The No. 24 Colorado Buffaloes made quick work of New Mexico on Thursday night, using a fast start and a clean sheet to roll to a 3-0 win at Prentup Field.
Colorado needed only 14 minutes to seize control. Ruby Hayward opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finishing into the bottom-right corner after setup from Hope Leyba and Caley Swierenga. Then, after a corner from Reagan Kotschau, Leyba’s header smashed off the crossbar and Emma Thielbahr was in the right place at the right time, nodding home the rebound in the 14th minute for her first goal of the season.
By then, the tone was set. The Buffs owned the opening half, piling up a 12-2 edge in shots and an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal while earning all eight corner kicks before halftime. New Mexico didn’t even get its first shot until the 21st minute.
Leyba finished with a career-high two assists, while Hayward, Thielbahr and Michaela McGowan all scored. McGowan added the final blow in the 67th minute, ripping a shot across goal and into the upper-right corner for her fourth goal of the season, tying Kotschau for the team lead.
Freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish handled the rest, playing all 90 minutes and stopping all five shots she faced for her third win of the season and the shutout.
The result also carried some historical weight. Colorado picked up its 150th all-time win at Prentup Field, stretched its home unbeaten streak to 19, and improved to 4-1-1 on the season. The Buffs are now 4-0-1 all-time against New Mexico and have still never allowed a goal in the series.
Before kickoff, Ralphie returned to Prentup Field and ran on the pitch for the first time since 2022.
"I thought the energy tonight was fantastic from the supporters," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "And we got to take advantage of being at home."
"It was really important just to get momentum as a team and show that we're a really great team that can score great goals," H. Leyba said.
Colorado finished with a 21-10 advantage in shots, including 13 on target, and a 10-1 edge in corner kicks.
The Buffs stay at Prentup Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, when they host Utah State at 12 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and will include a pregame Mutton Bustin' event.
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