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PREVIEW | #1 UCCS gets set for a Rematch Against #16 Mines in the RMAC Final

11/13/2019 12:58:00 PM

By: Jake Wise - Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
This Week's Games
  • The #1 University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's soccer team will face off against the second seed and #16 Colorado School of Mines (CSM) for the RMAC Tournament Championship this Saturday, November 16.
  • The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. inside Mountain Lion Stadium.
Game Coverage Last Time Out
  • #1 UCCS won both matchups last weekend in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the RMAC Tournament against Colorado State University – Pueblo (CSUP) and Westminster College (WC) respectively.
  • In the quarterfinals, UCCS cruised past CSUP with relative ease, scoring two first half goals and three second half goals for their 5-0 victory. UCCS outshot CSUP 26-9 overall, including 12-4 in shots on goal.
  • Kelsey Lanham got things going for UCCS in the sixth minute to give UCCS a 1-0 lead early. Exactly 20 minutes later, Savannah Mills scored the game's second goal off an assist from Aleesa Muir, giving UCCS a 2-0 halftime lead.
  • The second half featured more dominance from the Mountain Lions as Tanner Sanders made it 3-0 in the 50th minute off an assist from Shanade Hopcroft. Less than two minutes later, Mills found the net for her second goal of the game, assist to Nicolette Sandoval, to make the score 4-0.
  • Then, for good measure, Amelia Junge scored UCCS' fifth goal in the 87th minute off an assist from Kendall Stevenson to propel UCCS to the RMAC Semifinals.
  • The semifinals presented a much tougher task for UCCS as Westminster came to play. UCCS would eventually claim the 1-0 victory in a very intense matchup.
  • The first half was a hard fought, physical matchup that would end with the scored tied 0-0, marking only the fifth game this season in which UCCS did not score a first half goal. The Mountain Lions outshot WC 8-3 in the half, including 3-2 in shots on goal.
  • In the second half, UCCS came out aggressive and showed how much they wanted this victory. Their aggressiveness paid off in the 56th minute as Kaitlin Hinkle scored what would prove to be the game winning goal off a rebound from a shot by Hopcroft, with Hopcroft getting credit for the assist.
  • For the remainder of the half, UCCS tightened up defensively and did not allow a shot on goal, effectively sending them to the RMAC Championship.
  • Keeper Mollee Swift accumulated six saves in the two games combined, including two crucial saves against WC.
RMAC Tournament
  • After the first weekend of the RMAC Tournament, the final two teams remaining are the first and second seeds.
  • #1 UCCS defeated eighth seed CSUP (5-0) and outlasted fourth seed Westminster (1-0) on their path to the RMAC Final.
  • Second seed and #16 CSM took down seventh seed Fort Lewis College (3-0) and sixth seed Metropolitan State University of Denver (2-0) to get to the Championship game.
The Series
  • Against CSM, UCCS has an all-time record of 5-14-1. However, four of those wins have come in the last three seasons where UCCS is 4-2 against CSM. The Mountain Lions won the most recent matchup earlier this season in a 2-1 double overtime thriller.
  • UCCS also has a 2-1 postseason record against CSM in the last two seasons and will look to avenge last season's RMAC Championship loss.
Scouting the Opponent
  • CSM has an overall record of 17-2-1, which includes an 11-1-1 RMAC record and their two wins in the RMAC Tournament leading up to this game. Their 15-2-1 record was good enough to earn them the second seed in the RMAC.
  • The Orediggers have scored 54 goals on 404 shots (198 on goal) and allowed only eight goals this season, which includes outscoring their two RMAC Tournament opponents 5-0. CSM also has 32 assists (three postseason), 93 corner kicks (five postseason) and a shots on goal percentage of 49 percent (48.6 percent postseason).
  • Individually, Nicole LaTourette and Emi Higgins are the top goal scorers for CSM with eight each, while LaTourette adds four assists for her team high 20 points. This postseason, LaTourette has scored one goal while Meg Zimmerman, Chaney Brugman and Lindsey Tornabene have scored in the RMAC Tournament as well.
  • Keeper Shannon Mooney has allowed eight goals this season, racked up 60 saves and has a save percentage of 88.2 percent.
Hot Takes
  • UCCS has made it to the RMAC Championship for the third consecutive year and aims to get their 20th straight win this season.
  • Five different Mountain Lions found the net this weekend and four different players recorded assists.
  • As a team, UCCS currently has 66 goals and 52 assists. Those numbers shatter the previous UCCS single season records for goals and assists by a team, which was set last season (62 and 39 respectively).
