Holley's Return To Action
October 19, 2026 | Soccer
BOULDER — Junior forward Jace Holley was a week away from opening the Colorado Soccer team's regular season when she injured her ankle during an Aug. 5 exhibition against Utah in Grand Junction.
She had never experienced an ankle or knee injury before. In the moment, her attention was on the pain. Once she was on the sideline watching her teammates, she began thinking about her future, wondering how long she might be out.
Holley initially hoped and believed she had suffered a minor ankle roll and could return in about a week. The results of an MRI changed that expectation.
"I think when I was feeling the most sad was after I got my MRI back," Holley said.
The injury was worse than initially anticipated. As Colorado began its season, Holley started working through a rehabilitation process that would keep her out of the Buffs' first nine matches.
Unable to practice, she estimated spending three or four hours each day on physical therapy and rehabilitation, not including additional work at home. Progress was difficult to gauge when a good day was followed by one that felt like a setback.
"I was getting really frustrated mentally when I would be worse one day than I was the day before," Holley said.
Colorado's athletic training staff and teammates who had previously experienced injuries helped her understand those fluctuations. They reminded her that healing was not linear and that a difficult day did not erase the progress she had made.
"They would tell me what I was having trouble seeing myself," Holley said. "It really helped me on the mental side."
As her ankle began to feel better, Holley had to additionally rebuild the fitness she had lost while unable to practice. That created a challenge: running on the pitch helped her prepare to play, but pushing too hard could set back the progress she was making in her recovery.
"The hardest part was, as I was getting into the later weeks of recovery, finding a balance between coming back and working hard, but also resting and recovering as well," Holley said.
Her first clearance to return did not produce the result she had hoped for. During her first practice back, Holley struggled to move the way she normally could.
"I felt like I was a step slow, and I felt like I couldn't push off my ankle like normal," she said. "It was really frustrating because I was cleared by the doctors, but I still wasn't performing to my level."
She was held out for another two or three weeks.
When she was cleared a second time, the difference was noticeable. She felt she could execute nearly as well as she had before the injury. Being able to make those movements in practice helped her feel ready to contribute again.
"I was like, I can do this," Holley said. "I'm feeling better. I'm feeling normal."
Holley made her season debut Sept. 24 in Colorado's 2-0 win over then-No. 10 West Virginia at Prentup Field. It was her first game action in more than seven weeks.
Although practice had helped reassure her physically, returning to competition brought another adjustment.
"I would say that feeling practice ready and feeling game ready are two different things," Holley added. "I was definitely physically ready, but I was definitely scared mentally to come back because the games are a high level, and I just was scared to let my team down."
Getting on the ball helped her settle into the game. As she became involved in play, she began to feel more confident in what she could do.
"I really had to let my body do what it could do for my mind to catch up to speed," she said.
Her role increased as she logged more minutes over the next two matches, leading up to a matchup with then-No. 7 Baylor.
Against the Bears on Oct. 8, in her fourth appearance of the season, she recorded her first assist and goal in Colorado's 3-0 win.
Holley helped set up Hope Leyba's second goal late in the first half before scoring on a diving header from Sloane Phillips' cross in the 68th minute.
Head coach Danny Sanchez described Holley's header as a "world-class finish."
"I thought she gave us a real spark," Sanchez said after the Baylor win. "That's a Jace goal."
The goal gave her another boost in confidence. Her teammates' response added to it.
"What means more to me is how my teammates celebrated me and how my teammates were more excited for me than I was," Holley said. "That really means a lot, and it really builds my confidence as well."
The celebration continued during her postgame television interview, when teammates snuck up and showered her with water.
"I think everybody supports everybody, and they know how hard it's been for her to get back to this spot," Sanchez added. "She's still not 100 percent, but this is a good stepping stone tonight."
Holley appreciated the encouragement from players who had also pushed her in practice and held her to their expectations.
"It just means they're always there to support me," she continued.
With the rest of the season ahead, Holley believes Colorado has one of the most talented groups of individuals she has played with at CU. She sees an opportunity to continue building on the team's chemistry and bring out its best more consistently.
"The days we play well are so outstanding that I think we could do anything," Holley said. "So, as we have more days when we're playing at our best, I think we'll have a lot more wins ahead of us."
