Hope Leyba
American soccer player (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hope Leyba (born July 5, 2005) is an American college soccer player who plays as a striker for the Colorado Buffaloes. She was named first-team All-American after setting a program record and leading the nation with 24 goals in 2025.
| 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 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Colorado Buffaloes | 63 | (31) |
Early life
Leyba grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the daughter of Joe and Kelly Leyba, and has a twin sister and older brother. Her sister, Faith, plays with her as a defender at Colorado.[1][2] The twins began playing soccer together in first grade.[3] Leyba played club soccer for Real Salt Lake's academy in Arizona, earning ECNL All-American honors.[4] 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 as a senior.[1][5]
College career
Leyba 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.[3] 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.[6] She built on that form as a junior 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.[7] She broke Nikki Martin's single-season program record after reaching 19 goals in as many games.[8] She helped the team set multiple program records including most wins and made the NCAA tournament third round.[9] She finished the season with 24 goals in 24 games, tied for first in the nationa, and was named first-team All-Big 12, first-team All-American, and the Big 12 Forward of the Year.[1]
International career
Leyba was called into United States national team development camp, training concurrently with the senior national team, in January 2026.[10]
Honors and awards
Individual
- First-team All-American: 2025
- First-team All-Big 12: 2025
- Big 12 Forward of the Year: 2025
- NCAA Division I goals leader: 2025