Texas Tech Falls Flat in Boulder In Loss to No. 22 Colorado
No. 22/7 Colorado doesn’t need much of the ball to beat you; they just need a window. And while No.5/3 Texas Tech didn’t exactly open that window for them on Thursday night, the Red Raiders did hand them the rocks to throw — and Colorado didn’t miss.
“This is a tough team,” head coach Tom Stone said about his squad afterward. “But we didn’t show that tonight. When the biggest games we’ve always shown up — tonight just wasn’t an example of that.”
Like many of Colorado’s games the boxscore tells one story — 23 shots to 12, nearly 60 percent possession, and a 9–1 advantage in corner kicks — but the actual game told another. Colorado is built to thrive without the ball. Behind reigning Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year Jordan Nytes, the Buffaloes stay ready and stay organized…waiting for a crack to attack. When that chance comes, they don’t hesitate.
For parts of the opening 10 minutes, Texas Tech (12–2–2, 6–1–2 Big 12) showed flashes of the team that clawed their way up to No. 5 in the NCAA poll. But then, in an instant, the match flipped.
A routine throw-in deep on Colorado’s own end turned into a three-pass combination, that sliced through Tech’s usually stingy defense with surprising ease, landing at the feet of Ava Priest. She needed only one look, firing a low shot to the far post to make it 1–0 in the 12th minute.
“This isn’t a game where the stats tell the story,” Stone said. “What this came down to was effort, attitude, fight, and poor team defending. We didn’t have a single defender cost us anything — it wasn’t that kind of night — but we didn’t defend well as a group. The own goal hurt, but those things happen. What really hurt was that we didn’t respond the way we have all year. Credit Colorado; they were the better team tonight.”
Four minutes later, the Red Raiders’ deficit doubled when Priest was again in the middle of it. After a Tech clearance set up a throw-in, the Colorado defender unleashed one of her trademark front-flip throws into the box. A flick from Hope Leyba caused chaos and the ball deflected off a Tech defender past Faith Nguyen — a cruel bounce, but one that summed up the night. Just like that, Colorado led 2–0 less than 15 minutes in.
From there, the Buffaloes never let go. Their defense stayed compact, frustrating Tech’s attack and forcing shots from distance. When opportunities did come, Nytes was steady and sure, as she’s been all season.
Colorado tacked on a third in the 63rd minute when Leyba put the match away on a great ball past to the backside past the outstretched arm of Nguyen. It was Leyba’s 17th goal of the season, good for second in the nation.
The defeat didn’t just sting because of the scoreline. It snapped one of the nation’s most impressive conference road streaks. Texas Tech entered the night unbeaten in its last 20 Big 12 road matches (15–0–5) dating back to 2021.
Now Tech will look to turn the page to a new streak and a new run. First Senior Day on Sunday against Kansas State followed by the regular-season finale versus UCF Thursday. Both games will play a key role in determining Texas Tech’s postseason position.
“We fought hard to get where we were on top,” Stone said after falling to fourth place in the Big 12 with the loss. “Now the response is everything. It’s a two-game season. What we do in those two games will determine a lot — extending the season for these seniors and heading to Dallas.”
After the loss, the sideline huddle was pointed, direct and fiery as it always is in setback moments for this team. But ultimately, it won’t be words that define how they bounce back.
“It was a good conversation afterward,” Stone said. “But words don’t mean much when you take that kind of a loss. It’s all about the response from here on and we’ll see how we look tomorrow.”
Next Up: Home Versus Kansas State Sunday 10/26 1pm
Texas Tech returns home from their three-game road stand to host Kansas State on Senior Day at John Walker Sunday October 26 at 1pm.
Game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Join the conversation with other Red Raiders on the Inside The Double T forum.
Subscribe today to get the most in-depth Texas Tech sports and recruiting coverage.
Follow us on X: @RedRaiderSports
Like and follow us on Instagram @rrs_rivals & like us on Facebook.
