BOULDER - Colorado’s first Sweet 16 team still has a way of showing up in the present tense.
The clearest reminder came on Nov. 12, 2006, when freshman Nikki Marshall kept after a loose ball in a snowstorm at Prentup Field and finished the job on her second try. Her goal with 11 minutes left gave Colorado a 2-1 win over Denver and sent the Buffaloes to their first NCAA Sweet 16. The moment landed after senior Allie True slipped Marshall through, and it capped an afternoon that shifted from sunshine to heavy snow.
“We’re making history right now, and it’s amazing,” senior Katie Griffin said afterward.
That team’s postseason path looks a lot like the one Colorado is walking now. The 2026 Buffs reached Wednesday’s Big 12 semifinal against top-seeded BYU, pushed the Cougars through 110 minutes, and then fell 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout after a 1-1 draw. Colorado is now 15-4-2 and has six wins and a draw in its last seven matches while waiting on the NCAA Tournament field.
The 2006 group had its own late-season surge after a rough patch. It dropped three straight conference matches in October, then closed the regular season with four straight wins without giving up a goal. In the Big 12 tournament, Colorado beat Kansas on penalties after a 1-1 quarterfinal draw, then answered even bigger against Texas A&M.
That semifinal against the Aggies turned fast. Colorado was down 2-0 less than 12 minutes in, but Brittany Dornseif scored and Marshall tied it with 3:30 left in regulation. Marshall then struck again in the second overtime, giving the Buffs their first win over Texas A&M in 16 meetings.
“That’s the biggest goal I’ve ever scored, for sure,” Marshall said afterward.
Colorado then played Texas for the Big 12 title for the second straight year. Alex Cousins headed in Griffin’s free kick to level the match, and the teams stayed tied 1-1 through double overtime before the Longhorns won the championship in a 5-4 shootout.
“It was a hard way to end the week,” Griffin said after the final. “But I’m very proud of my team and how we all played together this tournament. Now it’s time to move forward and prepare for the NCAA Tournament.”
The response came quickly. Five days later, Colorado hosted NCAA Tournament games for the first time and opened against Colorado College at Prentup. Trailing 1-0, Griffin scored twice in 90 seconds, with Allison Kidd assisting both, and the Buffs escaped with a 2-1 win.
Two days after that, Griffin added a penalty kick against Denver before Marshall delivered the winner in the snow. Griffin scored three of Colorado’s four goals that weekend, and Marshall’s deciding finish was her 17th of the season.
The run ended with a 3-0 loss at top-ranked Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, and Colorado finished 14-6-4. Seniors Griffin, Laura Munnelly and True closed their careers with 56 victories and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
“I think throughout this season and especially after we got into that slump, it was all about playing for your seniors,” Marshall said after the Notre Dame match. “I think that’s going to be there forever; play for these guys, even though they’re not here. We’re going to carry on their legacy because they’ve taught us so much.”
Now another Colorado team is carrying its own late-season story into November. Hope Leyba’s equalizer in Monday’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Kansas was the 43rd goal of her career, moving her past Marshall into second place in school history. Reagan Kotschau then scored the winner with 1:07 left to send the Buffs into the semifinals.
Leyba added her 44th career goal against BYU, leaving her three behind Shyra James’ school record of 47. She nearly won it late, too, but BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson stopped her header with 28 seconds left in the second overtime.
Colorado held BYU scoreless for the final 90 minutes and allowed just one shot on goal after halftime. Freshman Brooke Goerish made a save in the second overtime to keep the match level.
The Buffs will learn their NCAA Tournament fate Monday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. MT.
“But like I told the team, we got plenty to play for, and we’re excited for the NCAA tournament,” Sanchez said.
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