Leyba Twins Making an Impact

BOULDER – It's hard not to notice Hope and Faith Leyba from the sidelines at Prentup Field this season. It could be the fact that they are mirror images of each other. It could be their style of play. It could also be their physical presence.

Whatever it is, it is hard to ignore.

The freshman twins from Phoenix, Ariz., are nearly impossible to tell apart when not in uniform. Hope dons No. 9 on gameday, while Faith sports No. 4. Outside the soccer pitch, it becomes a little more difficult with the only real identifier being a little mark on Hope's left cheek.

If you can't figure it out don't worry, the coaches still have their struggles 12 games into the season.

"Danny [Sanchez] is pretty bad," Hope explained. "I don't think he's ever gotten it right. I'll deal with getting mixed up multiple times every single day [in general]."

"You just kind of get used to it," Faith chimed in.

CU head coach Danny Sanchez also knows he's guilty of the confusion.

"I can't [tell them apart]," Sanchez joked. "When they are really close in front of me I can, but if they're 20 yards away I have no chance. Hopefully, one is standing in the back and one is standing in front. If they are in a small group I just kind of say the last name and see who gets closer so I can identify them."

On the field, it becomes easier. The pair have started every match for the Buffs this season, with Hope on the attack and Faith on the defensive end. That decision was made for them early in their playing career.

"At our first club tryout, I was going for forward and then the coach just put me at defense and I stayed there," Faith recalled.

"It was the same thing for me," Hope said. "I don't really know what position I played and then my coach just made me play forward and I've played it the rest of my life."

It was a lightbulb moment for Faith when asked if the split on the field was to help identify the duo.

"Now that I think about it he would just say that it's more of my personality [to play defense], but there's no way he really knew that."

Hope and Faith had an uphill battle to survive early on in life. The twins were born 11 weeks early and were not given great odds of life due to complications.

"We were supposed to die," Hope explained. "We were given like a 25% chance at life. There was a bunch of complications. Every time one of us would breathe the other's circulation would get cut off. We had to come out really early. My mom prayed and was like if they survive and are healthy we'll name them Hope and Faith and we survived with no complications."

Hope and Faith grew up with an older brother and competed in the backyard with him all through childhood. The twins credit those competitions along with battles with each other, for their competitive nature.

"We just have always lived in a competitive environment," Faith commented. "I think that shows [now] in our play."

"We started playing rec soccer at like first grade and did that until fifth grade when we started playing club," Hope added. "We joined pretty late and we were always underdeveloped skill-wise. We had to work really hard in order to build that up."

The work has paid off tenfold.

The sisters were recruited together to CU and after making an official visit they both committed from the airport on the return home. As it so happens, the Buffs run in the Leyba blood. Joe and Kelly Lebya, the twins' parents, both graduated from Colorado.

"Our parents both went here, it's where they met," Hope noted. "But really why I wanted to go here was just during my official visit, I couldn't imagine anything better. I just had to go here. The facilities are amazing. Just the environment. There's nothing better than here in Colorado."

So far so good.

Faith leads all field players in minutes this season for the Buffs and has recorded two goals from her defensive position. Hope has three points this season (1 G, 1 A) and has been pushing for that second goal.

"I don't say anything [about having more goals]," Faith, smiled as the defender. "I know deep down it pushes her."

"No. I'm happy for her," Hope retorted and then laughed.

The pair became the first CU sisters to score in the same match against Purdue and are one of just three pairs of sisters in DI to score in the same match this season.

"It was special to do it [score in the same match] in college at a higher level," Faith expressed. "We expect that from each other and it will happen again."

Inserting Hope and Faith into the starting XI from day one wasn't necessarily the plan, but it was a decision that the twins made simple when the time came.

"Some freshmen come in ready to go physically, mentally and emotionally" Sanchez explained. "Some take time and there's no perfect formula to figure that out. I think from the day we started practice you could see how completive they were and how passionate they were about doing whatever they could to help the team win. Obviously, they're very good soccer players on top of it. When you throw that all together it was a pretty easy decision for the coaching staff."

And how about that twin telepathy?

They have that working for them too.

"We do have a connection," Hope confirmed. "I know what she's thinking. If something funny happens, we have the same sense of humor. I know she's going to laugh. I can just look at her and we'll start laughing."

"On the field, I know what run she's going to make," Faith said, bringing the conversation back to soccer. "I know which ball to play."

"She knows where I'm going to go. We can connect easily," Hope confirmed.

Hope and Faith and the rest of the 25th-ranked Buffaloes will take on No. 3 Stanford on Thursday night at Prentup Field (7 p.m. MT). Thursday is Mental Health Awareness Night and fans can claim a Chip bobblehead after the match.

Thad Anderson will have the call on the Pac-12 Network.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Faith Leyba

Hope Leyba