Rewriting History

BOULDER – Fifth-year senior Shyra James started this season with the Colorado's career goal-scoring record in her sights. Just three matches into the season, and the record is her.

The La Mesa, Calif., native, ended the 2023 season as the second CU soccer player to reach the 40-career goal mark, trailing CU Hall of Famer Nikki Marshall's career mark of 42 career goals.

James decided to return for her fifth year this season, giving her a shot to rewrite the CU record books.

That rewrite started on Thursday when James recorded a second-half hat trick, scoring three goals in a span of 10:24, to help Colorado to a 5-1 win over Wyoming, with Nikki Marshall in attendance.

"First thing, first. I want to talk about Nikki Marshall and what she did for this program and elevated her time," Sanchez acknowledged after the Thursday's win. "She may make the argument that if she played up top for four years, maybe Shyra would have a few more to go. But all she [Nikki] talked about was how she wanted to be here when Shyra broke the record, which she was. She's always about CU, so first-class ambassador for our program."

James, who is using her COVID season in 2024, also owns the CU record for goals per game (0.56), with Marshall behind her at 0.49. Marshall totaled her 42 career goals in 85 career games over her four seasons from 2006-09. James, despite having an extra season, broke the record in fewer career games, playing her 79th career game on Thursday.

"Congratulations, Shyra. I'm so happy for you. I wish you the best of luck in your season to come. Keep scoring goals and leading your team," Marshall said in a video message to James on Friday.

James' surge to the top has been a steady increase since stepping on campus in 2020. The season was of course postponed to the spring of 2021. James played in 17 matches that season recording five goals, with her most memorable being a double-overtime winner against No. 14 USC at a snowy Kittredge Field.

"She [James] showed some real flashes her freshman year," Sanchez explained. "I think, obviously, the biggest goal she scored was when we beat USC in overtime. You could see the quality, she just has an innate feel for the game. She has a tactical feel for where to put herself in order to be in the best position to score."

She added nine more goals as a sophomore, closing the season with a four-game scoring streak. The streak was the first of its kind sine Marshall scored in four consecutive matches in the 2007 season.

The streak continued into the 2022 season, with James opening the season on a six-game scoring spree, setting the record for consecutive games with a goal. James reached double-digit scoring for the first time in her junior season, finding the back of the net for a then-career-high 11 goals.

James and Marshall overlapped in the 2022 season. Marshall, now Nikki Malone, was a volunteer assistant for the Buffs and helped mentor James.

"We're actually very close," James said of Marshall. "To beat her record, and me, knowing her in that aspect, is exciting as well. She texted me 'Good luck. I'm going to be there,' and stuff like that. It kind of makes me excited that I could actually be with the person that beat the record."

James became the second Buff, joining Taylor Kornieck, as the only two players to record two double-digit goal seasons in a career. James finished last season ranked ninth in the NCAA with her career-high 15 goals.

"I didn't think I was going to do all this," James recalled of her expectations as a freshman. "I knew I was going to be a top player and I knew that I was going to be a good contributor to the team. But I feel like my hard work just got me here. Honestly, I wasn't expecting any of this. I wasn't expecting to be any record or something."

Thursday's hat trick was just the seventh all-time by a Buff, but it provided a sense of relief or James.

"It [the record] was definitely in the back of my mind," James expressed. "My family came out last weekend and I was joking wit them that I was going to beat it this weekend – the weekend that they left. They were really upset and then I actually did it. But it was just exciting. I have no words for it."

James now has four goals in the last two games for the Buffs and sits second in the Big 12 in goals.

Colorado will be back on the pitch on Sunday, hosting Michigan (Noon/ESPN+).

The Buffs and Wolverines have met just once previously, resulting in a 1-1 draw in Ann Arbor in 2022. Michigan (0-2-0) has losses to Utah Volley and Xavier to open the season.

Fans can purchase tickets at CUBuffs.com/Tickets

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Shyra James

Colorado University Athletics