BOULDER - Colorado didn’t just beat No. 7 Baylor on Thursday night. The Buffaloes put together a clean, complete 3-0 win at Prentup Field and handed the Bears a result that ended a nine-game unbeaten run.
Hope Leyba was at the center of it all. The forward scored twice, Jace Holley added the third goal, and Colorado walked away with its eighth home victory of the season. The Buffs moved to 9-3-1 overall and 3-2-0 in Big 12 play, while Baylor dropped to 10-2-1 and 3-1-1 in conference.
“This is a good team that doesn't give up goals," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "I thought we played really well.”
Leyba’s brace also pushed her into a new spot in the Colorado record book. With 41 career goals, she moved into sole possession of third on the program’s all-time scoring list, passing Taylor Kornieck.
“It gives me something to work for," said Leyba, about setting program records. "And it's really exciting. And I like how it brings my whole family together and my teammates too."
Holley’s goal was just as meaningful for a different reason. It was her first of the season after she missed the first nine matches because of injury.
“It means a lot to me because coming back from injury is hard," Holley said. "Getting back into the swing of things, getting back into the lineup and playing with your teammates, it's hard. So it means a lot to get a goal, and the energy's just gonna build from there."
Colorado also got another strong night from Brooke Goerish, who earned her fifth solo shutout of the season. The two-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week finished with six saves, including a diving stop in the 59th minute on a Baylor shot from Noelle Sather.
“Fantastic," Sanchez said about Goerish's performance. "You know, she didn't have to make a ton of big saves, but man, that save she made when it was maybe 2-0, maybe 1-0. World class.”
The Buffs struck first in the 11th minute. After passes from Berkley Mensik and Reagan Kotschau, Leyba carried the ball to the right side of the box and finished to the top center of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Baylor threatened soon after. Aryanna Jimison forced Goerish into a full-stretch save in the 14th minute, and the Bears put another shot on goal in the 22nd minute that was also turned away.
Colorado doubled the margin in the 42nd minute. Kotschau lifted an aerial ball to Holley, who played it into the box for Leyba. Leyba headed it over Baylor goalkeeper Azul Alvarez to make it 2-0 before halftime.
At the break, Colorado had seven shots to Baylor’s three and held a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. Neither side had earned a corner kick.
The second half brought more pressure from Colorado and more work for Alvarez, who stopped Michaela McGowan’s shot in the 49th minute. Then came Goerish’s biggest moment, a flying save on Sather’s attempt to the top right corner in the 59th minute.
The final goal arrived in the 67th minute. Meyer sent the ball to Phillips, who crossed it into the box, and Holley dove for the header, sending it into the bottom left corner for a 3-0 Colorado lead.
The Buffs kept pushing late and earned their fourth corner kick in the 84th minute, though they couldn’t add on. The final whistle sealed the shutout in front of 1,277 fans.
“We need this crowd for Kansas. Kansas is a very good team," Sanchez said.
Colorado stays in Boulder for its next match against Kansas on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. MT.
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