Faith Leyba (born July 5, 2005) is an American college soccer player who plays as a center back for the Colorado Buffaloes. She is the twin sister of Colorado teammate Hope Leyba.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 5, 2005 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | Center back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Colorado Buffaloes | ||
| Number | 44 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Utah Royals FC-AZ | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Colorado Buffaloes | 67 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | United States U-23 | 1 | (1) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals as of April 10, 2026 | |||
Early life
editLeyba grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the daughter of Joe and Kelly Leyba, and has a twin sister and older brother.[1] Her sister, Hope, plays with her at Colorado.[2] They were born as monoamniotic twins and given a 40% chance of survival.[3] They began playing soccer together in first grade.[4] During college, they wore differently colored cleats so their coaches could tell them apart.[3] Leyba played club soccer for the Utah Royals FC-AZ academy, earning ECNL all-conference honors, and attended Boulder Creek High School, where she played one season.[1]
College career
editLeyba started all 21 games and scored 3 goals for the Colorado Buffaloes as a freshman in 2023, earning third-team Pac-12 Conference and all-freshman honors.[1] TopDrawerSoccer named her in the Best XI freshmen in the nation.[5] Following the program's move to the Big 12 Conference, she again started all 22 games and was named first-team All-Big 12 as a sophomore in 2024.[1] In her junior year in 2025, she started all 24 games and scored 4 goals as the Buffaloes set multiple program records, including most wins and most goals.[6] She closed the season strong with three goals in the last four games as Colorado reached the NCAA tournament third round.[7] She was named first-team All-Big 12 and third-team All-American after the season.[1]
Honors and awards
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 "Faith Leyba". Colorado Buffaloes. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Leyba Twins Making an Impact". Colorado Buffaloes. October 4, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- 1 2 King, Bradey (November 12, 2025). "Hope and Faith: Twin sisters power CU soccer's record-breaking season". KMGH-TV. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ↑ Loma-Guzman, Aramis (October 15, 2025). "Hope Leyba's record-breaking season a testament to work ethic and dedication". Sko Buffs Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ "2023 Women's Dl Postseason Awards". TopDrawerSoccer. December 13, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- ↑ Newman, Kyle (November 14, 2025). "Twins Hope, Faith Leyba have CU Buffs soccer eyeing deep NCAA Tournament run". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ↑ Schmaedeke, Chris (November 23, 2025). "Colorado soccer's NCAA Tournament run ends with loss to Michigan State in Sweet 16". The Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2025.