Arizona soccer suffers worst loss of season against Colorado

The Colorado Buffaloes have had some difficulty since they got into conference play, but there’s a reason they came into Thursday night’s game at Arizona with a top 10 RPI. The Buffaloes were 3-4 against the RPI top 25 and showed how they accomplished that with a 4-0 drubbing of the Wildcats at Mulcahy Stadium.

“We haven’t given up that many goals all season, and I think what is most disappointing is not necessarily the loss, but that we didn’t match up well,” Arizona head coach Becca Moros said. “And I think that that’s our fault. That’s my fault…definitely disappointed in myself and our ability to compete at the level that we should have competed in that game.”

Colorado had a nominal advantage in time of possession (52% to 48%), but it came down to where it possessed the ball. Sixty-seven percent of the Buffs’ possession was in its offensive half. A full 33 percent were in the attacking third. That led to a 13-5 advantage in shots and a 6-0 advantage in shots on goal.

Arizona had a difficult time advancing the ball beyond midfield. The Wildcats spent 60 percent of their possession time on the defensive side of the pitch.

“I thought we could have played that team well off the park in the middle of the field, and we didn’t play to our strengths there,” Moros said.

Even when they got the ball near the 18, the Wildcats were quickly on their heels far too often. Colorado was able to counter attack repeatedly by making quick passes up the field. Arizona got back on defense, but it cut into the Wildcats’ ability to sustain their own attacking posture.

That defense has typically been a strong unit for UA this season, but it had an extremely difficult time against CU. The Wildcats surrendered the first goal in the 22nd minute on a penalty kick. As has been the case with the majority of Arizona’s penalty kicks this season, it came on a hand ball in the box.

The official did not initially call the foul, and the TV replay showed Trinity Dorsey holding her arms close to her body. He waved his hands as if indicating play on, perhaps because Dorsey did not appear to be trying to handle the ball even if it hit her arm. Several different angles showed it bouncing off her torso then brushing her back elbow.

The teams continued playing for almost two full minutes before the whistle was blown for a video review of the play. The review then stretched on. It was the second of several lengthy reviews in the match.

After review, Colorado was awarded the penalty kick. It was the eighth PK attempt surrendered by Arizona this season and the third successful one by an opponent.

“I don’t think the penalty kick helped the momentum,” Moros said.

As Moros suggested, Arizona did not handle falling behind very well. Less than three minutes later, Michaela McGowan scored Colorado’s second goal of the game. It came on two nice passes in the box that found McGowan with enough space to get the shot off easily.

The Buffaloes added on 10 minutes into the second half. This pass bounced off Jace Holley and landed at her feet. Arizona players thought she settled it with her arm, but the official indicated she used her torso. It was again a fairly easy shot once it settled.

“They just smash balls in the box,” Moros said. “It’s not like there was anything elegant or confusing about it. You know, they beat us on the second balls, and the only thing I can look at is how did we need to adjust our shape to be a little more dominant, either in possession or to have better numbers around the ball. But again, that’s the same kind of goals they scored all season.”

The final goal was the first of the season for Phoenix native Faith Leyba. It was set up when Arizona goalkeeper Laurynn Ziller saved a serve into the box but stepped out of bounds while holding the ball. What was almost an Arizona possession turned into another Colorado corner kick. The CU defender was in the right place for her first goal of the season on the corner.

Arizona has two practice days to recover for senior day. They will take on the No. 9 Baylor Bears on Sunday after honoring six seniors in a pregame ceremony. Moros is looking inward for the answers before that.

“We’ve got to prepare them better, and we’re going to do a better job for Sunday’s game, making sure that we have a better matchup than that,” she said.

Up Next for Arizona Soccer

Baylor Bears (13-2-1, 6-1-1) @ Arizona Wildcats (5-6-5, 2-2-3)

When: Sunday, Oct. 25 @ 12 p.m. MST

Where: Mulcahy Soccer Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.

Streaming:ESPN+

Stats:Arizona Live Stats