High ambitions for CU Women’s Soccer on coattails of historic 2025 season
After a historic 2025 campaign, Colorado Buffaloes Women’s Soccer is ready to run it back.
Colorado was picked to finish second behind preseason No. 7-ranked TCU in the Big 12 preseason poll. The Buffs received one first-place nomination. In the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll, the Buffs are ranked 13th in the nation as they hunt for their first national title.
Individually, the Buffs will lean on their star attacker, Hope Leyba. She set school records for goals and points in a season with 22 goals and 45 points.
Entering her senior season, Hope Leyba will look to be the scoring anchor of the Buffs squad after being named to the Big 12 preseason team and being a 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.
She’s joined on the preseason team by her twin, Faith Leyba. Faith was named to the 2025 Hermann Award Preseason Watch List and made the Big 12’s Women’s Soccer First Team last year. As a defender, Faith Leyba recorded four goals and four assists in 24 games last season and will help anchor the Buffaloes’ defense.
Alongside Faith defensively on the Big 12 preseason team is senior Caley Swierenga. Swierenga was All-Second Team All-Big 12 last season and helped create offense with nine assists in her first season in black and gold.
In the midfield, senior Reagan Kotschau was also named to the Big 12 preseason team after being on the 2025 Big 12 All-Academic Team. Kotschau was an efficient secondary scorer behind Hope Leyba last season, showing immense poise. Six of her seven goals were game-winners, with two coming in the Buffs’ two NCAA Tournament wins.
Rounding out the Buffaloes on the Big 12 preseason team is junior Jace Holley. Holley had 18 goal contributions last season, finding nylon 12 times with two game winners.
With an experienced core, graduating five seniors last year and losing one to the transfer portal, Colorado is in a prime position to build on its historical season.
“I think they'll be more prepared when we start matches,” head coach Danny Sanchez said ahead of the season. “[I’m] really pleased how they came in, their fitness level, their focus and dedication. You can see the work they put in this summer."
However, those players who left the program will be dearly missed.
Among those players was senior Jordan Nytes, who is one of the most decorated players in Buffs’ history. She finished her career as a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-American, 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist and 2025 Co-Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
After graduating, Nytes signed a contract to play professionally with the Denver Summit. She graduated with the second most wins for a CU goalie with 42, the most shutouts in CU history with 26, the most wins in a single season with 17 set last season and the third most saves in a career with 295.
The only returner in net is junior Jamie Campbell, who has six saves in three appearances while conceding three goals in the last two seasons.
The Buffs also signed freshman Brooke Goerish, a 6-foot goalkeeper from Blaine, Minnesota. Goerish appeared on the All-Minnesota High School team while drawing 38 career shutouts with 679 saves. Top Drawer Soccer ranked her as the 32nd best player from the Midwest.
Additionally, head coach Danny Sanchez signed junior transfer Madeline Mueller from Texas Tech. Mueller didn’t see action for the Red Raiders during her tenure.
"It's early," Sanchez said. "The competition is wide open and my guess [is] it will be a competition that trickles into the season unless someone really separates themselves. They'll all have plenty of opportunities."
All three goalkeepers saw action in the Buffs’ exhibition shutout against Utah in Grand Junction on Wednesday, combining for four saves.
Among other additions for the Buffaloes are freshman defender Ellyse DeBolt from Littleton, Colorado. The Heritage High School alum helped the Eagles to a state semifinal appearance in her sophomore year and was ranked as the 7th best player in the Rocky Mountain region by Top Drawer Soccer.
As a unit, Colorado will welcome 10 freshmen and 14 newcomers.
Among transfers includes former Colorado State Ram Michaela McGowan. McGowan transferred to CSU after two seasons at Denver University and was named to the Mountain West All-Newcomer team last season. She scored six goals and added five assists in 21 games.
“It's about the players getting to know each other, getting them to gel a little bit,” Sanchez said. “We'll start putting in some plans and roles, kind of what our big picture will look like.”
Colorado begins its season with a three-game homestand that features rival Colorado State to open their season on Wednesday, Aug. 12, before hosting the Army Black Knights and Cal State Fullerton.
The Buffs will then travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan to play Western Michigan before a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 game against preseason No. 7 Michigan State.
Another three-game homestand against New Mexico, Utah State and in-state rival Denver rounds out the non-conference schedule.
Among conference opponents, the Buffs will play four of the six Big 12 teams who received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. They’ll host No. 20 West Virginia on Sept. 24 before heading to Lubbock, Texas to play No. 23 Texas Tech. They’ll host Baylor, which received top 25 votes before a Big 12 Tournament semifinal rematch against No. 15 Kansas on Oct. 11.
The Buffs get to avoid playing No. 6 TCU during the regular season, which topped the Big 12 preseason poll, and BYU, which just missed the cut for the nation’s top 25 programs.
With the program Sanchez and CU have built and riding the coattails of momentum from last season, the Buffaloes should have Final-Four and National Championship aspirations with this team.
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