THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs will match up with a pair of conference foes on the road beginning with Regis University at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. On Sunday, the Mountain Lions will head to the Mount Rushmore State for an 11 a.m. kickoff against South Dakota School of Mines at SDSMT Sioux Park Field.

 
GAME COVERAGE

• Live stream and live stats for the game against Regis can be found at the following links:
  • Live Stream: https://rmacnetwork.com/regisrangers/
  • Live Stats: https://regisrangers.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
• Live stream and live stats for the game against South Dakota Mines can be found at the following links:
  • Live Stream: https://rmacnetwork.com/sdmines/
  • Live Stats: https://gorockers.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary

 
LAST TIME OUT

• UCCS opened RMAC action at home over the weekend as they matched up with Westminster College on Friday before taking on Colorado Mesa University on Sunday.  
• On Friday afternoon, the Mountain Lions jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a successful penalty kick by Alex Andersson in the 47^th minute, but the Griffins responded with a pair of second half goals and held on for a 2-1 victory.
• It was a tale of two halves, as the Mountain Lions held a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal in the first half but were outshot 14-3 in total shots and 7-1 in shots on goal in the second period.
• After a defensive-minded start to the match on Sunday against Colorado Mesa, the Mavericks broke through late in the first half to score a pair of goals in a 25-second span to take a 2-0 lead to halftime. UCCS cut the lead to 2-1 with Andersson's second penalty kick goal of the weekend, but CMU would add another score in the 76^th minute to seal a 3-1 win.
• The Mountain Lions trailed Colorado Mesa in shots (19-10), shots on goal (7-3), and corner kicks (8-6) in a tightly contested match that consisted of seven total yellow cards.

 
RMAC RECORD/STANDINGS

• The Mountain Lions move to 4-4-1 overall on the season and fall to 0-2 in conference play.
• Colorado Mesa, Regis, and Colorado School of Mines hold the early lead in conference action, each sitting at 2-0.

 
RMAC LEADERS

• The Mountain Lions lead the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) with six penalty kicks drawn and have converted on each of them.
• Offensively, UCCS ranks fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) in scoring average (1.78 goals/game), shots per game (12.89) and shots on goal per game (5.89).
• Midfielder Kolby Raineri paces the conference with 28 total shots (3.11/game) and 16 shots on goal (1.78/game).  
• Sophomore Andreas Kokoska ranks second in the conference with 832 total minutes played and sits tied for fourth among RMAC goalkeepers with 28 saves.  

 
THE SERIES

• The Mountain Lions hold an all-time record of 16-41-8 against Regis, with four of the last six meetings needing overtime to determine a winner.
• UCCS has an all-time record of 8-0 against South Dakota Mines, and have allowed just four goals in those eight meetings with the Hardrockers.

 
SCOUTING REGIS UNIVERSITY

• One of three teams with a 2-0 record in RMAC action, Regis holds an overall record of 6-2-1 on the season after picking up a 2-1 victory over MSU Denver on Wednesday followed by a 7-1 triumph against South Dakota Mines on Friday.
• The Rangers are averaging 11.7 shots per game and lead the RMAC with a scoring average of 2.56 goals per game.
• Defensively, RU has allowed 12.2 shots per game but have limited opponents to just one goal per game in their nine contests to this point.
• Senior forward Kristian Hooker, fresh off a hat trick against South Dakota Mines on Friday, sits tied for the RMAC lead in goals (6) and points (13) while adding 15 shots and ten shots on goal.
• Junior Vilhjalmur Kaldal leads the team with 21 shots and also ranks second on the team with ten points and four goals.
• Goalkeepers Tim Dolan and Cooper Erickson have split minutes in net for the Rangers this season, with Dolan recording 362 minutes with 18 saves and a 0.75 GAA and Erickson logging 438 minutes with 13 saves and a 1.23 GAA.

 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES

• South Dakota Mines has an overall record of 1-7-1 on the season and are currently riding a seven-game losing streak. Last week the Hardrockers opened conference action with a 7-1 loss at the hands of Regis before dropping a 2-1 decision against MSU Denver.
• Offensively, South Dakota Mines averages ten shots per game, but have put just 34 of 90 shots on target for a .378 shot on goal percentage.  
• On defense, SD Mines has allowed an RMAC-high 19.2 shots per game and 2.89 goals per match.
• Senior midfielder George Martinez is the Hardrockers top goal scorer with six while also leading the squad in points (14), shots (26), and shots on goal (11).
• Goalkeeper Tyler Ring has played all but 20 minutes in net for South Dakota Mines, racking up an RMAC leading 52 saves and holding a GAA of 2.55.

 
HOT TAKES

• Junior midfielder Kolby Raineri leads the Mountain Lions in shots (28), shots on goal (16), points (8), and holds a tie for the team-lead in goals with three.
• Sophomore Alex Andersson holds a share of the team-lead in goals with three and is tied for second on the team with six points despite playing just three games and 159 minutes to this point due to injury. 
• Goalkeeper Andreas Kokoska has recorded a 1.95 GAA and 28 saves across 832 minutes played in net for the Mountain Lions this season.

 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH LEWIS WILCOX

• Interim Head Coach Lewis Wilcox moves to 4-4-1 in his career at the helm of the UCCS men's soccer program. Wilcox is currently in his first season leading the program after spending two seasons as an assistant coach for the Mountain Lions.
• In his second season as an assistant coach at UCCS in 2020-2021, Wilcox helped the men's soccer team navigate unfamiliar territory as the 2020 fall season was postponed to the spring of 2021. In the shortened six-game season, Wilcox played an integral part in overseeing a pair of All-RMAC recipients and six RMAC All-Academic honors. He also served as a key mentor for 2020-2021 RMAC Freshman of the Year Alex Andersson, who finished his debut season leading the team in points (9) and assists (3) while tying for the team lead in goals (3).

 
WEATHER

• The weather is forecasted to be mostly cloudy on Friday afternoon in Denver, Colo. with a high of 80 degrees and winds out of the Southeast at 5 to 10 miles-per-hour.
• On Sunday, the weather in Rapid City, S.D. is expected to be sunny with a daytime high of 69 degrees and a possibility of Northwest winds as 10 to 15 miles-per-hour.

 
UPCOMING GAMES

• UCCS will return home on Thursday, Oct. 14 to take on Adams State for a 7 p.m. kickoff, then head back on the road to battle Fort Lewis on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 2:30 p.m.

 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.