THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer program will welcome Newman University to Mountain Lion Stadium for their season opener on Friday, Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Mountain Lions will be back in action on Sunday, Sept. 5 as they host Montana State University Billings for a 2:30 p.m. kick off.

GAME COVERAGE

• Live stream and live stats for the game against Newman can be found at the following links: 
  • Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNfOVIlwksE
  • Live Stats: https://gomountainlions.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary 
• Live stream and live stats for the game against MSU Billings can be found at the following links: 
  • Live Stream: https://rmacnetwork.com/gomountainlions/
  • Live Stats: https://gomountainlions.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary 

2020-2021 SEASON IN REVIEW

• The UCCS men's soccer program endured an unprecedented 2020-2021 season which saw the 2020 fall season get postponed to the spring of 2021. The Mountain Lions finished the condensed six-game season with a 2-4 overall record (2-3 RMAC), narrowly missing a berth in the RMAC Tournament. "This past 12 months has been a challenge for everyone," said Interim Head Coach Lewis Wilcox. "I am proud of the resiliency of our guys throughout this time. They really took care of each other and grew as a team because of it. We were fortunate enough to get back on the field in the spring and get a taste of the competition in the RMAC. This has been really valuable for our new players as they now have a better understanding of what it takes to be competitive as they enter their second year with the program."

SEASON OUTLOOK 

• Under the new leadership of Wilcox, the squad will look to improve on their 2020-2021 spring season and return to the RMAC Tournament for the first time since 2018. "My expectation for the team this season is to be competitive in every game we play," said Wilcox. "We haven't spoken about goal setting as a team because we need to channel our energy and focus in to the present and improve one day at a time. Results this season will be a byproduct of players understanding their roles and committing to the process."
• Returning to the Mountain Lions are 20 players from last year's team, including nine players who started at least four games. Among the returners are the team's top point scorers from a year ago, Alex Andersson (9) and Liam McGuire (7).
• The Mountain Lions also welcome nine newcomers to the squad, with eight incoming freshman and one community college transfer. "The newcomers will certainly help us this season," stated Wilcox. "Each of them will take their own time to be ready to compete for us, but all of them have shown their desire to compete and work for the team. Komil Khatamov is an exciting attacking prospect who has done very well so far in pre-season training and games. Bogdan Vedernikov has also shown his qualities and will help tighten up our defense this season."

RMAC RECORDS/STANDINGS

• The Mountain Lions finished the 2020-2021 season with a 2-3 record in conference play to place seventh place in the RMAC.
• UCCS received 41 points in the 2021 RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and were projected by the conference's head coaches to finish No. 8 in the standings.

RMAC PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH

• The RMAC named three UCCS men's soccer players to their Preseason Players to Watch list: Adam Baldwin, Alex Andersson and Adin Schwenke.
• Baldwin, a fourth-year forward, competed in five matches for the Mountain Lions last season, logging a full 90 minutes in four of his five starts. Across 437 total minutes played, Baldwin recorded five shots with one shot on goal. Off the field, the international business major earned a spot on the RMAC All-Academic First Team, marking his third consecutive season on the conference all-academic team and first career selection to the first team. "Adam is a strong leader for this group and I believe he is going to excel this year in a new position," said Wilcox. "He's vital to how we play, and he's tough to stop once he gets going."
• In his first season with the Mountain Lions, Andersson started each of the team's six matches on his way to earning recognition as the RMAC Freshman of the Year. Throughout his 378 minutes played, the native of Helsingborg, Sweden led the squad with nine points and three assists while tying for the team lead with three goals. The midfielder received RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on two occasions (3/31 and 4/14) and concluded the season ranked top ten in the RMAC for goals (t-6^th), assists (t-4^th), and points (t-6^th). "I'm excited to see Alex get a full season under his belt," stated Wilcox. "He showed his class in a small period of time in the spring, but now his challenge is to consistently be one of the best attacking players in the conference. He got to spend some time in a couple of elite level training environments this summer which has benefited him. With his dedication and his work ethic I'm confident he's going to have a big season."
• Schwenke was a starter in each of the team's six matches in his debut season with the Mountain Lions. The Colorado Springs native was a regular on the pitch for UCCS, leading the team with 518 minutes played and recording a full 90 minutes in four of his six starts. The midfielder tallied three shots taken, one of them on goal, while adding one assist. "Adin has been so impressive in his first 12 months with us," said Wilcox. "He is a true competitor and the type of guy you want to go to war with. He will be a big presence for us this season and he will continue to drive this team forward."

