The No. 17 Colorado Buffaloes are back at Prentup Field on Friday with plenty of momentum and no shortage of reasons to like where they stand.
After a three-match road swing that brought nine points and a spot in the Big 12 Tournament, Colorado returns to Boulder riding a three-game winning streak. The Buffs (12-4-1, 6-3-0 Big 12) blanked Arizona and Arizona State to finish the trip, outscoring Kansas State, Arizona and Arizona State by a 9-2 margin. They now sit on 18 conference points with two regular-season matches left and an 8-1 home record.
“I think there's a lot of parity in the league, and we're excited to be there," Head Coach Danny Sanchez said following Sunday's win at Arizona State. "But we still got work to get done in the regular season."
Colorado’s latest road result came in Tempe, where sisters Hope and Faith Leyba both headed in goals in their home state. Hope struck first in the 33rd minute, and Faith added the second in the 62nd to finish off the 2-0 win over Arizona State.
Hope Leyba’s goal was her 10th of the season and the 42nd of her Colorado career, tying Nikki Marshall for second in program history. She needs one more to move into sole possession of second place.
Faith Leyba, meanwhile, has now scored in back-to-back matches against Arizona and Arizona State, and her work on both ends of the field earned her Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Wednesday. The senior defender was also named to the MAC Hermann Trophy midseason watch list earlier this season after earning 2025 Third Team United Soccer Coaches All-American honors.
Freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish posted seven saves against Arizona State for her sixth solo shutout of the season. Colorado has stacked up 10 team shutouts through 17 matches, including six at Prentup Field.
The Buffs have been getting production all over the field. Senior midfielder Reagan Kotschau leads the team with 28 points on nine goals and 10 assists, and her 10 assists match Colorado’s single-season record. Michaela McGowan has added six goals, while Jace Holley has given the attack another option since returning to the lineup.
At home, Colorado has been sharp and ruthless. The Buffs have outscored opponents 27-4 in Boulder this season, and they’ve put 10 goals on the board across their last three Big 12 road matches while allowing just two. That stretch began with a 3-2 comeback win at Kansas State before the consecutive shutouts against the Arizona schools.
Cincinnati comes in looking for its own footing in the league. The Bearcats (4-7-5, 2-5-2 Big 12) beat Kansas State 1-0 on Sunday behind a ninth-minute goal from junior forward Tiana Campbell, their second conference win of the season.
Campbell has been Cincinnati’s main source of offense, leading the team with six goals and accounting for half of its 12 goals this year. Bryana Gaynor has added two goals.
In goal, Amber Brandon made four saves against Kansas State to record her fifth career shutout. Cincinnati has allowed 17 goals in 16 matches and carries a 1.06 goals-against average into Friday.
The Bearcats have also taken some tight losses in Big 12 play, falling 2-1 to Baylor and 1-0 to BYU, while drawing Kansas and Houston. Away from home, they are 1-6-1, with the lone road win coming against Northern Kentucky on Sept.
“They're a tough out. They're coached well.
They don't give you a lot. We have to be able to find a goal,” Sanchez said of Cincinnati.
Colorado owns a 2-0-1 edge in the all-time series. The teams last met in Cincinnati on Oct. 17, 2024, and that game ended scoreless. Friday will be Cincinnati’s first trip to Boulder since Colorado’s 1-0 win in 2015.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT at Prentup Field, with the match streaming on ESPN+.
Colorado closes the regular season against Oklahoma State on Thursday, Nov. 5.
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