CU Athlete of the Year back for second soccer season
Sophomore Nikki Marshall returns to CU after the most dominant freshman year in CU soccer history. As if NCAA soccer was not competitive enough, Marshall spent the past summer playing in England and Brazil for the U.S. Under-20 National Team.
Along with a trip to Manchester, England, Marshall traveled with the team to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the Pan American Games.
Marshall said she was glad to be able to participate in the competition.
“It was an amazing experience,” Marshall said. “I’ll never get to do again and, you know, I’m just privileged to be able to play with those girls, and the coaching is amazing, and just to play at that level against the best players in the world and the most fans in the world was amazing.”
On the U-20 National Team, Marshall played fullback as opposed to forward, which she played her freshman year at CU.
“I think I feel stronger playing forward just because that’s where I’ve played all my life,” Marshall said.
Marshall said that although she would prefer to play forward, she would be willing to move to wherever the Buffs needed her this season.
But there is no doubt that Marshall is a great forward.
She exploded onto the CU soccer scene in the home opener against Clemson University her freshman year with four goals. She broke the school record for goals and points in a game, the first of 17 records she broke that season.
Along with the school records, she earned 22 awards ranging from multiple Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards to 2006 First Team All Big 12.
Last season Colorado went 11-5-2, making it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Soccer Tournament before losing to the University of Notre Dame, 3-0. After a summer away from CU, Marshall felt that this season will see just as much success as the last, if not better.
“You know, I think that this program gets better and better every year, and we set our standards higher every year,” Marshall said. “I think that we can take it to the next level this year.”
The Buffs open their home season against the University of Utah Thursday, Sept. 6, at 4 p.m., at Prentup Field.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Margot Schneider at margot.schneider@thecampuspress.com.
