No. 14 Colorado lost a close game to No. 8 Michigan, falling 8-7 in Ann Arbor on Sunday. The Buffaloes overcame a two-goal halftime deficit with a strong third quarter, but Michigan responded in the final period with three unanswered goals to secure the win.
Colorado’s head coach Ann Elliott Whidden commented on her team’s performance after the loss. “I’m proud of the team for the third quarter,” Whidden said. “I think we challenged them a little bit at halftime, and they responded. [It was] probably the best third quarter we’ve had all year. Then we just weren’t able to get it done in the fourth. We just have to do better at executing in possessions. We have to do better at valuing possessions.”
The Buffaloes (4-2) were playing their third consecutive road game against ranked opponents. Four players contributed to Colorado’s seven goals: Maddie Shoup, Lily Assini, and Teagan Ryan each scored twice, while Rachel Kennedy added one goal—her first in three games. Both of Assini’s goals came during Colorado’s four-goal run in the third quarter, marking her 50th and 51st career goals.
Defensively, Colorado forced 23 turnovers from Michigan and collected a season-high 20 ground balls. The team has now forced at least 20 turnovers in three games this season.
“All week we talked about the team that could handle the adversity better, the team that could be a little more disciplined would come out on top,” Whidden said. “I don’t think that’s how we entered the game. I think we entered the game a little rushed on our end, not taking control of things that we could have taken control of and putting ourselves in a tough spot.”
Michigan (5-2) was led by Calli Norris and Ava Class, who each recorded hat tricks. The Wolverines dominated draw controls throughout the match with a 13-5 advantage.
“Obviously, the draws were a battle and a struggle for us,” Whidden said. “I think we’ve had that all year. We have had that at many junctures. It’s been maybe only one game we actually won the draw controls. I think for us, it obviously puts us in a position where possession matters, and you have to make that up in other ways. Defensively, we’re able to get stops; we can’t turn the ball over in the clear. We didn’t do a great job of that today. I think we put ourselves in a spot [to win] despite the draw controls to be in that game.”
Michigan opened scoring early before Kennedy tied it for Colorado midway through the first quarter—the Buffs’ only goal of that period despite outshooting Michigan.
In the second quarter, Shoup equalized again before Norris and Class put Michigan ahead by two goals; Ryan closed CU’s gap before Emma Bradbury extended Michigan’s lead at halftime.
Assini started Colorado’s comeback after halftime with her eighth goal of the season—also her 50th career tally—and Shoup soon tied it up again at five apiece. Ryan gave CU its first lead before Assini capped off their four-goal run for a two-goal cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
Colorado held Michigan without any shots on goal during an effective third period but struggled offensively as Michigan rallied late.
“We take a lot of pride in our defensive work,” Whidden said after noting both offensive and defensive contributions across her roster.
In closing minutes of play, Peyton Shreves scored what became Michigan’s winning goal with just over three minutes left; Colorado threatened late but couldn’t convert as time expired.
“I think we’re looking for things to come a little easier than they’re going to be in games like this,” Whidden stated postgame.”Michigan is a great defensive team.This was going to be a defensive battle.We had to find a way to make couple more plays down stretch.Thinks just didn’t go our way.”
Looking ahead, Colorado returns home for its next matches against Stetson on March 15 and UConn on March 18 before starting Big 12 conference play later this month.
Additional notes from Sunday’s contest include: Colorado has now lost six straight games against Michigan; Lily Assini became only the nineteenth player in program history with fifty career goals; Maddie Shoup extended her streak with at least one goal per game to seventeen matches; Teagan Ryan continues as CU’s leading scorer this season; Elena Oh led ground ball recoveries while Lola Flynn set new personal bests defensively.
Tickets are available for upcoming games through CUBuffs.com/WlaxTix, while further information can be found at cubuffs.com/wlax or by following @cubuffswlax on social media platforms.
