CSU started its program four years ago have been very, very close. So, we're excited."
Excited they should be, because the Bears enter the weekend leading the Colorado Cup standings. Similar to the World Cup, teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie. The first tiebreaker is goal differential, followed by goals scored.
If UNC can beat CSU (0-1-1), the Bears would put pressure on Denver. UNC and the Pioneers are tied for first in the cup standings with six points each. With a UNC win Thursday, the Pioneers would need to not only defeat Colorado at CIBER Field Sept. 16, but also beat the Buffs by at least three goals. UNC would not know whether it wins the state-wide competition until that Sept. 16 game at DU.
"Denver can score several goals against CU," Barrera said. "But that's out of our control. All we can control is how we play and what we do against CSU."
Action Jackson
UNC begins its 10-game home schedule Thursday at Jackson Stadium, one of the best soccer complexes in the Western U.S. Last season, the Bears went 8-2 at home, winning their first seven in Greeley. Dating back to 2015, when the Bears advanced to the NCAA tournament, UNC is 11-3-1 over its last 15 contests at Jackson.
"We want to defend the home turf," Barrera said. "We play well at home. It's a great place for us. We want to do our best to get forward and score goals. We've been successful the first couple of games. We know CSU is going to try to spread us out and try to make us chase, so we want to mitigate that wherever we can. We also want to make sure we continue to move forward and take advantage of our chances."
Coordination is key
Senior co-captain Madeline Burdick has allowed just one goal in two games. She pitched a shutout Sunday against Air Force in a neutral contest at Boulder, Colo. But Burdick isn't the only reason the stingy Bears have shut down their first two opponents.
"We're excited about the coordination between the back line and our senior goalkeeper," said Barrera, whose team graduated several senior leaders on the back line. UNC has played well early this season with a backfield that includes a freshman, two sophomores and two seniors, led by returning starter Isabella Beal.
"It's still a work in progress," he said, "but I think overall the team has worked very hard at defending, and put a lot of energy and effort into it. We've made a few mistakes, but I think it really makes a difference having an experienced player of that quality in the goal. Sometimes we have to worry about a mistake here or there from a younger player, poor decision-making, but we don't have to worry about that with Maddie."
Where to watch
For those fans unable to attend Thursday or Sunday (admission is free), Watch Big Sky will carry the matches on a live stream, at this link. UNC's new director of administration Kellsey Costello-Mays, who lettered four years as a soccer student-athlete at Campbell University, will call the action.
CSU at a glance
The Rams shut out their opponents over the season's first 208 minutes before allowing their first goal to drop a 1-0 heartbreaker Sunday on a neutral field against Denver, the preseason favorite to win the Summit League. That loss came on the heels of a scoreless, season-opening draw against No. 25 Colorado at the Rams' new home field Friday night. This week's game at UNC marks the Rams' first true road contest.
CSU welcomes back 18 letterwinners, seven of whom were regulars in the starting lineup last season. The team's most dangerous offensive threats are juniors Kaija Ornes (team-high four goals and eight points in 2016) and Hannah Gerdin (program-record 16 career points).
Like the Bears, the Rams also feature a senior in goal, Paige Brandt.
TCU at a glance
The Horned Frogs (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) are making two stops on their Centennial State road trip, at Colorado Friday and at UNC Sunday (1 p.m., Jackson Stadium, Watch Big Sky). TCU travels after consecutive 5-0 home victories over Texas-San Antonio and Louisiana-Monroe.
"It's always exciting to welcome in a Power Five, Big 12 team," Barrera said. "Our players are really looking forward to that challenge. We know TCU has a lot of firepower and they'll be a good early season test for us."
In recent years, UNC has played well against Power Five teams at home. Two years ago, the Bears knocked off Pitt, 1-0, at Jackson Field. UNC, which tries to schedule at least one Power Five team annually, has also defeated Oregon State at home and battled Nebraska to a scoreless tie in the first half, until allowing a goal in the final minute before intermission.
TCU has 15 returning letter-winners, and this year brought back 66 percent of its points from a team that in 2016 ranked as the second-most prolific scoring squad in program history.
"It really is one game at a time," said the Bears' head coach, now in his 24th season. "No one on our team is looking past CSU."
And with good reason, or three reasons to be exact. First, the Bears (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky) kick off their home schedule Thursday in a 7 p.m. match against Colorado State at Jackson Stadium. Second, UNC enters with a golden opportunity to win the Colorado Cup, the annual state-wide competition of the six Division I programs. And third, the Bears are off to their best start in seven years and with a win Thursday can post their first 3-0 record since they opened 6-0 in 1998.
