Buffs Headed to Third Sweet 16

Thursday, November 20

East Lansing, Mich.

1 p.m.

Colorado

17-3-3, 8-1-2

Xavier

16-4-2, 8-1-1

Xavier

Colorado

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

November 20, 2025 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Colorado advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

EAST LANSING, Mich. — No. 12 Colorado found the back of the net four times on Thursday to advance to its third Sweet 16 in program history with a 4-1 defeat of No. 22 Xavier at DeMartin Stadium.

The trip to the Sweet 16 is the first for the Buffs since 2013.

"I'm so excited for this group," head coach Danny Sanchez expressed after the win. "You set goals in July and early August, when you're up in the mountains and doing team bonding, and we couldn't be more proud of the group tonight for their effort and performance."

Senior goalkeeper Jordan Nytes recorded a CU tournament record 12 saves, allowing the one goal when the game was already in hand. Faith Leyba and Reagan Kotschau proved the Buffs' early offense, while Hope Leyba and Riley MacDonald each scored in the final 10 minutes of the contest.

"I think something I've kind of prided myself on for a while is just being able to perform under pressure," Nytes said of her 12-save performance. "Being a captain on the team, it's kind of my job to keep everybody else in front of me composed. I can't take any of the credit for the saves without the four people in front of me and the rest of the team.

"The team just bought in today and played super awesome," Nytes continued. "I'm glad I performed well and was able to come up big for my team. That's all that matters. I'm just proud of everybody."

Colorado (17-3-3) has now held the No. 2 offense in the NCAA to one goal apiece in back-to-back weeks and has outscored its opponents 6-2 in the first two rounds.

"They [Xavier] are fantastic going forward," Sanchez commented. "I mean, 26, Samantha [Erbach], you can see why she's leading the country in scoring, looking at the stats, eight shots, three on goal. But really, all of that was outside the box, and Jordi could deal with it. I was really pleased with her and how we shut down No. 6 [Elin Hansson] as well.

"For them, our game plan was to try and neutralize those players," Sanchez continued. "It's not dissimilar to Utah Valley last week. When you have All-American attackers, you have to have All-American defenders, and I feel we do, and you have to have an All-American goalkeeper, which we do."

Kotschau now has two goals in the tournament, both as game-winners. F. Leyba and Vivi Zacarias each have a goal and an assist in the two NCAA Tournament matches.

How It Happened
The first half began with the Musketeers on the attack. Nytes made three saves in the game's first 12 minutes, and the Buffs were outshot 4-0 in the early goings. H. Leyba picked up the Buffs' first shot on goal in the 14th minute, and the Colorado offense began to mount.

CU earned its first corner kick in the 18th minute and seized the momentum, breaking the 0-0 deadlock when F. Leyba scored the opener off the serve by Jordan Whiteaker.

The Black and Gold almost went up 2-0 in the 30th minute. H. Leyba slipped the ball through two Xavier defenders and nearly caught keeper Maria Galley out of position, but the ball trickled just wide of the near post.

Colorado continued to press, and in the 31st minute, the Buffs earned another corner opportunity. Whiteaker, from the same corner as the first goal, again found F. Leyba, who headed it off the crossbar and directly to Kotschau, who headed it back in the net for her seventh goal of the season.

"They [Xavier] came out and were on the front foot," Sanchez noted. "I thought we were just a little tentative for whatever reason. We weren't giving them a ton of chances, but we were defending too deep. But really, Faith, getting that goal in the corner, and obviously the second goal, really helped settle us."

Nytes had five of her saves at the half, and the Musketeers held a 12-10 shot advantage, but CU was in control 2-0.

Colorado was outshot again in the second half, 16-10, with Xavier landing seven more shots on target. Nytes made seven more saves in the final 45 minutes, creeping towards a shutout.

H. Leyba put the team ahead with a laser shot from 30 yards out in the 87th minute, assisted by Zacarias, extending the lead to 3-0.

"Once you get that 2-0 lead, it's tough for a team to come back," Sanchez added. "That third goal from Hope, what class, and it really took the heat and pressure off of us because they get a goal and it's 2-1, and now you're scrambling. What a classic goal from Hope."

Xavier threw everything forward, responded shortly after with a goal by Presley Pennekamp in the 89th minute, but the damage had been done.

MacDonald found the net 41 seconds later for her first career goal, with help from Josie Master to restore the three-goal lead and end the night on a positive note.

Up Next
The Buffs will play the winner of the Michigan State and Wake Forest game on Sunday, Nov. 23. Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. MT.

Notes
Colorado is now 13-14-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament…The Buffs improve to 3-3-1 on a neutral field in the NCAA Tournament…The four goals are the second-most scored by the Buffs in an NCAA Tournament match…Nytes now has 35 career saves in the NCAA Tournament as a Buff, passing Jalen Tompkins (30) for the most in CU Tournament history…Whiteaker had two assists to bring her season total to 7…She's just the third Buff to have two assists in the same tournament game and the fourth to have two or more career assists in the NCAA Tournament…It was her second multi-assist game of the season…Thursday was the third time the Leyba sisters have scored in the same match and the second time this season (at BYU)…Kotschau is now third on CU's career tournament points list (4)…MacDonald became the 18th player to record a point this season.

For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.