Phoenix Dawn Miranda traveled a long way to play college soccer. And she’s played plenty of it as well, owning a rotation spot throughout her four seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes.

Miranda, a native of Hawaii, hopes she and the Buffs can hold off the finish line for as long as possible. But one way or another, the end of the line is getting closer for Miranda and the rest of CU’s seniors.

The Buffs will honor nine departing seniors and, more importantly, try to get back on track with the team’s postseason fate in the balance going into the regular season finale against Utah on Friday night at Prentup Field (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Miranda will be one of the nine seniors who will be honored prior to the match.

“Honestly, It hasn’t really clicked to me yet,” Miranda said. “It’s just hard to believe my CU career is coming to an end within a few games, but hopefully not just within a few games. It just doesn’t feel real yet. I don’t know that it will hit me until the season is officially over, I feel like.”

Miranda has been a regular part of CU’s defense throughout her tenure, playing in 16 games with three starts as a freshman before appearing in 20 games with 13 starts as a sophomore. This season, she has played in all 17 games, starting all but one, as the CU defense has posted 10 shutouts. Although she hasn’t registered a point on the offensive end — Miranda scored her only career goal in last year’s season opener against Northern Colorado and owns four career assists — head coach Danny Sanchez believes Miranda is playing the best soccer of her CU career.

She came off the bench in this year’s season opener but has started every game since.

“Her career, to be honest, has been up and down,” Sanchez said. “Her first three years she showed some flashes of what she’s capable of. But I think this year is, by leaps and bounds, her best season. She’s taking care of business off the field. She’s taking care of business in the classroom. And on the field, she’s had her best season. She’s always had the athleticism, and to a certain extent the game is easy for her. But I think this year she’s really grown, and I couldn’t be more pleased with her.”

It has been a roller-coaster season for the Buffs, who at one point put together a 10-game unbeaten streak, tying the third-longest in program history. CU (10-3-4, 4-2-4 Big 12) would have been unbeaten through 12 games if not for a late meltdown in the second game of the season against North Carolina, one of the top programs in the nation.

The 10-game unbeaten streak came to a crashing halt with a 6-1 loss against TCU on Oct. 5, and the Buffs haven’t been the same since. CU takes a five-game winless streak (0-2-3) into Friday’s match and has slipped to No. 54 in the RPI after failing to score a goal in the past three games.

“A couple games we didn’t play great, but really especially the Central Florida, Cincinnati, and the second part of West Virginia, we’re playing well,” said Sanchez, whose club will continue the season next week at the Big 12 tournament. “You’ve just got to stick to your principles. (Goals) tend to come in bunches. It’s been a bit of a rough go for us, but the team still has a great spirit, still a ton to play for. We have confidence in them and we’ll keep pushing.”