Colorado University Athletics
Monday, November 3
Fort Worth, Texas
7 p.m.
Colorado
vs
UCF
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
No. 11 Colorado Primed for Big 12 Tournament
November 02, 2025 | Soccer
The Buffaloes earned the No. 3 seed and open against UCF on Monday
FORT WORTH, Texas – The 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament presented by Allstate gets underway from Fort Worth, Texas. No. 11 Colorado, the tournament's No. 3 seed, will take on No. 6-seeded UCF in the fourth and final first-round game on Monday night.
Colorado (14-2-3) carries a six-match unbeaten streak into the tournament. The Buffaloes went 5-0-1 down the stretch, closing the Big 12 season with 26 points (8-1-2). CU's eight conference wins are tied for the most in program history, matching the 2003 and 2016 seasons.
"We're excited for Monday night," head coach Danny Sanchez said of the start of the tournament. "We have a chance to compete for a championship. We were kind of close in the regular season—off by a couple of points. But now we have another opportunity.
The Buffaloes have put together a season for the record books in 2025. As a team, Colorado has set new records for goals (48), assists (53) and points (149). Individually, forward Hope Leyba has set the single-season record for goals (19) and points (39), while goalkeeper Jordan Nytes has set the career mark for shutouts with 26.
"When you look at the analytics, if you score a lot more goals and give up less goals, you have a better chance of being successful," Sanchez joked. "We've been good defensively all year. Obviously, we believe we have the best goalkeeper in the country in Jordi and one of the best center backs in Faith Leyba, and our back four has been solid all year. Hope gets a lot of attention and deservedly so, but Jace [Holley] has been fantastic. Emerson [Layne] has had a fantastic season. Reagan Kotschau and Ava Priest have really turned it on late in the year. We're pleased with where we are at, but there's a lot of soccer to play still."
The Buffaloes draw the Knights for the first time this season. UCF is just one of two teams in the eight-team field, along with West Virginia, that Colorado did not play in the regular season.
UCF (11-2-5) ranks 24th in the NCAA and leads the Big 12 in goals-against average, holding opponents to just 0.67 goals per game. UCF is eighth in the league with a +14 goal differential, led by Liz Worden and her seven tallies this season.
"They're playing really well right now," Sanchez said of UCF. "They have given up the least amount of goals in the Big 12 this season. They had a nice win over BYU on a Monday and then had to travel to Texas Tech for [TTU's] Senior Day and a scoreless draw. It's going to be a huge challenge for us. There's a reason they're 23 or 24 in the RPI [27 current]. The league this year is 'that league' where every game is going to be that way."
The Buffs are in an interesting position compared to years past. The team is virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where, compared to last season, CU needed results in the Big 12 Tournament to extend its season. Colorado is currently 7th in the RPI and in a good spot to host the first round in Boulder.
"The league has been brutal this season," Sanchez noted. "That's good, because we have the eight teams in the tournament, for sure. I think any of these eight teams can win this tournament."
The entire tournament will be streamed on ESPN+. Kickoff against UCF is set at 7 p.m. MT.
For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.
Colorado (14-2-3) carries a six-match unbeaten streak into the tournament. The Buffaloes went 5-0-1 down the stretch, closing the Big 12 season with 26 points (8-1-2). CU's eight conference wins are tied for the most in program history, matching the 2003 and 2016 seasons.
"We're excited for Monday night," head coach Danny Sanchez said of the start of the tournament. "We have a chance to compete for a championship. We were kind of close in the regular season—off by a couple of points. But now we have another opportunity.
The Buffaloes have put together a season for the record books in 2025. As a team, Colorado has set new records for goals (48), assists (53) and points (149). Individually, forward Hope Leyba has set the single-season record for goals (19) and points (39), while goalkeeper Jordan Nytes has set the career mark for shutouts with 26.
"When you look at the analytics, if you score a lot more goals and give up less goals, you have a better chance of being successful," Sanchez joked. "We've been good defensively all year. Obviously, we believe we have the best goalkeeper in the country in Jordi and one of the best center backs in Faith Leyba, and our back four has been solid all year. Hope gets a lot of attention and deservedly so, but Jace [Holley] has been fantastic. Emerson [Layne] has had a fantastic season. Reagan Kotschau and Ava Priest have really turned it on late in the year. We're pleased with where we are at, but there's a lot of soccer to play still."
The Buffaloes draw the Knights for the first time this season. UCF is just one of two teams in the eight-team field, along with West Virginia, that Colorado did not play in the regular season.
UCF (11-2-5) ranks 24th in the NCAA and leads the Big 12 in goals-against average, holding opponents to just 0.67 goals per game. UCF is eighth in the league with a +14 goal differential, led by Liz Worden and her seven tallies this season.
"They're playing really well right now," Sanchez said of UCF. "They have given up the least amount of goals in the Big 12 this season. They had a nice win over BYU on a Monday and then had to travel to Texas Tech for [TTU's] Senior Day and a scoreless draw. It's going to be a huge challenge for us. There's a reason they're 23 or 24 in the RPI [27 current]. The league this year is 'that league' where every game is going to be that way."
The Buffs are in an interesting position compared to years past. The team is virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where, compared to last season, CU needed results in the Big 12 Tournament to extend its season. Colorado is currently 7th in the RPI and in a good spot to host the first round in Boulder.
"The league has been brutal this season," Sanchez noted. "That's good, because we have the eight teams in the tournament, for sure. I think any of these eight teams can win this tournament."
The entire tournament will be streamed on ESPN+. Kickoff against UCF is set at 7 p.m. MT.
For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.
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