Junior midfielder Maddie Shoup (2) prepares to take a free position in front of
teammate graduate attackers Madeline Pisani (29) and Kendall Havill (4) on Thursday April 18,
2025 at Prentup Field. (Tommy Bittner/CU Independent)
The Colorado Buffaloes hosted their instate rival No. 24 Denver University Pioneers on April 18 in an absurdly physical affair. As storm clouds rolled in and out of view, so too did the Buffs chance to pull out a victory, eventually falling 9-8 to DU.
This was the Buffs eighth game in 13 total contests against a top-25 ranked opponent. The season-long onslaught of quality opponents has worn hard on the Buffs, but also hardened them into a better team as the year has progressed. However, there are still more adjustments that need to be made before the Big-12 tournament rolls around in early May.
“We’ve got to find a way to make a couple more plays,” head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. “We’ve been in this situation before. I’m proud of us for being able to keep it close. In past games, sometimes it gets away from us, but we fought hard. We kept it close, but we’ve got to find a way to make another play or two.”
The game was one of the more overtly physical matches, with elbows, cross-checks and players flying around both creases. DU opened the scoring with three unanswered goals in the first nine minutes and two coming from midfielder Olivia Ripple off insane side arm shots. DU would also score an unbelievable behind the back goal in front of the net, absolutely stunning the home crowd in the second quarter.
The Buffs started rolling towards the end of the first quarter, with sophomore midfielder Averi Gardner sprinting end to end and finishing with contact for her first goal of the season. Gardner also had four draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers for an all-time all-around performance in the game. In a similar vein, junior standout defense player Jess Peluso led the game with five draw controls and had three caused turnovers and ground balls. Junior midfielder Maddie Shoup also contributed two goals and ground balls for the Buffs.
However, the momentum shift commenced when captain midfielder Lily Assini rushed into contact in front of the DU net and scored a gritty goal off a pass from co-capitan attacker Madeline Pisani. The duo erupted in sync with the crowd and embraced each other as the Buffs pulled within one. The energy they created was infectious as the Buffs bench was jumping and hollering, cheering their teammates on.
“I think being captains and leaders on the team, it’s important for it to be from the top to the bottom, just bringing that camaraderie and that fight,” Assini said. “It’s something I think we as an attacking unit have and can keep working on, fighting when we have the ball and attacking when we have the space.”
While Assini had only one goal, she contributed two ground balls and caused two turnovers. Pisani had one goal and three assists on the day as well.
The Buffs campaign is in its closing chapters, as they only have one game remaining before the post season begins. The Buffs will play their last regular season game on the road against Cincinnati on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m MST. Fans can watch the last game of the regular season on ESPN+ and can follow along live via the team’s twitter @CUBuffsWLAXContact
CU Independent Staff Writer Thomas Bittner IV at thomas.bittneriv@colorado.edu
