The Colorado Buffaloes came away from Kalamazoo with a point on Thursday, settling for a scoreless draw with Western Michigan at the WMU Soccer Complex. It was Colorado’s first tie of the 2026 season, moving the Buffs to 3-0-1 as they turn their attention to Michigan State.
This was the first meeting between the programs, and Colorado did plenty to press the issue. The Buffs finished with a 12-8 edge in shots and put seven attempts on target, while Western Michigan managed three shots on goal.
Colorado’s goalkeeping tandem was central to the result. Brooke Goerish made her first collegiate start and handled two saves, while Jamie Campbell took over in the second half and delivered the stop that preserved the shutout in the closing seconds after a Western Michigan corner kick.
Hope Leyba was active from the opening minutes, creating two dangerous looks in the box early and forcing a save from the Broncos. Colorado kept the pressure on throughout the half, and Lexi Meyer hammered a shot off the crossbar as the Buffs continued to generate chances.
Goerish came up with two important saves in the first half, but Western Michigan found a little more rhythm late in the period. Its best look came in the 42nd minute off a free kick, when Reagan Sulaver’s shot in the box was blocked by Colorado defender Lillie Quinlivan Coulson. Even with Colorado controlling the chances and outshooting the Broncos 6-3 before halftime, the match stayed scoreless.
The pressure didn’t let up after the break. Colorado added three shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half, including a Hope Leyba header in the box in the 67th minute. Michaela McGowan also had one of the better looks of the night, sending a shot from just outside the box over the crossbar.
Western Michigan nearly broke through with 10 minutes remaining, when a shot in the box off an inswinging corner kick drifted inches from the goal line before Campbell got there in time to smother it. Then, in the final 15 seconds, the Broncos sent a header toward the bottom right corner off another corner kick, but Campbell turned away the last chance to lock in the 0-0 draw.
Colorado heads to East Lansing for its first road game against Michigan State on Aug. 30 at 9 a.m.
In Other News...
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The changes also reach beyond the seating bowl, with a pregame street party called Ralphies Road set to bring food trucks, a giant TV, a DJ and interactive games into the mix. Colorado opens its 2026 season at Georgia Tech before coming back to Boulder, where the program will find out how much these additions can help turn Folsom Field into the kind of edge the Buffaloes want every week. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Suddenly Faces Two Painful Roster Questions After Eligibility Blow
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Deion Sanders also addressed the situation, but the broader concern now stretches beyond one player and into the teams overall depth chart planning. With Christensen out of the equation, Colorado has to keep sorting through other roster issues as well, including potential competition among its kickers, a reminder that even one legal setback can ripple through several parts of a team at once. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Restored Receiver Group Faces One Big Opener Concern
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The timing also matters because Colorado is turning to new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, whose system should benefit from having more options available on the perimeter. Sanders had already said both receivers would be back in time for the opener, and while their presence at practice is encouraging, the bigger question now is how quickly they can be fully integrated once the full-speed work begins. [Read more 🡒]