October 23, 2026 | Soccer
BOULDER — Five Colorado Buffaloes Soccer players earned spots in TopDrawerSoccer's midseason rankings, with three seniors named to the national Top 100 and two freshmen recognized on the Freshman Top 100 lists released Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Senior forward Hope Leyba led Colorado's selections at No. 37, followed by senior defender Faith Leyba at No. 45 and senior midfielder Reagan Kotschau at No. 55. Freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish checked in at No. 23 on the freshman list, while midfielder Sloane Phillips was ranked No. 63.
The five selections have helped Colorado to an 11-4-1 record and a 5-3-0 mark in Big 12 play following Thursday's 4-0 victory at Arizona. The Buffs have scored 38 goals and recorded nine shutouts through their first 16 matches.
Hope Leyba shares Colorado's team lead with nine goals and has added three assists for 21 points. The senior has recorded three game-winning goals, highlighted by her opening score in the Buffs' 3-0 victory over then-No. 7 Baylor on Oct. 8. She also scored three times against Denver on Sept. 11, establishing Colorado's career record with her third hat trick.
Leyba's two-goal performance against Baylor moved her to third in program history with 41 career goals, one behind Nikki Marshall for second. She also established Colorado's career shots-on-goal record in the win.
Faith Leyba has anchored a Colorado defense that has held nine opponents scoreless this season, including five consecutive shutouts from Sept. 3-24. She has started all 16 matches and contributed a goal and two assists. Leyba scored her first goal of the season to cap Thursday's win at Arizona.
The recognition adds to the Leyba sisters' national honors this fall. Both were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Mid-Season Watch List on Sept. 30, making Colorado the only Big 12 program with two selections.
Kotschau leads the Buffs with 28 points on nine goals and 10 assists, surpassing her totals in all three categories from last season. She has contributed four game-winning goals and tied Colorado's single-season record with her 10th assist Thursday, joining Taylor Kornieck, Shanade Hopcroft and Emerson Layne.
Kotschau converted her fifth penalty kick of the season at Arizona, breaking Kornieck's single-season program record of four set in 2019. She later assisted Faith Leyba's goal, giving her a goal and an assist in each of Colorado's last two matches.
Goerish has made an immediate impact in goal, appearing in all 16 matches with 12 starts. She owns a 10-3-0 record, a 0.77 goals-against average and an .844 save percentage with 54 saves. The freshman has recorded five solo shutouts and shared in four others.
Goerish matched her career high with eight saves at Kansas State, including six after halftime. Her 10 victories rank second among Colorado freshman goalkeepers, behind Jalen Tompkins' 15 wins in 2016.
Phillips has appeared in all 16 matches, making 10 starts and contributing a goal and five assists for seven points. Her five assists rank second on the team behind Kotschau.
The freshman has recorded an assist in each of Colorado's last two matches, setting up Lilian Zamorano's winner at Kansas State and Michaela McGowan's goal at Arizona. Phillips scored her first collegiate goal in the Buffs' 6-0 win over Army on Aug. 16.
UP NEXT: Colorado will close its road stretch at Arizona State on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. 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.
