Nytes Earns Big 12 Honor, Buffs Hit the Road

IRVING, Texas — Junior goalkeeper Jordan Nytes secured Colorado's first Big 12 Player of the Week honor in its return to the conference on Wednesday. Nytes split Goalkeeper of the Week honors with Baylor's Azul Alvarez.

The 5-7 keeper out of Centennial, Colo., did not concede a goal in CU's two matches against Wyoming and Michigan last week. Nytes made a combined 12 saves in her 160 minutes of play.

"Jordi is off to a great start this season," head coach Danny Sanchez commented. "Being a captain [this year] and accepting that extra leadership role, but she's been very good in goal, kept us in the North Carolina game, and dealt with what she needed against Wyoming and Michigan. We're excited for her progress and how she does going forward."

Nytes leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th in the NCAA with her 25 saves in the early season. She's also third in the conference with a .893 save %.

The honor is Nytes' third, having collected two in her time at Oklahoma State during the 2022 season. Overall, it marks her sixth weekly conference award, having earned two Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors last season.

Since rejoining the conference, she is the first CU athlete to earn a Big 12 weekly honor. It is the 32nd Big 12 honor collected by the Buffs, but the Goalkeeper of the Week award. The last CU soccer player to earn a Big 12 weekly award was Annie Brunner's Newcomer of the Week honor on Nov. 2, 2010.

The Goalkeeper of the Week award started in the 2020 season. Goalkeepers were previously honored as Defensive Player of the Week.

Buffs Hit the Road

The newly minted 22nd-ranked Buffaloes hit the road for the first time this season, heading east to North Carolina for a pair of matches. Colorado (3-1-0) will open things up with UNC Greensboro on Thursday (5 p.m. MT/ESPN+) and NC State (5 p.m. MT/ACC Network) on Sunday.

The trip to the Tar Heel State is CU's first regular season stopover since 2004. Colorado is 2-6-0 all-time in North Carolina. CU's most recent visit was the 2020 NCAA Tournament, playing South Alabama in Greensboro.

The Buffs had their most successful season away from Boulder last year, finishing 5-2-2 on the road.

"I think it's early in the season," Sanchez said about the road trip. "It's the time to do it. We've been home for our first regular season matches, so I think it's a good time to get on the road against two quality opponents. It's a good early test for us. I think the Labor Day weekend is obviously a good weekend to play, with no school on Monday. We're excited to get on the road."

Colorado was one of six teams to jump into the United Soccer Coaches rankings. The Buffs lead the Big 12 with 12 goals in their first four games, ranking 15th in the NCAA. CU's 3.0 goals per game are also tops in the Big 12 and 20th in the nation.

"We've had a good start, but it's only four games into the season," Sanchez added. "We have a lot of soccer to play, and we've been at home. There are a lot of challenges that going on the road brings. We're going to have to raise our level if we expect to go on the road and get results."

The Buffs have outscored their opponents 12-4 this season, led by Shyra James. The fifth-year senior ranks 10th in the nation with four goals. James broke loose last Thursday with a hat trick against Wyoming on her way to setting the program record for goals scored (43). Colorado has featured seven different goal scorers this season, with 10 players finding the scoresheet in the first two weeks.

UNC Greensboro is searching for its first win of the season, starting 0-1-1. Thursday will mark the first home match for the Spartans, having played at UNC Wilmington and East Carolina. The match will also be the first meeting between the Buffs and Spartans.

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Players Mentioned

Shyra James

Jordan Nytes