Colorado Buffaloes junior foward, Reagan Kotschau, kicks the ball against the University of Utah Valley on Friday, Nov. 14th, 2025 (Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
Soccer is a game of inches, and the Buffaloes came about eight inches short of extending their season to the Elite Eight. Instead, Colorado heads back to Boulder after a heartbreaking loss to the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday, Nov. 23.
“The further you go, the more it hurts,” head coach Danny Sanchez said.
The No. 12-ranked Colorado Buffaloes (17-4-3) fell to the No. 9 Spartans (15-3-6) 2-1 in the Sweet 16.
Michigan State drew first blood just 46 seconds into the NCAA Tournament match when an unmarked junior Bella Najera put a strong stroke on the ball from inside the 18-yard box, putting the Buffs in an early 1-0 hole.
As the Spartans continued to fire shots at senior goalkeeper Jordan Nytes, she stopped the next five attempts, holding strong as Michigan State kept its foot on the accelerator.
After surviving the storm, the Buffs, seemingly unfazed by the first minute goal, began to chip away at the Michigan State lead, powering three shots in a four-minute span while generating plenty of opportunities in front of Michigan State’s goalkeeper Noelle Henning.
Colorado Buffaloes junior foward, Hope Leyba, playing against the University of Utah Valley on Friday, Nov. 14th, 2025 (Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
A Colorado corner kick in the 33rd minute was punched away by Henning directly to the foot of junior defender Faith Leyba. Leyba rifled a shot through traffic and into the back of the net, tying the game at 1–1. That score held into halftime.
Michigan State had an opportunity to go ahead in the 50th minute, when junior Kennedy Bell found herself one-on-one with Nytes, firing a shot between Nytes’ legs. The senior keeper was able to get enough of her body on it to stop it from finding nylon.
The Spartans used the momentum to usurp the Buffs’ defense when Jordan Whiteaker battled Bell at the top of the 18-yard box. Bell appeared to swerve into Whiteaker’s path while slowing down, initiating contact and hitting the deck, all without possession. The referees called a foul regardless, and the video review was determined to be about nine inches inside the penalty box, awarding the Spartans with a penalty kick in the 56th minute.
Najera, who scored in the opening minute, sent her shot into the top-right corner as Nytes dove left along the goal line, putting MSU ahead 2–1.
Colorado Buffaloes Women’s Soccer, huddling before they face University of Utah Valley on Friday, Nov. 14th, 2025 (Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
With their season on the line, the Buffs’ offense got to work, generating three corner kicks and three shots in a six minute span following the Spartans’ goal.
Michigan State began to control the midfield and limit the number of connections for Colorado as the minutes trickled off the clock.
The offense began to look to their star striker, Hope Leyba, who had 22 goal tallies on the season.
As time continued to burn, junior Ava Priest skipped a pass along the baseline and through multiple Spartans defenders, towards Leyba, who turned on the ball but couldn’t bend her shot on goal as the Buffs’ final opportunity soared wide right.
The 2-1 score stood as the Buffaloes would be sent home just short of their first Elite Eight NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
“It was a great match, everything you expected out of a Sweet 16,” Sanchez said. “There are 350 teams in the country that would love to have the opportunity to play in this match, and it didn’t go our way today, but we’re excited for the future of Buffs soccer.”
Senior captain Nytes finished with seven saves to cap off her three-year career in the black and gold.
“[Nytes] is the best keeper in the country, and she made a couple of saves that she needed to make,” Sanchez said. “Obviously, disappointed to lose on a penalty like that, but that’s soccer.”
This season, the Buffs recorded the most wins (17), goals (59), assists (66) and points (184) in program history. Nytes broke the program record for shutouts in a career (26) and Leyba broke the single-season goal record with 22 to cap off a historic 2025 season.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu.
