LUBBOCK, TEXAS – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team put together a complete team effort as they defeated Northeastern State, 3-2, on Saturday night at LCU Soccer Field.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 3, Northeastern State 2
Records: UCCS (3-1-1, 0-0 RMAC), Northeastern State (2-4-0, 0-0 MIAA)
Facility: LCU Soccer Field | Lubbock, Texas
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 1-1 all-time against Northeastern State.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:      

• After a defensive-minded start to the match, the Mountain Lions managed to take advantage of a foul committed in the box by Northeastern State to take a 1-0 lead in the 43^rd minute. Freshman Bogdan Vedernikov would draw the foul as he entered the goalie box, creating a penalty kick opportunity that was taken and converted by Nic Grotle for his third goal of the season.
• UCCS came out of halftime on the attack, as they were able to extend the lead to 2-0 just two minutes into the period when Jack Souder broke through the defense and fired a shot from the outside of the box into the left side of the net.
• NSU would cut the Mountain Lions lead to 2-1 in the 61^st minute on a direct free kick into the net off the foot of Jason Rivera.
• Just four minutes later, Grotle would send a perfectly executed set piece into the box off a free kick, setting up Vedernikov to assist Luka Cecic on a left-footed strike into the net for what would prove to be the game-winning goal.
• The RiverHawks drew closer in the 82^nd minute on a rocket into the goal from 25 yards out by Luan Lamas, but the Mountain Lions would clamp down on defense to close the game out with a 3-2 victory.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:

• The Mountain Lions were outshot 12-7, but held a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.
• Nic Grotle and Jack Souder paced UCCS with two shots each, while Kelton Hooker, Liam McGuire and Luka Cecic each notched one shot.
• Grotle, Adam Baldwin, Kaydon Zamora-Reeves, Garrett Daulong, and Bogdan Vedernikov each logged a team-high 90 minutes of action.
• Andreas Kokoska recorded two saves while playing the full 90 minutes in net as he earned his third win of the season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Grotle is now 3-for-3 on penalty kicks, accounting for each of his three goals on the season.
• The game-winning goal for Cecic was his second of the season, with the first coming in the opener against Newman.
• Tonight was the first time the Mountain Lions have played matches on back-to-back days since the 2006 season when they played Seattle Pacific on Oct. 5 followed by Missouri Southern on Oct. 6.

 
UP NEXT:

• UCCS will return home to Mountain Lion Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kick off against Adams State on Friday, Sept. 24.

 
SOCIAL:
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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.