Colorado senior defender Faith Leyba turned in a weekend that showed exactly why her name ended up at the top of the Big 12’s weekly honors list.
The conference announced Wednesday that Leyba was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Buffaloes sweep Arizona and Arizona State on the road while also chipping in twice at the other end. Colorado won 4-0 over Arizona on Oct. 22 and followed with a 2-0 result against Arizona State on Oct. 25, with Leyba logging 170 minutes across the two matches.
Her impact in Tucson came on both sides of the ball. Colorado kept Arizona to five shots and didn’t allow a single shot on goal, then Leyba added the final touch in the 75th minute when she rose at the near post to head in a corner from Reagan Kotschau. That assist was Kotschau’s 10th of the season, tying the Colorado single-season record.
Three days later, Leyba made a key defensive play early against Arizona State. In the 22nd minute, she stepped to an attacker and poked the ball away to prevent an open chance at goal. She absorbed contact on the play but stayed in the game.
Later, she finished off the Sun Devils in the 62nd minute. After Kotschau drew a foul near midfield, Caley Swierenga served the free kick into the box, and Leyba climbed near the penalty spot to head it into the upper-right corner for a 2-0 lead.
Her work helped Colorado post two shutouts and reach 10 on the season, including five in Big 12 play. The two wins also completed a three-game road sweep that started at Kansas State.
The trip had extra meaning for Leyba, who returned to her home state with her twin sister, Hope Leyba. Both sisters scored in Sunday’s win, with Hope striking first before Faith added the second goal.
"We're just happy for our team. We all get to enjoy this together,"
Leyba’s two goals were her first of the season and gave her 2026 totals of two goals, two assists and six points in 17 starts. She was named to the 2026 MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List on Sept. 30, and her résumé already includes Third Team United Soccer Coaches All-American honors in 2025 along with First Team All-Big 12 recognition in each of the past two seasons.
Colorado, now 12-4-1 overall and 6-3-0 in Big 12 play, has clinched a spot in the Big 12 Tournament and returns to Prentup Field on Friday, Oct. 30, to host Cincinnati at 7 p.m. MT. The match will stream on ESPN+.
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