Colorado Extends Winning Streak To 3-0

Thursday, August 20

Boulder, Colo.

7 p.m.

Colorado

3-0-0, 0-0-0

Cal State Fullerton

0-1-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Cal St. Fullerton	1	1	2
Colorado	2	1	3

August 20, 2026 | Soccer

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By: Marcelo Brant, Athletic Communications Student Assistant

BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes soccer team emerged victorious for the third consecutive time to start the 2026 season, this time defeating Cal State Fullerton 3-2 on Thursday at Prentup Field. This victory marked the team's first 3-0-0 start since the 2022 season. The Black and Gold now prepare for their first road match of the season against Western Michigan.

The win also marked the second meeting between the two programs, with Colorado previously defeating the Titans 4-2 in 2021.

"We had a great crowd on a Thursday night," said head coach Danny Sanchez. "When teams come in here, especially teams that aren't from this area, we need to take care of business. So we took care of business tonight. We got the win, and we're pleased with that.

After setting program records for goals, assists and points in 2025, Colorado has continued its offensive production this year, scoring 11 goals through its first three matches. Still, the squad's manager continues to have a growth mindset.

"We have high expectations for the team, and we have to win games," added Sanchez. "Maybe at the moment we're like 'we could have played better', but in two months, we don't care how we get the wins."

Michaela McGowan, Ruby Hayward and Reagan Kotschau all scored goals for the Black and Gold, helping the team secure victory against the Titans. The team extends its unbeaten streak at Prentup Field to 18 games.

"It feels really awesome," said Kotschau. "This team is super fun to play with, and I'm not surprised that we're going to 3-0 right now, especially with the depth that we have."

Jamie Campbell got the start for the match, as the starting goalkeeper position battle continues following the departure of All-American Jordan Nytes. The junior registered one save and allowed one goal. Brooke Goerish played at the position for the second half, recording three saves and allowing one goal.

Sanchez highlighted Goerish's play after the game. "Brooke made a huge save in the second half, which at the time maybe didn't seem so big, but obviously at the end was big," he said.

How It Happened

The Buffaloes kicked off the match at 7 p.m., as the sun set over Prentup Field.

Colorado struck early, with forward Michaela McGowan scoring a chip-shot left-foot goal in the bottom left corner in just the seventh minute of play.

Just a minute later, goalkeeper Jamie Campbell tackled a Cal State Fullerton player inside the box while attempting to save the ball, awarding the Titans a penalty kick. Forward Cassie Villanueva successfully converted the opportunity, leveling the match at 1-1.

After the Titans' score, Colorado steadily took offensive control, generating several chances at the net. In the 21st minute, Hope Leyba fired the ball into the back of the net, but it was quickly overturned as Reagan Kotschau was ruled offside.

As the 27th minute wound down, forward Ruby Hayward scored the second Buffaloes goal off a set-piece outside the box, with passes from Hope Leyba and Emma Thiehlbar, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead.

At halftime, the Buffaloes' offensive success was evident in the stat sheet. The team recorded 15 shots, while holding the Titans to just four. Six of Colorado's shots were on goal, compared to Cal State's two. The Buffs also held an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Colorado came out firing in the second half. Team captain Reagan Kotschau extended the Buffs' lead to 3-1 in the 52nd minute, scoring a right-foot rainbow shot over the keeper into the top left corner off a pass by midfielder Berkley Mensik.

For the following minutes, both squads created opportunities at the net but were unable to convert. Freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish recorded two important saves for the Black and Gold.

A Cal State Fullerton counterattack opportunity in the 79th minute led Titans forward Mia LaRosa to dribble past the goalkeeper and net the team's second goal to cut the Buffs' advantage to 3-2.
Despite the late Titans score, the Buffaloes held them off and emerged victorious at the final whistle, extending their winning streak to 3-0-0 to start the 2026 season.

UP NEXT: The Colorado Buffaloes will face Western Michigan in their first road game of the season on Aug. 27 at 2 p.m.

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.