Colorado University Athletics
2024 Soccer Roster
Jersey Number 20
Shyra James
- Position:
- Forward
- Height:
- 5-8
- Class:
- Fifth Year
- Hometown:
- La Mesa, Calif.
- High School:
- Helix Charter H.S.
- Major:
- Media Studies
Career Honors
- 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-America (3rd Team)
- 2023 All-Pac-12 First Team
- 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region (1st Team)
- 2022 & 23 Colorado Team Offensive MVP
- Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (8/22/22)
- Top Drawer Soccer Best XI (8/24/22)
- College Soccer News Team of the Week (9/5/22)
- Top Drawer Soccer Women's Team of the Week honorable mention (9/6/22)
- 2021 Pac-12 All-Conference (3rd team)
- 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region (3rd Team)
- 2020 Pac-12 All-Freshman
- Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (3/23/21)
- Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week (3/23/21)
- Top Drawer Soccer Freshman 100
Fifth Year (2024)
- Started 12 of 14 matches she appeared in
- Led the team in goals (7) and was third in points (15)
- Scored three game winning goals
- Had her first career hat trick against Wyoming (Aug. 22)
- Set the CU record for career goals (47)
- Best goals per game average in school history (0.52)
- Finished second all-time in career points (101)
- Closed her career second all-time in points per game (1.12) and third in game-winning goals (13)
- Played in 90 career games, good for 4th all-time at CU (by a field player)
Senior (2023)
- Played in 20 games, starting 17 during the 2023 season
- Finished tied for ninth in the NCAA with a career-high 15 goals
- Finished the year 18th in the NCAA with a career-high 32 points
- Led the Pac-12 in goals and was second in points
- Was 11th in the NCAA in goals per game (0.75) and fifth in the nation with 4.65 shots per game
- Had two multi-goal games and scored in seven straight matches, setting the program record for a single-season streak
- Her 15 goals and 32 points are second in a single season, trailing Nikki Marshall's 37 points and 17 goals in 2006
- Notched a career-high four game-winning goals
- Had two multi-goal games vs NC State (8/31) & Utan (11/3)
- Had a career-high 93 shots, tying Anne Stuller (2013) for second-most in a single season
- Her 40 shots on goal tied for fifth in CU history
- Tied the school record with 12 shots against Arizona this season (Taylor Kornieck vs Arizona in 2017)
Junior (2022)
- Started 16 matches and played in all 20
- Was second on the team with career-high of 11 goals
- Twice scored two goals in a match this season doing so against Weber St. (8/18) and Texas A&M Commerce (9/1)
- Opened the season with a six-game scoring streak, setting a CU record for consecutive games with a goal at 10 (carry over from 2021)
- Collected a goal and an assist against Michigan State (9/11)
- Had two games with three shots on goal and had one game winning goal against San Diego
- Finished second on the team and eighth in the Pac-12 with 23 points (11 G, 1 A)
- Closed the season fifth in the Pac-12 with 0.55 goals per game
Sophomore (2021)
- James started 12 and played in all 19 matches
- She had a career-high 20 points (9 G, 2 A)
- James’ nine goals led the team (9th Pac-12)
- Finished the season with a four-game scoring streak, becoming the first Buff to score a goal in four consecutive matches since Nikki Marshall in 2007
- Her 20 total points tied Marshall's 2007 effort for second-most by a CU sophomore
- The nine goals also matched Marshall for the most in a sophomore season at CU
- Was sixth in the Pac-12 with three game-winning goals
- Closed the year 10th in the Pac-12 with 0.47 goals per game
Freshman (2020)
- Started 16 of CU’s 17 matches in her first season
- Led the Buffs in points (11) and goals (5)
- Scored her first career goal in her second collegiate game against Northern Colorado (2/11/21)
- Also had an assist in the match
- Had a season-high seven shots at Oregon State (4/2/21)
- Registered a team-high 51 shots
- Also had a team-best 21 shots on goal
- Tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals
- Her five goals ranked tied for eighth-most by a freshman
- Her 51 shots matched Kate Russell (‘08) for fifth-most by a CU freshman
High School
- James played her freshman year at Preuss before transferring to Helix Charter
- As a freshman on varsity, she scored 52 goals in 16 games, breaking school records for goals and assists (34)
Club
- James played club for San Diego Surf and has been the team’s leading scoring the past two seasons
- She was a DA National championship finalist in 2019 and won the ECNL National Championship in 2018
ODP
- James played on the ODP team the last three seasons and has gone to two US National Team camps
- Top Drawer Soccer lists James as their 16th-ranked forward and the No. 54 ranked player in its top-150
In the classroom
- Majoring in sports media
Personal
- Daughter of Zach James and Ashlie Garcia and has two brothers, Zachary and Kyler
- Her cousin, Jakobie James, plays football at Eastern Washington
- Enjoys drawing
- Has volunteered with Murray Manor Little League and El Cajon Falcon Pop Warner
- First in her family to complete high school and attend a four-year university
- Would like to become a physical therapist or athletic trainer and play professionally
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