The Colorado Buffaloes (10-4, 3-2 Pac-12) come to the Farm today to take on No. 4 Stanford (11-1-2, 3-1-1) at Cagan Stadium. The Buffs come into Thursday’s match having won their last two games, a straight sweep of both Oregon and Oregon State while on the road. The victories are made all the more impressive by the fact that they come at the tail end of a five game road trip that ends tonight at Stanford.

Colorado has won three of four on the road in gritty fashion, taking on USC, UCLA, Oregon St. and Oregon, dropping only one game: a tough one-nil loss to UCLA. At the front, the Buffaloes feature one of the best attacking pairs in the conference in junior midfielder and Florida State transfer Kahlia Hogg and sophomore forward Brie Hooks. The two leading goal scorers account for nine goals of the team’ 14 total goals, and have assisted on eight. Colorado’s defense has been solid as well, conceding only 10 goals so far this season and holding their opponents to a .087 shooting percentage.

Colorado, however, will face an uphill battle against what has proven itself to be one of the best defensive units in the nation, one that has relinquished only four goals all season, two of which came in the game against the defending NCAA and Pac-12 Champion UCLA Bruins in a game that had shades of last year’s loss in L.A.; an overtime thriller in which the Cardinal had missed opportunities come back to bite them. Stanford has responded well to the lone blemish in the loss column, following up the UCLA game with a fine performance at USC, even if it required some persistence.

And persistence might be the name of the game; Stanford’s forwards have not scored for two and one-third games. That does not mean that Stanford’s offensive production has been poor, far from it: forcing six saves at USC and pelting goalkeepers over the last three games, even against the conference’s second best defense, UCLA.

In response to increased attention to Stanford’s forwards, senior midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta has taken a more direct role in the Cardinal offense. It showed in the USC game in which she launched five shots and connected beautifully on a volley at UCLA. Look for this game, however, to feature a more rounded Stanford attack, as forwards from both sides stretch the field with their talent and opening up the game, especially for Stanford wingers such as senior Chioma Ubaggagu and sophomore Megan Turner to create chances in the middle.

The game will be at 6 p.m. at Cagan Stadium and will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.

Contact Nic Radoff at nradoff ‘at’ stanford.edu.