Hope Leyba (born July 5, 2005) is an American college soccer player who plays as a striker for the Colorado Buffaloes. She earned first-team All-American honors after leading the nation in goals in 2025. She is the twin sister of Colorado teammate Faith Leyba.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 5, 2005 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Colorado Buffaloes | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Utah Royals FC-AZ | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Colorado Buffaloes | 63 | (31) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | United States U-23 | 1 | (0) |
| ‡ 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, Faith, 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 Real Salt Lake's academy in Arizona, earning ECNL All-American honors.[5] She committed to Colorado during her junior year at Boulder Creek High School, where she scored 32 goals in 16 games in her lone high school season.[1][6]
College career
editLeyba started all 21 games for the Colorado Buffaloes as a freshman in 2023, but scored only twice despite ranking second on the team in shots and shots on goal.[4] She led the Buffaloes with 8 goals in 22 games as a sophomore in 2024, closing the season strong with three goals in four games in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.[7] She built on that form in her junior year in 2025, opening the season with goals in five consecutive games and netting two hat tricks by her tenth game, becoming the first Buffalo to score multiple hat tricks in one season.[8] She broke Nikki Martin's single-season program record after reaching 19 goals in 19 games.[9] She helped the team set multiple program records including most wins and made the NCAA tournament third round.[10] She finished the season with 22 goals in 24 games, tied for first in the nation, and was named first-team All-Big 12, first-team All-American, and the Big 12 Forward of the Year.[1]
International career
editLeyba was called into United States national team development camp, training concurrently with the senior national team, in January 2026.[11]
Honors and awards
editIndividual
- First-team All-American: 2025
- First-team All-Big 12: 2025
- Big 12 Forward of the Year: 2025
- NCAA Division I goals leader: 2025
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Hope Leyba". Colorado Buffaloes. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "ECNL Girls 2022-23 All-American Teams". Elite Clubs National League. August 24, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Clark, Travis (August 9, 2021). "SIMA Recruiting Roundup: August 9-15". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Rooney, Pat (November 21, 2024). "Women's soccer: Red-hot Hope Leyba leads CU Buffs into NCAA 2nd round at Wake Forest". Daily Camera. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Rooney, Pat (September 25, 2025). "Hope Leyba hat trick makes history as CU Buffs soccer tops Iowa State". Daily Camera. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Rooney, Pat (October 29, 2025). "Jordan Nytes, Hope Leyba honored again as CU Buffs eye shot at Big 12 title". Daily Camera. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "24 Players Named To U.S. National Team Development Camp Which Will Run Concurrently With USWNT Training Camp in Los Angeles". United States Soccer Federation. January 15, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.