Colorado Soccer's Historic Season Earns National Recognition as Nytes, Leyba Headline MAC Hermann Semifinalists
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The postseason spotlight just keeps getting brighter for Colorado soccer. On Tuesday, two of the Buffs’ biggest stars - goalkeeper Jordan Nytes and forward Hope Leyba - were named semifinalists for the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in NCAA Division I soccer. And that’s not all - five Buffs earned All-Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches, capping off what’s been a landmark year for the program.
Nytes and Leyba are among 15 semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy, and Colorado is in elite company - one of just four programs with multiple players on the list, joining Stanford, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt. That’s the kind of company that signals a program on the rise.
Let’s start with Nytes, who has been nothing short of sensational between the posts. The senior from Aurora, Colo., set a school record with 17 wins this season and was a wall in net all year long.
Her resume is stacked: three-time Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year, 2024 All-American, and now a semifinalist for the sport’s top honor. She posted seven shutouts this season and now owns the Colorado career record with 26 clean sheets in just three seasons.
Her 121 saves rank fifth in the nation, and she matched her career-high with 12 saves in a second-round NCAA Tournament win over Xavier - a performance that showed just how clutch she is when the lights are brightest.
Nytes has also been consistent, earning three Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week nods this season, bringing her career total to 10 - the most by any keeper since the award launched in 2020-21. She’s not just a force on the field either; Nytes was named Co-Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2025. She’s been on the radar since the preseason Hermann Watch List, and now she’s one step closer to the biggest individual honor in college soccer.
Then there’s Hope Leyba - the offensive engine that powered Colorado’s attack all season. The Phoenix native entered the year with 10 goals in 43 career games.
This season alone? She’s netted 22 in just 24 matches, leading the entire nation in goals.
That’s not just a breakout - that’s a takeover.
Leyba rewrote the Buffs’ record books this fall, setting new program highs for goals (22) and points (45) in a single season. Her scoring touch earned her Big 12 Forward of the Year honors, and she became the first CU player ever to record multiple hat tricks in the same season.
She opened the year on fire, scoring in each of the Buffs’ first five matches - including three multi-goal games - and totaled nine goals in that stretch alone. She added another five-game scoring streak later in the season, helping CU go 4-0-1 in that span with seven goals to her name.
Leyba’s stats jump off the page: fourth in the NCAA in total points, fourth in goals per game (0.92), and top 10 nationally in points per game, shots per game, and shots on goal per game. She was added to the Midseason Hermann Watch List and is also a finalist for Top Drawer Soccer’s Player of the Year. Simply put, she’s been unstoppable.
Nytes and Leyba weren’t the only Buffs to shine this season. Sophomore forward Jace Holley, junior defender Faith Leyba, and junior midfielder Reagan Kotschau also earned All-Region recognition - with Holley and F.
Leyba joining Nytes and H. Leyba on the First Team.
Holley, a Fort Collins product, had a breakout sophomore campaign. She finished with 12 goals and 6 assists - all career highs - and ranked fifth in the Big 12 in both points (30) and goals.
She started all 24 matches and scored two braces this season, including a five-point explosion (1 goal, 3 assists) against Fordham. Her numbers are the best ever by a CU sophomore, and she earned First Team All-Big 12 honors for her efforts.
F. Leyba, a two-time First Team All-Big 12 defender, was the anchor of Colorado’s back line.
She started every match and led all Buffs field players in minutes with 2,093. Not only was she a defensive stalwart, contributing to all seven of CU’s shutouts, but she also chipped in offensively with career highs in goals (4), assists (4), and points (12).
Then there’s Kotschau, who quietly had one of the most clutch seasons in CU history. The junior from Thornton, Colo., finished with career highs in goals (7) and points (20), and matched her best mark in assists (6).
She started every match and tied for the team lead with six game-winning goals - including both winners in Colorado’s NCAA Tournament victories. Her double-overtime strike against Utah Valley will go down as one of the biggest goals in program history.
She also converted one of CU’s two penalty kicks this season and led the team with four points across three tournament games.
All eyes now turn to Dec. 10, when the three women’s finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy will be announced. The winner will be revealed at the annual banquet in St.
Louis on Jan. 9, 2026.
For Colorado, the accolades are piling up - and they’re well-earned. This is a team that made serious noise on the national stage, and with talent like this, the Buffs aren’t just a feel-good story. They’re a force.