BOULDER — No. 18 Colorado beat Oklahoma State 5-0 on Thursday at Prentup Field, getting goals from five different players on senior night while Reagan Kotschau set the program’s single-season assist record. The Buffs finished the regular season 14-4-1 and 8-3-0 in the Big 12, winners of five straight with four consecutive shutouts.
Freshman Sloane Phillips had a hand in all three first-half goals. Her cross set up Jace Holley in the 16th minute, she scored off the inside of the left post in the 24th, and her free kick found Kaia Santomarco-King for a header in the 43rd, the freshman’s first goal of the season. Faith Leyba headed in a Kotschau corner in the 49th minute, and Kotschau finished the scoring in the 70th with a shot into the top corner.
Colorado outshot the Cowgirls 20-14, put 11 shots on goal to their six and held a 9-3 edge in corners. Brooke Goerish made six saves for the shutout. Oklahoma State used two goalkeepers, and Logan Marks, who came on early in the second half, stopped Hope Leyba’s penalty in the 63rd minute. The Cowgirls’ season ended at 7-8-4 and 3-6-2 in the conference.
Kotschau’s two assists gave her 12 for the season, and CU said she’s the first Buff to reach double figures in both goals and assists in the same season. “It feels pretty great. It’s not really something that I was really expecting coming into the season, but I’ll take it,” Kotschau said. Coach Danny Sanchez liked the start. “We came out sharp,” he said. “Got the two early goals, and got the third goal before halftime, which really kind of killed the game off.”
The win made Colorado the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, according to CU. The Buffs open against No. 5 seed Kansas, which beat them 1-0 in Boulder on Oct. 11, in the quarterfinals Monday, Nov. 9, at 10:30 a.m. at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas.