THE SERIES

• UCCS has an overall record of 3-2 against Newman dating back to the first matchup in 1991. Newman managed to claim a 2-1 victory in the last match between the two teams in 2016, but the Mountain Lions took three of the first four contests in the series.
• Sunday's match will be the 13^th meeting between UCCS and MSU Billings and first since the 2005 season. The Mountain Lions hold an overall record of 9-2-1 against the Yellowjackets and have been victorious in each of the last two matchups.

SCOUTING REPORT

• Newman finished the shortened 2020-2021 season with a record of 2-6-1 while going 1-5 in GAC/MIAC Conference action. The Jets enter the season ranked No. 6 in the 2021 GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Jets will look to replace the production of multiple key contributors from last season, notably forward Ignacio Lerech who led the team with eight goals and three assists for a total of 19 points.
• An important piece that will return this year for Newman is defenseman Cole Thompson, who started each of the Jets nine games last season and ranked second on the team with 628 minutes. Thompson's efforts in the defensive backfield earned him honorable mention on the all-conference team.
• MSU Billings played just two games in the 2020-2021 spring season due to complications with COVID-19, going 1-0-1 in limited action.
• The Yellowjackets were picked to finish No. 4 in the 2021 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• In their last full season in 2019, the Yellowjackets recorded an 8-9-2 record overall and went 5-6-1 in conference play to finish in fourth place in the GNAC.
• MSU Billings returns three starters from last season, including 2019 second team all-conference defender Luca Battistotti who started 18 games for a Yellowjackets defense that posted six shutouts in 2019.

HOT TAKES

• The Mountain Lions return seven players that started at least five of the team's six games last season: Alex Andersson, Liam McGuire, Kolby Raineri, Adin Schwenke, Adam Baldwin, Luke Sussex, and Jose Zertuche.
• Defender Liam McGuire tied for the team lead with three goals last season, two of which were of the game-winning variety, sparking victories over South Dakota School of Mines and MSU Denver.
• McGuire also currently sits with ten career assists, just two away from the cracking the top-ten all time in program history.
• UCCS opens the season with a home match for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

WEATHER

• The forecast for Friday, Sept. 3 calls for mostly sunny skies with a high of 80 degrees during the day and a low of 56 degrees with a 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms throughout the evening.
• On Sunday, Sept 5, the forecast shows plenty of blue skies with a high of 84 degrees and a possibility of wind gusts up to 10-15 mph.

 
AWARD WINNERS

• Rising sophomore Alex Andersson enjoyed a highly decorated first year as a Mountain Lion, earning RMAC Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-RMAC honors. Andersson also received RMAC Offensive Player of the Week recognition on two occasions.
• Defensemen Liam McGuire was also recognized with Second Team All-RMAC honors.
• The Mountain Lions had six players earn recognition on the RMAC All-Academic team, with Adam Baldwin earning first team honors and Parker McClure, Jake Zink, Liam McGuire, Kolby Raineri, and Nic Grotle each garnering spots on the honor roll.

 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH LEWIS WILCOX

• Lewis Wilcox enters his first season as Interim Head Coach of the men's soccer program in 2021 after serving two seasons as an Assistant Coach for the Mountain Lions. 
   
• In his second season as an Assistant Coach at UCCS in 2020-2021, Wilcox played an integral part in overseeing a pair of All-RMAC recipients, six RMAC All-Academic honors, and RMAC Freshman of the Year Alex Andersson.

 
UPCOMING GAMES

• The Mountain Lions will hit the road for the first time next week as they battle Rockhurst University on Friday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. (MT).

SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions 
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
 
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.