She had never experienced an ankle or knee injury before. In the moment, her attention was on the pain. Once she was on the sideline watching her teammates, she began thinking about her future, wondering how long she might be out.
Holley initially hoped and believed she had suffered a minor ankle roll and could return in about a week. The results of an MRI changed that expectation.
"I think when I was feeling the most sad was after I got my MRI back," Holley said.
The injury was worse than initially anticipated. As Colorado began its season, Holley started working through a rehabilitation process that would keep her out of the Buffs' first nine matches.
Unable to practice, she estimated spending three or four hours each day on physical therapy and rehabilitation, not including additional work at home. Progress was difficult to gauge when a good day was followed by one that felt like a setback.
"I was getting really frustrated mentally when I would be worse one day than I was the day before," Holley said.
Colorado's athletic training staff and teammates who had previously experienced injuries helped her understand those fluctuations. They reminded her that healing was not linear and that a difficult day did not erase the progress she had made.
"They would tell me what I was having trouble seeing myself," Holley said. "It really helped me on the mental side."
As her ankle began to feel better, Holley had to additionally rebuild the fitness she had lost while unable to practice. That created a challenge: running on the pitch helped her prepare to play, but pushing too hard could set back the progress she was making in her recovery.
"The hardest part was, as I was getting into the later weeks of recovery, finding a balance between coming back and working hard, but also resting and recovering as well," Holley said.
Her first clearance to return did not produce the result she had hoped for. During her first practice back, Holley struggled to move the way she normally could.
"I felt like I was a step slow, and I felt like I couldn't push off my ankle like normal," she said. "It was really frustrating because I was cleared by the doctors, but I still wasn't performing to my level."
She was held out for another two or three weeks.
When she was cleared a second time, the difference was noticeable. She felt she could execute nearly as well as she had before the injury. Being able to make those movements in practice helped her feel ready to contribute again.
"I was like, I can do this," Holley said. "I'm feeling better. I'm feeling normal."
Holley made her season debut Sept. 24 in Colorado's 2-0 win over then-No. 10 West Virginia at Prentup Field. It was her first game action in more than seven weeks.
Although practice had helped reassure her physically, returning to competition brought another adjustment.
"I would say that feeling practice ready and feeling game ready are two different things," Holley added. "I was definitely physically ready, but I was definitely scared mentally to come back because the games are a high level, and I just was scared to let my team down."
Getting on the ball helped her settle into the game. As she became involved in play, she began to feel more confident in what she could do.
"I really had to let my body do what it could do for my mind to catch up to speed," she said.
Her role increased as she logged more minutes over the next two matches, leading up to a matchup with then-No. 7 Baylor.
Against the Bears on Oct. 8, in her fourth appearance of the season, she recorded her first assist and goal in Colorado's 3-0 win.
Holley helped set up Hope Leyba's second goal late in the first half before scoring on a diving header from Sloane Phillips' cross in the 68th minute.
Head coach Danny Sanchez described Holley's header as a "world-class finish."
"I thought she gave us a real spark," Sanchez said after the Baylor win. "That's a Jace goal."
The goal gave her another boost in confidence. Her teammates' response added to it.
"What means more to me is how my teammates celebrated me and how my teammates were more excited for me than I was," Holley said. "That really means a lot, and it really builds my confidence as well."
The celebration continued during her postgame television interview, when teammates snuck up and showered her with water.
"I think everybody supports everybody, and they know how hard it's been for her to get back to this spot," Sanchez added. "She's still not 100 percent, but this is a good stepping stone tonight."
Holley appreciated the encouragement from players who had also pushed her in practice and held her to their expectations.
"It just means they're always there to support me," she continued.
With the rest of the season ahead, Holley believes Colorado has one of the most talented groups of individuals she has played with at CU. She sees an opportunity to continue building on the team's chemistry and bring out its best more consistently.
"The days we play well are so outstanding that I think we could do anything," Holley said. "So, as we have more days when we're playing at our best, I think we'll have a lot more wins ahead of us."
Players Mentioned
Saturday, October 17
Saturday, October 17
Saturday, October 17
Thursday, October 15
