Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Nytes, H. Leyba Named Semifinalists for Hermann Trophy
December 02, 2025 | Soccer
Postseason honors continue for the Buffs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The accolades continued to roll in for the Colorado soccer team on Tuesday. The Missouri Athletic Club (MAC), in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches, announced Jordan Nytes and Hope Leyba as semifinalists for the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy. Additionally, the United Soccer Coaches named five Buffaloes to its All-Region teams.
Nytes and H. Leyba were a part of the 15 semifinalist announcement. Colorado was one of four schools with two players selected to the list, along with Stanford, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.
Colorado had four players earn First Team All-Midwest Region, with Nytes and H. Leyba leading the way. Sophomore Jace Holley and junior Faith Leyba were also First Team selections. Junior Reagan Kotschau was a Fourth Team honoree.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. Most recently, Kate Faasse (Duke) received the women's award for outstanding intercollegiate performances last year.
Three women's finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 9, 2026, to formally announce this year's winners.
Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite player. Go to MACHermannnTrophy.org for the women's semifinal ballot.
Nytes, an Aurora, Colo., native, set a Colorado single-season record with 17 wins in net for the Buffs this season. Nytes earned her second straight and third overall Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2025. The 2024 All-American goalkeeper has posted double-digit wins in each of her four seasons. She ranks fifth in the NCAA with a career-high 121 saves. Nytes matched her career-high with 12 saves in the Buffs' second-round NCAA Tournament win over Xavier. She had seven shutouts this season, setting the CU career mark with 26 total clean sheets in her three seasons in Boulder. Nytes earned three Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors this season, pushing her career total to 10, the most individual Goalkeeper of the Week honors in the conference since the award began in the 2020-21 season and the second-most honors in conference history. She was also the Co-Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2025. Nytes was on the Preseason Hermann Award Watch List and earned First Team All-Region honors in 2024.
H. Leyba, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., exploded in production for the Buffaloes in 2025. Leyba, who had had 10 goals in 43 games in her first two seasons at CU, remains the nation's leading goalscorer this season with 22 goals in the Buffs' 24 matches. She set CU program records in goals and points (45) this season, helping her to Big 12 Forward of the Year honors. Leyba recorded two hat tricks this season, becoming the first CU player to have multiple three-goal efforts in the same season and just the second Buff to tally multiple hat tricks in a career. She got off to a scorching hot start to the season, posting goals in each of CU's first five matches. She had three multi-goal games in the five-match span, totaling a CU record nine goals through the first five matches, including two of her six game-winners. Leyba posted a second five-game scoring streak later on in conference play, helping the Buffs go 4-0-1 with seven goals in the stretch. The standout forward leads the Big 12 in just about every offensive category and ranks fourth in the NCAA in total points, fourth in goals per game (0.92), ninth in points per game (1.88), 16th in both shots per game (4.04) and shots on goal per game (2.00). Leyba was added to the Midseason Hermann Watch List and was also selected as a finalist for Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Year.
Holley, a second-year Buff from Fort Collins, Colo., put up eye-opening numbers in 2025. She ranks fifth in the Big 12 in points (30), fifth in goals (12) and 16th in assists (6), all career-high marks. Holley started all 24 matches this season and recorded two game-winning goals, bringing her career total to six. Holley scored two braces this season and totaled a career-high five points (1 G, 3 A) against Fordham. Her offensive numbers are all the most recorded by a CU sophomore in program history, earning her First Team All-Big 12 honors.
F. Leyba earns her second consecutive All-Midwest Region honor. She became a two-time First Team All-Big 12 defender in 2025, contributing to all seven of the Buffs' shutouts this season. She started all 24 matches this season and led all CU field players in minutes with a career-high 2,093. Offensively, Leyba had career-highs in goals (4), assists (4) and points (12).
Kotscahu, a Thornton, Colo., native, had career highs in goals (7) and points (20) and matched her career-high in assists (6) in her first season at CU. The junior midfielder started all 24 matches for the Buffs and finished the season tied for a team-high six game-winning goals. Kotschau finished the season third on the team in points and converted one of CU's two penalty kicks this season. She was the Big 12's final Offensive Player of the Week, following her game-winning goal at Kansas, and she scored both game-winning goals in Colorado's NCAA Tournament wins, including a double-overtime winner against Utah Valley. Kotschau led CU with four points in the Buffs' three tournament matches.