Following Thursday's match, UNC hosts TCU on Sunday, a 1 p.m. matinee back at Jackson Stadium. The Bears know TCU is a Power Five team from the Big 12, but Barrera said UNC's sights are firmly focused on the Rams.
"CSU's just up the block," he said. "A lot of our players have looked at CSU. We know that team pretty well. All of our games since CSU started its program four years ago have been very, very close. So, we're excited."
Excited they should be, because the Bears enter the weekend leading the Colorado Cup standings. Similar to the World Cup, teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie. The first tiebreaker is goal differential, followed by goals scored.
If UNC can beat CSU (0-1-1), the Bears would put pressure on Denver. UNC and the Pioneers are tied for first in the cup standings with six points each. With a UNC win Thursday, the Pioneers would need to not only defeat Colorado at CIBER Field Sept. 16, but also beat the Buffs by at least three goals. UNC would not know whether it wins the state-wide competition until that Sept. 16 game at DU.
"Denver can score several goals against CU," Barrera said. "But that's out of our control. All we can control is how we play and what we do against CSU."
Action Jackson
UNC begins its 10-game home schedule Thursday at Jackson Stadium, one of the best soccer complexes in the Western U.S. Last season, the Bears went 8-2 at home, winning their first seven in Greeley. Dating back to 2015, when the Bears advanced to the NCAA tournament, UNC is 11-3-1 over its last 15 contests at Jackson.
"We want to defend the home turf," Barrera said. "We play well at home. It's a great place for us. We want to do our best to get forward and score goals. We've been successful the first couple of games. We know CSU is going to try to spread us out and try to make us chase, so we want to mitigate that wherever we can. We also want to make sure we continue to move forward and take advantage of our chances."
Coordination is key
Senior co-captain Madeline Burdick has allowed just one goal in two games. She pitched a shutout Sunday against Air Force in a neutral contest at Boulder, Colo. But Burdick isn't the only reason the stingy Bears have shut down their first two opponents.
"We're excited about the coordination between the back line and our senior goalkeeper," said Barrera, whose team graduated several senior leaders on the back line. UNC has played well early this season with a backfield that includes a freshman, two sophomores and two seniors, led by returning starter Isabella Beal.
"It's still a work in progress," he said, "but I think overall the team has worked very hard at defending, and put a lot of energy and effort into it. We've made a few mistakes, but I think it really makes a difference having an experienced player of that quality in the goal. Sometimes we have to worry about a mistake here or there from a younger player, poor decision-making, but we don't have to worry about that with Maddie."
Where to watch
For those fans unable to attend Thursday or Sunday (admission is free), Watch Big Sky will carry the matches on a live stream, at this link. UNC's new director of administration Kellsey Costello-Mays, who lettered four years as a soccer student-athlete at Campbell University, will call the action.
CSU at a glance
The Rams shut out their opponents over the season's first 208 minutes before allowing their first goal to drop a 1-0 heartbreaker Sunday on a neutral field against Denver, the preseason favorite to win the Summit League. That loss came on the heels of a scoreless, season-opening draw against No. 25 Colorado at the Rams' new home field Friday night. This week's game at UNC marks the Rams' first true road contest.
CSU welcomes back 18 letterwinners, seven of whom were regulars in the starting lineup last season. The team's most dangerous offensive threats are juniors Kaija Ornes (team-high four goals and eight points in 2016) and Hannah Gerdin (program-record 16 career points).
Like the Bears, the Rams also feature a senior in goal, Paige Brandt.
TCU at a glance
The Horned Frogs (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) are making two stops on their Centennial State road trip, at Colorado Friday and at UNC Sunday (1 p.m., Jackson Stadium, Watch Big Sky). TCU travels after consecutive 5-0 home victories over Texas-San Antonio and Louisiana-Monroe.
"It's always exciting to welcome in a Power Five, Big 12 team," Barrera said. "Our players are really looking forward to that challenge. We know TCU has a lot of firepower and they'll be a good early season test for us."
In recent years, UNC has played well against Power Five teams at home. Two years ago, the Bears knocked off Pitt, 1-0, at Jackson Field. UNC, which tries to schedule at least one Power Five team annually, has also defeated Oregon State at home and battled Nebraska to a scoreless tie in the first half, until allowing a goal in the final minute before intermission.
TCU has 15 returning letter-winners, and this year brought back 66 percent of its points from a team that in 2016 ranked as the second-most prolific scoring squad in program history.
Players Mentioned
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