This wasn't what the University of Colorado had in mind for their season opener. The Buffs weren't able to overcome a sloppy first half as the Rams continued their recent dominance over CU with an 8-5 victory Friday night at Kittredge Field.

The story of the game for CU was missed passes and not capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Numerous, routine passes flew over the heads of different Buffaloes throughout the first half. These turnovers hurt Colorado, but the difference in the game was shooting. Even with nine man-up advantages, the Buffs were badly outshot by CSU and just couldn't seem to get past the Ram's solid defenders to get good looks at the net. CU was only able to manage one first-half goal, and it was on a wide-open net after a careless clearing attempt by a CSU goalie caught out of position.

Regardless of the shoddy-play exhibited by the Buffs, it was clear who the better team was on Friday. The Rams seemed to be in mid-season form from the start, executing on their scoring chances and not giving CU an inch on defense. CSU started fast with a four-goal first quarter and added two in the second, then just had to hold Colorado off.

The second half was one bright spot for Colorado. The Buffs were able to outscore Colorado State 4-2 with much-improved defense and better offensive execution, but the performance still left much to be desired.

There is a lot of work ahead for this Buffaloes team, but there is plenty of time to pick up the slack before the season starts in February.

2008-10-13