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Buffs stay even with Auburn
The Colorado Buffaloes winless streak stretched to five games on Friday, but CU nearly snatched a win in a 2-2 draw with No. 22 Auburn in Denver.
Amy Barczuk and Caroline Danneberg each scored goals for Colorado, at CIBER Field in the first match of the Denver Invitational on the DU campus.
Colorado dropped to 2-4-1, while Auburn moves to 5-1-1 overall.
Colorado head coach Bill Hempen made a move early, starting Barczuk up front at center forward, instead of back on defense. Hempen was looking for more physical play from his forwards, and the move paid off early on with Barczuk scoring in the 29th minute.
Auburn quickly struck back on a Katy Frierson free kick from 22-yards out, just to the left of the goal. Frierson found an opening on the near side while CU goal keeper Annie Brunner was still blocked off by the wall in front of her. Frierson’s boot curved just inside the near pole to even the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute.
Danneberg gave Colorado the lead back in the 52nd minute with her first career goal. The senior defender, playing in her 69th career game, set up for a free kick 35-yards out after Auburn’s Mary Nicholson received a yellow card. Danneberg lofted a high ball, hoping to connect with a teammate for a scoring opportunity. Instead, the ball bounced untouched right around the penalty kick spot. Golightly mistimed her approach on the ball, and it bounced over her head, and into the net for a 2-1 Colorado lead.
“We really challenged our players pregame,” Hempen said. “(We’re) a team that just can’t get a break but we are a team that does not give in. We could have won…effort had never been an issue.”
Ana Cate had the equalizer for the Tigers in the 66th minute. Maddie Barnes gained possession of the ball just on Colorado side of midfield and sprinted down the middle of the field. She found Cate between two CU defenders at the top of the box, and tied the game with a shot in the upper right corner of the net.
Next Up: Colorado returns to action on Sunday, as the Buffaloes return to CIBER Field to play CSU Bakersfield in the third game of the Denver Invitational at 3 p.m.
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