  • Junior Kelsey Lanham scored the first goal of the postseason for UCCS, giving her two goals and five points this season.
  • Sophomore Savannah Mills found the net twice against CSUP on Friday, giving her seven goals and 17 points this season, both of which rank fourth on the team. Those two goals also give Mills 15 for her career, which is tied for the seventh most all-time in UCCS history.
  • Freshman Tanner Sanders netted her 11th goal of the season, further extending her UCCS freshman season record, and her first career postseason goal for UCCS. Sanders now has 27 points thanks to five additional assists this season, which ranks second on the team. Furthermore, Sanders has set the UCCS record for assists in a freshman season (five) and points in a freshman season (27), and has the tied the number for third most points by any UCCS player in an individual season (tied with Tarah Patterson).
  • Sophomore Amelia Junge scored her fourth goal of the season against CSUP on Friday, which is tied for the fifth most on the team.
  • Freshman Kaitlin Hinkle tallied her 10th goal of the season in game winning fashion against Westminster on Sunday, giving her 24 points this season, both of which are third most on the team. Hinkle's 10th goal also means she owns the second most goals by a UCCS freshman in a single season, trailing only Sanders by one goal.
  • Redshirt junior Shanade Hopcroft, senior Aleesa Muir, sophomore Kendall Stevenson and freshman Nicolette Sandoval all tallied assists last weekend, with Hopcroft recording two.
  • Hopcroft's two assists give her 11 this season and 37 total points. She has now set the UCCS single season record for assists and points, and now ranks fourth (tied) and eighth (tied) in UCCS history for each category respectively.
  • Muir and Stevenson both recorded their fourth assists this year, which is tied for the third most on the team and marks career highs for each player respectively. Sandoval now has three assists this year and seven total points.
  • Keeper Mollee Swift now has six shutouts and 36 saves this season, ranking her third (tied) and ninth all-time in UCCS history.
Award Winners
  • Prior to Saturday's RMAC Championship game, several members of the UCCS women's soccer team will be honored for their accomplishments this season.
  • Coach Sian Hudson, Shanade Hopcroft and Tanner Sanders will be honored for winning RMAC Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year respectively.
Weather
  • The forecast for Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, November 16 shows a high of 59 degrees with possible afternoon rain showers (30 percent chance of precipitation). Winds are expected to gust up to 15 miles per hour.
RMAC Leaders
  • As a team, UCCS ranks first in the RMAC in goals scored (66), goals allowed (eight, tied), scoring average (3.474), average margin of victory (3.05), assists (52), assists per game (2.737), points (184) and points per game (9.68).
  • UCCS also ranks second in opponents scoring average (.42) and save percentage (86.7 percent).
  • Individually, Shanade Hopcroft is still leading the RMAC offensively with 13 goals (.722 per game), 11 assists (.611 per game), 37 points (2.05 per game), 80 shots (4.44 per game) and 38 shots on goal (2.11 per game).
  • Tanner Sanders ranks second in the RMAC in goals (11) and points (27), third in goals per game (.579), fourth in points per game (1.42), fifth in assists (five), sixth in assists per game (.263) and 10th in shots on goal and shots on goal per game (21, 1.05).
  • Kaitlin Hinkle ranks first in the RMAC in game winning goals (five, tied) third in goals (10, tied), fourth in points (24) and goals per game (.526), and fifth in points per game.
  • Savannah Mills ranks second in the RMAC in points per game (1.55), and goals per game (.636), seventh in points (17) and ninth in goals (seven).
  • Keeper Mollee Swift ranks first in the RMAC in goals allowed (six) and goals against average (.41), second in shutouts (six) and third in save percentage (85.7 percent).
UCCS Under Coach Sian Hudson
  • UCCS is now 52-8-4 under coach Hudson in her three-year tenure. The team's 19 wins this season are already the most in a single season with Hudson leading the team. The Mountain Lions now have a 6-1-1 record in the RMAC Tournament under Hudson and Saturday's RMAC Championship game will be the third consecutive appearance for UCCS in the Championship with Hudson at the helm.
Upcoming Games
  • After Saturday's RMAC Championship, NCAA Regionals will be on the radar for #1 UCCS. The official rankings and matchups for the NCAA Tournament will be released on Monday, November 18 at 4 p.m. during the NCAA selection show for Division II women's soccer.
  • UCCS will be hosting a selection show watch party on Monday, November 18 at 4 p.m. at Clyde's Gastropub, located on the bottom floor of the University Center on the UCCS campus. Come join the watch party to find out who will be UCCS' next opponent!
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