Ava Priest was just 16 when she decided to leave Boulder High early to test her skills at the highest level of college soccer.
Priest has fit in, and produced, like an old pro from the moment she set foot on campus.
Among several talented returnees that have heightened the expectations this season for the Colorado women's soccer team is Priest, a homegrown standout who ended last season on a hot streak. The Buffaloes are hopeful she will be part of the regular routine when the 2025 season kicks off on Thursday at home against Michigan State (7 p.m., ESPN+).
"I do have high expectations for myself and my team this year," Priest said. "I think with a lot of these new transfers and these new incoming freshmen, just working with them ... the stronger your team is, the better you can play. So, just building off of that and hopefully I can do better than I did last year, just keep progressing."
Priest has played in all 42 games in her two seasons with the Buffs, starting all but one during her freshman season.
After recording two goals and 6 assists as a freshman -- during what was supposed to be her senior year of high school -- Priest elevated her game last year.
Priest finished with six goals and a team-leading five assists, with her 17 points trailing team leader Hope Leyba (eight goals, two assists) by one. She played a leading role in a late surge that sent the Buffs into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring the winning goal in a win against Utah in the first round of the Big 12 tournament before scoring in each of the two NCAA Tournament games.
With 11 assists in two seasons, Priest is on pace to become just the fourth CU player to record 20 assists in her career, and a run at the program record of 24 career assists (shared by Fran Munnelly and Taylor Kornieck) isn't out of the question.
Although she's a junior now, Priest's early enrollment means she's still only scratching the surface of her potential. In June, Priest and CU teammate Faith Leyba were among 42 players invited to a U.S. Women's Soccer College Talent ID camp, hosted by U.S. Soccer. On a CU team rich with returning high-profile starters, like the Leyba twins and goalie Jordan Nytes, Priest's continued ascendance might be another key component in the Buffs' quest to earn a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
"Ava's very hard on herself, and I don't think at times she realizes her potential," CU head coach Danny Sanchez said. "She was 16 years-old in the preseason her first year. We moved her to a different spot last year and she was fantastic at the end of the year. She trained this summer with an NWSL team for a couple weeks. And she was at a national team camp finally, which is another great experience. I think she's going to have an even more breakout season this year.
"If we're going to compete for championships, by osmosis the players that maybe don't play are going to get better. But at the end of the day, if you're going to win a championship, your best players have to be better. That's the task we put on Ava and some of our other players."