Buffs Host Ranked Big 12 Showdown

BOULDER — No. 13 Colorado looks to build on its winning start to Big 12 play Thursday, Sept. 24, welcoming No. 10 West Virginia to Prentup Field for its conference home opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN+.

The Buffaloes (7-1-1, 1-0-0 Big 12) have won four consecutive matches, outscoring opponents 12-0 during that stretch. Colorado closed nonconference play at 6-1-1 before opening its Big 12 schedule with a 1-0 victory at Iowa State last week. The Buffs return home with a 6-0-0 record at Prentup Field this season.

That run has helped Colorado work its way back up the national rankings. After falling to No. 24 in the Sept. 1 United Soccer Coaches poll, the Buffs climbed to No. 19 and No. 15 before moving up two more spots to No. 13 this week, matching their preseason ranking. Colorado also checks in at No. 8 in the latest TopDrawerSoccer poll.

The Buffs have had 10 players combine for 25 goals through nine matches. Senior captain Reagan Kotschau leads Colorado with 17 points on six goals and five assists. Hope Leyba has also recorded six goals and totals 15 points, while Michaela McGowan has added five goals and 11 points.

Kotschau's latest goal came from the penalty spot in the 41st minute at Iowa State. Freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish made three saves to secure Colorado's fourth consecutive shutout and sixth of the season. Goerish has started each match during the current winning streak and owns a 0.33 goals-against average.

Thursday presents an early test between two of the Big 12's top three finishers from last season. Colorado placed third with an 8-1-2 conference record and was picked second in this year's preseason coaches' poll, its highest preseason conference projection in program history. West Virginia finished second last season and was picked tied for third entering 2026.

Thursday begins a stretch of four consecutive matches against teams in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, with road trips to No. 25 Texas Tech and No. 23 UCF followed by a home match against No. 11 Baylor.

"When you look at last year, we dropped points opening weekend and it cost us," head coach Danny Sanchez said as the Buffs were one of four teams to win their conference opener. "So, you got to gobble up the points whenever you can get them, and you really got to take advantage of being at home."

Mountaineers Make First Boulder Visit

West Virginia (5-0-2, 0-0-1 Big 12) arrives in Boulder ranked No. 10 by United Soccer Coaches and No. 11 by TopDrawerSoccer. The Mountaineers opened the season with five consecutive victories before playing to 1-1 draws against UConn and Baylor, with the latter serving as their conference opener.

Junior forward Sophia Nickel leads West Virginia with three goals and seven points. All three of her goals have been game-winners, and she earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season. The Mountaineers have allowed just four goals through seven matches.

"They're well coached, they're organized. They don't give you a lot," Sanchez said. "It's going to be a great match, and I expect a real thriller on Thursday."

The matchup marks West Virginia's first visit to Prentup Field and the second meeting between the programs. The Mountaineers won the inaugural contest, 2-0, in Morgantown on Oct. 20, 2024.

Thursday's player walkout will feature green smoke in support of mental health awareness. The first 200 students in attendance will also receive free Chick-fil-A.

"The pre-sale has been huge and the fan support this year has been awesome," Sanchez said. "Get there early, be loud."

Tickets for Thursday's ranked matchup 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

Reagan Kotschau

Hope Leyba

Michaela McGowan

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Soccer versus West Virginia on Sep 24, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer at Texas Tech on Sep 27, 2026 at 12 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer at UCF on Oct 2, 2026 at 5 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer versus Baylor on Oct 8, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Soccer versus Kansas on Oct 11, 2026 at 1 p.m.

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.

Results

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

Completed Event: Soccer versus New Mexico on September 3, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Soccer at Michigan State on August 30, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 3

Completed Event: Soccer at Western Michigan on August 27, 2026 , Tie , 0, to, 0

Completed Event: Soccer versus Cal State Fullerton on August 20, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 2

Completed Event: Soccer versus Army on August 16, 2026 , Win , 6, to, 0