Stephanie Zuniga

Kansas State

Sep 18 (Thu)

7 p.m.

Photo by: Spencer Farrin

stephanie zuniga vs. northern colorado 2019

Photo by: Dan Madden

Photo by: Tony Harman

Photo by: Tony Harman

Photo by: Grey Gibbs

stephanie zuniga vs. northern colorado 2018 spring

Photo by: Mike Greening

Photo by: Grey Gibbs

stephanie zuniga vs. michigan state 2016

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

Position:
Forward
Height:
5-1
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Pinole, Calif.
High School:
Bishop O'Dowd H.S.

2011 Under-15 USWNT Training Camp
2014 Under-18 USWNT Player Pool
2016 Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention

SENIOR (2019): Zuniga, voted a team captain, was a contributor in the Buffs’ run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament... She started 21 matches and played a career-high 1,460 minutes…Zuniga finished the season with a career-best in goals scored (2)…She added three assists to give her seven points on the season…Her goal against Texas proved to be the game-winner…Zuniga had 19 shots with seven of them on goal, finishing with a .368 shots on goal percentage.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR (2018): Zuniga totaled four starts in her return to the lineup for the Buffs. She played in 19 total matches, totaling five points. Her first point was an assist on CU’s third goal in its 3-0 win over Air Force to open the season. She scored her lone goal in the 80th minute of CU’s 3-0 win at Michigan State. Zuniga totaled 16 shot attempts, putting eight on net. Zuniga played in a career-high 784 minutes. She played a season-high 70 minutes in CU’s win at Marquette.

JUNIOR (2017): Zuniga sat out the season after recovering from offseason knee surgery.

SOPHOMORE (2016): Zuniga was a key contributor to CU putting together one of the best seasons in school history, reaching the NCAA Tournament and finishing second in the Pac-12. She played in all 22 matches as a reserve forward and tied for the team lead with six assists and also had a goal for eight points. Zuniga attempted 15 shots, including seven on goal. She had assists in the first two matches of the season, wins over Air Force and Colorado State. She found the net for her first goal of the year on Sept. 4 in a 5-0 win against Drexel. Her third assist of the year came on Sept. 11 in a 4-1 win against Iowa. Two key plays early in Pac-12 play did not end up in the stat sheet. She helped Mikaela Kraus draw a foul at the top of the box with a chip pass to Kraus against Arizona State on Oct. 9 that led to goal on a direct kick by Taylor Kornieck, and also drew a foul in the box that led to a penalty goal against Oregon on Oct. 6. She had an assist against Oregon State in a 3-0 win on Oct. 9 as well and then assisted on Danica Evans’ game-winning goal in a 2-1 win against Washington on Oct. 14 as the Buffs opened Pac-12 play with a 6-0-0 record. Her biggest play of the season came in the closing seconds of double overtime at No. 10 California. Following a foul near midfield, Zuniga sent a free kick into the box and Kornieck headed it in for a 3-2 victory with just two seconds remaining in double overtime, the latest game-winning goal in school history. In 11 Pac-12 matches, she had three assists. Zuniga also earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention with a cumulative GPA of 3.22.

FRESHMAN (2015): Zuniga played in 15 matches as a reserve forward as a true freshman. She scored one goal and had six shot attempts, including three on goal. In the 308 minutes she was on the pitch, CU outscored its opponents 5-1. Her first career goal came in the 42nd minutes of a 4-0 win over New Mexico on Aug. 30. Zuniga had a season-high two shot attempts at Oregon State on Oct. 4.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: A four-year letterwinner, Zuniga truly shined during her sophomore season tallying 21 goals and eight assists. She led her team to its second consecutive North Coast Section championship and conference championship. Her performance earned her First-team All-League honors. She did not play during her freshman season and suffered a torn ACL her junior year. She has been a part of six Olympic Development Camps or national teams. In May 2011, she was a member of the U-15 NT Camp and returned to the same program later that summer. Zuniga also played on two ODP teams in 2012, Region IV and Thanksgiving Interregional. Most recently, in 2013, she was a member of the U-18 NT Player Pool and Region IV ODP. As a member of the Bay Oaks Botafogo club team, she played with fellow Colorado commits Erin Greening and Brooklyn Varnadore. During her time with Botafogo, the team boasted a 155-46-27 record as she helped her club win back-to-back CYSA State Championships (2012-13).

IN THE CLASSROOM: Zuniga is majoring in communications with a minor in Spanish. She earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention as a sophomore and has a cumulative GPA of 3.06.

PERSONAL: Stephanie Marie Zuniga-Herrera was born on September 30, 1996 to Mario and Carmen Zuniga in San Francisco, Calif. She has one older brother, Michael. In her spare time, Zuniga likes to listen to music, play basketball and hike. With her degree, Zuniga hopes to be in a field where she could help families and others through social services. She extensively volunteered to teaching the game of soccer to children and helping the less fortunate. Zuniga is bilingual and the first member of her family to attend a four-year university. Colorado was Zuniga’s choice because of the great academics, beautiful campus and coaching staff.