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Kirk Smith

PREVIEW | #1 UCCS set to host Eighth Seed CSU-Pueblo in RMAC Quarterfinals

11/6/2019 12:54:00 PM

By: Jake Wise - Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
This Week's Games
  • The #1 University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's soccer team will host the Quarterfinals of the RMAC Tournament this Friday, November 8.
  • On Friday, #1 UCCS will face off against the eighth seed Colorado State University – Pueblo (CSUP). The game is slated to begin at 4 p.m. inside Mountain Lion Stadium.
Game Coverage Last Time Out
  • #1 UCCS skated through their final weekend of the regular with wins over Black Hills State University (BHSU) on Senior Night and Regis University in the regular season finale. The Mountain Lions finish the regular season undefeated with a 17-0-0 overall record and a 13-0-0 RMAC record.
  • On Friday, emotions were high for Senior Night and UCCS was able to channel those emotions into their play as they shutout BHSU 4-0, scoring two goals in each half respectively.
  • In the first half, senior Aleesa Muir appropriately scored the first goal of the game in the 6th minute, which would prove to be the game winning goal. She was followed by Amelia Junge who scored in the 39th minute off a double assist from Shanade Hopcroft and Jaden Davis, making the score 2-0.
  • The second half featured more dominance from UCCS as Hopcroft scored her 13th goal of the year in the 51st minute off an assist from Caitlin Esterle and extended the lead to 3-0. To end the night, Kaitlin Hinkle scored in the 76th minute off an assist from Fabiola Estrada to give UCCS the 4-0 victory and their first RMAC Regular Season Championship in program history.
  • UCCS outshot BHSU 37-1 in the game and did not allow a single shot on goal while putting 15 shots on frame themselves.
  • Mollee Swift earned her fourth shutout of the season in the game.
  • On Sunday, Regis provided UCCS with significantly more resistance than Friday's game. After ending the first half tied 1-1, UCCS went on to claim the victory by a score of 4-1.
  • In the first half, Taeya Schueppert got things started in the fourth minute off an assist from Davis to give UCCS a 1-0 lead. However, Regis had come to play and was able to tie the game in the 31st minute at 1-1, which is how the half would end.
  • In the second half, UCCS got back to their typical aggressive style of play as Schueppert was able to get behind the Ranger back line off a punt from Swift and score her second goal of the game, making the score 2-1 UCCS with Swift getting credit for the assist.
  • UCCS then poured it on as Muir found the back of the net in the 76th minute for her second goal of the weekend, assist to Zoe Sims, to give UCCS a 3-1 lead. Three minutes later, Tanner Sanders made the score 4-1 off an assist from Esterle to propel UCCS to an undefeated regular season.
RMAC Record/Standings
  • With the regular season completed, UCCS has clinched the first seed in the RMAC with their undefeated record (17-0-0, 13-0-0 RMAC) and will host the first round of the RMAC Tournament.
  • The remaining seven teams are ranked as follows: 2) Colorado School of Mines, 3) Dixie State University, 4) Westminster College, 5) Regis University, 6) Metropolitan State University of Denver, 7) Fort Lewis College, 8) Colorado State University – Pueblo.
The Series
  • Against CSUP, UCCS has an all-time record of 11-6-1, which includes a current five game winning streak and a 7-3 record in the last 10 games. Earlier this season, UCCS took down CSUP in Pueblo by a score of 2-1.
Scouting the Opponent
  • CSUP finished the regular season with a 6-9-2 overall record and a 5-6-2 RMAC record, landing them in the eighth position in the conference standings. The ThunderWolves ended the regular season with 22 goals on 223 shots (111 on goal), while giving up 27 goals on 254 shots.
  • CSUP also has 19 assists, 52 corner kicks and a shots on goal percentage of 49.8 percent.
  • Individually, Madison Jepperson and Justine Martinez led the offense during the regular season with 15 and 13 points respectively. Jepperson leads the team in goals with six and Martinez ranks second with five, both have three assists.
  • Cara Siegel leads the team in assists with four and ranks third on the team in points with 10 thanks to three goals.
  • Keeper Rylie Martin has played all but 16 minutes in net this season for CSUP and has accumulated 93 saves and a save percentage of 77.5 percent.
Hot Takes
  • UCCS remains the #1 team in the nation, has just completed their first ever undefeated regular season and won their first ever RMAC Regular Season Championship.
  • Six different Mountain Lions scored last weekend as UCCS outscored their opponents 8-1.
  • Senior Aleesa Muir scored two goals over the weekend including the first goal of the Senior Night game. Those four weekend points are a career high as she now has four goals on the season, also a career high.
  • Freshman Taeya Schueppert scored a career high two goals against Regis on Sunday including the game winning goal. Schueppert now has three goals on the season.
  • Redshirt junior Shanade Hopcroft recorded three points over the weekend with a goal and an assist in the game against BHSU on Senior Night. Those numbers give her 13 goals, nine assists and 35 points this season all of which lead the team.
  • Sophomore Amelia Junge scored her third goal of the season against BHSU on Friday, giving her seven points this season.
  • Freshman Tanner Sanders netted her 10th goal of the season on Sunday, earning her 25 points this season which ranks second on the team behind Hopcroft.
  • Freshman Kaitlin Hinkle scored her ninth goal of the season on Friday for her 22nd point of the season, third on the team behind Sanders and Hopcroft.