The All-America teams will be posted on Friday, Dec. 5.
For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.
Nytes and H. Leyba were a part of the 15 semifinalist announcement. Colorado was one of four schools with two players selected to the list, along with Stanford, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.
Colorado had four players earn First Team All-Midwest Region, with Nytes and H. Leyba leading the way. Sophomore Jace Holley and junior Faith Leyba were also First Team selections. Junior Reagan Kotschau was a Fourth Team honoree.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. Most recently, Kate Faasse (Duke) received the women's award for outstanding intercollegiate performances last year.
Three women's finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 9, 2026, to formally announce this year's winners.
Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite player. Go to MACHermannnTrophy.org for the women's semifinal ballot.
Nytes, an Aurora, Colo., native, set a Colorado single-season record with 17 wins in net for the Buffs this season. Nytes earned her second straight and third overall Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2025. The 2024 All-American goalkeeper has posted double-digit wins in each of her four seasons. She ranks fifth in the NCAA with a career-high 121 saves. Nytes matched her career-high with 12 saves in the Buffs' second-round NCAA Tournament win over Xavier. She had seven shutouts this season, setting the CU career mark with 26 total clean sheets in her three seasons in Boulder. Nytes earned three Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors this season, pushing her career total to 10, the most individual Goalkeeper of the Week honors in the conference since the award began in the 2020-21 season and the second-most honors in conference history. She was also the Co-Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2025. Nytes was on the Preseason Hermann Award Watch List and earned First Team All-Region honors in 2024.
H. Leyba, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., exploded in production for the Buffaloes in 2025. Leyba, who had had 10 goals in 43 games in her first two seasons at CU, remains the nation's leading goalscorer this season with 22 goals in the Buffs' 24 matches. She set CU program records in goals and points (45) this season, helping her to Big 12 Forward of the Year honors. Leyba recorded two hat tricks this season, becoming the first CU player to have multiple three-goal efforts in the same season and just the second Buff to tally multiple hat tricks in a career. She got off to a scorching hot start to the season, posting goals in each of CU's first five matches. She had three multi-goal games in the five-match span, totaling a CU record nine goals through the first five matches, including two of her six game-winners. Leyba posted a second five-game scoring streak later on in conference play, helping the Buffs go 4-0-1 with seven goals in the stretch. The standout forward leads the Big 12 in just about every offensive category and ranks fourth in the NCAA in total points, fourth in goals per game (0.92), ninth in points per game (1.88), 16th in both shots per game (4.04) and shots on goal per game (2.00). Leyba was added to the Midseason Hermann Watch List and was also selected as a finalist for Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Year.
Holley, a second-year Buff from Fort Collins, Colo., put up eye-opening numbers in 2025. She ranks fifth in the Big 12 in points (30), fifth in goals (12) and 16th in assists (6), all career-high marks. Holley started all 24 matches this season and recorded two game-winning goals, bringing her career total to six. Holley scored two braces this season and totaled a career-high five points (1 G, 3 A) against Fordham. Her offensive numbers are all the most recorded by a CU sophomore in program history, earning her First Team All-Big 12 honors.
F. Leyba earns her second consecutive All-Midwest Region honor. She became a two-time First Team All-Big 12 defender in 2025, contributing to all seven of the Buffs' shutouts this season. She started all 24 matches this season and led all CU field players in minutes with a career-high 2,093. Offensively, Leyba had career-highs in goals (4), assists (4) and points (12).
Kotscahu, a Thornton, Colo., native, had career highs in goals (7) and points (20) and matched her career-high in assists (6) in her first season at CU. The junior midfielder started all 24 matches for the Buffs and finished the season tied for a team-high six game-winning goals. Kotschau finished the season third on the team in points and converted one of CU's two penalty kicks this season. She was the Big 12's final Offensive Player of the Week, following her game-winning goal at Kansas, and she scored both game-winning goals in Colorado's NCAA Tournament wins, including a double-overtime winner against Utah Valley. Kotschau led CU with four points in the Buffs' three tournament matches.
The All-America teams will be posted on Friday, Dec. 5.
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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