Buffs Look To Bounce Back Against Kansas State

BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes soccer team looks to bounce back when it opens a three-game road stretch against Kansas State on Friday, Oct. 16, at Buser Family Park in Manhattan, Kan. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT, with the match streaming on ESPN+.

The Buffaloes (9-4-1, 3-3-0 Big 12) and Wildcats (5-5-4, 0-5-1 Big 12) enter Friday following close losses Sunday. Colorado fell 1-0 to Kansas on a late goal, while Kansas State dropped a 3-2 decision at then-No. 7 Baylor.

With five conference matches remaining, Friday gives Head Coach Danny Sanchez and the Buffs an opportunity to reset and build momentum for the final stretch of Big 12 play.

"I thought we played really well in stretches, especially in the second half," Sanchez said of the Kansas match. "So we need to build off of that and play well to get a result on the road."

Kansas State is searching for its first conference victory after dropping its last four matches, but the Wildcats challenged Baylor throughout Sunday's contest. K-State twice held the lead before the Bears scored the final two goals.

Forward Adelle Francis and fellow forward Alix Regier were central to that effort, combining on both Kansas State goals. Francis scored twice to establish a career high with three goals this season, all in conference play. Regier supplied the first two assists of her career.

Junior midfielder Gabby DeMers leads the Wildcats with five goals and 12 points, along with a team-high 39 shots and 18 shots on goal. Rilyn Rintoul adds three goals and three assists, while freshman defender Lauren Moylan has contributed two goals and two assists. That production gives Colorado several threats to account for as it looks to keep Kansas State from finding an early advantage.

Goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing anchors the Wildcats' defense, entering Friday with 32 consecutive starts. She has recorded 48 saves, a 1.37 goals-against average and three solo shutouts this season.

Colorado holds a 1-0-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams played to a scoreless draw at Prentup Field on Sept. 18, 2025, after the Buffs earned a 1-0 victory in Manhattan in their first meeting in 2024.

BUFFS HIT THE ROAD

For Sanchez, finding an early goal would give Colorado an opportunity to put Kansas State on its heels and force the Wildcats to chase the game.

"I just think it's as simple as goals change games," Sanchez said. "The longer the game goes where we're struggling to find that goal, the more difficult we're going to make it on ourselves."

Colorado brings an attack led by Reagan Kotschau and Hope Leyba into Friday's matchup. Kotschau leads the Buffs with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists, already establishing career highs in assists and points.

Leyba paces CU with nine goals and enters Friday one goal from tying Nikki Marshall for second in program history. Her two-goal performance against Baylor moved her into sole possession of third with 41 career goals, one behind Marshall's 42.

Michaela McGowan provides another scoring option with five goals and 11 points. Jace Holley has also contributed since returning to the rotation, recording a goal and an assist against Baylor in one of her five appearances this season.

At the other end, Colorado's defense has helped produce eight shutouts through 14 matches. Faith Leyba and Emma Thielbahr have started every contest, while freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish owns a 0.72 goals-against average and a .852 save percentage with 46 saves. Goerish has recorded five solo shutouts and shared in three others.

The Buffs will continue their road stretch at Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Arizona State on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Tickets for Colorado's return to Prentup Field against Cincinnati on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. MT are available here.

SOCIALS: For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Goerish

Jace Holley

Faith Leyba

Hope Leyba

Michaela McGowan

Emma Thielbahr

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Soccer at Kansas State on Oct 16, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer at Arizona on Oct 22, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer at Arizona State on Oct 25, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer versus Cincinnati on Oct 30, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer versus Oklahoma State on Nov 5, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Results

Completed Event: Soccer versus Kansas on October 11, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 1

Completed Event: Soccer versus Baylor on October 8, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Soccer at UCF on October 2, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Completed Event: Soccer at Texas Tech on September 27, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 3

Completed Event: Soccer versus West Virginia on September 24, 2026 , Win , 2, to, 0

Completed Event: Soccer at Iowa State on September 17, 2026 , Win , 1, to, 0

Completed Event: Soccer versus Denver on September 11, 2026 , Win , 6, to, 0

Completed Event: Soccer versus Utah State on September 6, 2026 , Win , 2, to, 0