  • As the regular season has come to a close, here are the updated UCCS Record Books.
  • Hopcroft now ranks ninth all-time in points (35) and eighth in goals and assists (13, nine, tied for both). She has also tied the UCCS single season record for points and set a new UCCS junior season record for goals with those numbers. Hopcroft is only two goals away from the UCCS single season record of 15.
  • Savannah Mills ranks 10th all-time in UCCS history in points (31) and eighth in goals (13, tied).
  • Sanders set a new UCCS record for goals in a freshman season with her 10th on Sunday, a record formerly held by teammate Tarah Patterson.
  • Hinkle now has the second most goals by a freshman in UCCS history with nine as she tied Patterson's mark on Friday.
  • Keeper Mollee Swift now ranks 10th all-time in UCCS history in saves (30, tied) and fifth in shutouts (four).
  • Keeper Alexis Walker ranks 10th in UCCS history in shutouts with three.
Award Winners
  • Taeya Schueppert was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week for her two-goal performance last weekend. In her best game of the season so far, Schueppert scored the first goal of the game against Regis and followed it up with a beautiful strike from about 20 yards out for what would end up being the game winning goal. For Schueppert, that marks the first multi-goal game and first game winning goal of her young UCCS career.
  • Aleesa Muir was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. Muir tallied over 140 minutes of play in the final weekend of the regular season and added a career high two goals, giving her four on the season which is also a career high. Muir got things going for the Mountain Lions on Senior Night with the first goal of the game and added another on Sunday against Regis.
  • The RMAC released its All-RMAC teams this week and UCCS notched six different players across the first and second teams as well as Coach of the Year.
  • Coach Sian Hudson was named the RMAC Coach of the Year after leading UCCS to a perfect 17-0-0 regular season and the RMAC Regular Season Championship. This is the first time coach Hudson has won the individual award, but her staff was named the United Soccer Coaches Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in 2017.
  • Shanade Hopcroft was named the RMAC Player of the Year after an outstanding regular season for UCCS. This marks the second year in a row UCCS has had a player win this award. As Player of the Year, Hopcroft was also named First Team All-RMAC as a midfielder.
  • Tanner Sanders was named the RAMC Freshman of the Year after a fantastic first season for UCCS. Sanders is the second UCCS freshman to win this award in the last three years. As Freshman of the Year, Sanders was named First team All-RMAC as a midfielder as well.
  • Caitlin Esterle and Muir were also named to First Team All-RMAC as defenders for their outstanding seasons on the UCCS defense, a defense which was one of the toughest in the nation. Muir and Esterle anchored the UCCS back line and helped contribute to nine total shutouts and four games in which UCCS did not yield a shot on goal.
  • Freshmen Jaden Davis and goalkeeper Mollee Swift were named Second Team All-RMAC to round out this year's All-RMAC Teams. Davis emerged as one of UCCS' top defenders in only her first season in the black and gold, while Swift was one of the top three goalkeepers in the RMAC all season. Both helped solidify the UCCS defense as one of the nation's best.
Weather
  • The forecast for Colorado Springs, Colo. on Friday, November 8 shows clear skies and a high of 58 degrees. Winds are expected to gust up to nine miles per hour.
RMAC Leaders
  • As a team, UCCS ranks first in the RMAC in goals scored (60), goals allowed (eight, tied), scoring average (3.529), average margin of victory (3.06), assists (47), assists per game (2.765), points (167) and points per game (9.82).
  • UCCS also ranks second in opponents scoring average (.47) and save percentage (85.4 percent).
  • Individually, Shanade Hopcroft finishes the regular season at the top of the RMAC in every statistical category. Hopcroft has 13 goals (.813 per game), five game winning goals (.313 per game), 35 points (2.19 per game), nine assists (.563 per game), 72 shots (4.50 per game) and 33 shots on goal (2.06 per game).
  • Tanner Sanders ranks second in the RMAC in goals (10, tied), points (25, tied) and points per game (1.47), sixth in assists (five), seventh assists per game (.294) and ninth in shots on goal (19).
  • Kaitlin Hinkle ranks second in the RMAC in game winning goals (four), fourth in goals (nine) and goals per game (.529), fifth in points (22) and sixth in points per game (1.29).
  • Savannah Mills ranks fourth in points per game (1.44) and 10th in points (13).
  • Keeper Mollee Swift leads the RMAC in goals allowed (six), ranks second in goals against average (.48), and shutouts (four), and fifth in save percentage (83.3 percent).
UCCS Under Coach Sian Hudson
  • UCCS has tallied 50 wins under coach Hudson as they are now 50-8-4 with Hudson as the coach. This undefeated regular season and RMAC Regular Season Championship are the first for UCCS with Hudson at the helm.
RMAC Tournament Games
  • The format for the RMAC has changed this season as the top two teams (UCCS and Mines) are both hosting the Quarterfinals this weekend, with UCCS hosting the fourth, fifth and eighth seeds and Mines hosting the third, sixth and seventh seeds.
  • After UCCS' game against eighth seed CSUP on Friday, November 8, fourth seed Westminster and fifth seed Regis will play at 6:30 p.m. inside Mountain Lion Stadium. The winners of both games on Friday will play in the RMAC Semifinals on Sunday at 12 p.m.
  • The RMAC Championship will be held next weekend and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed in the tournament.
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