GOLDEN, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team's RMAC Tournament hopes came to an end on Sunday afternoon at Stermole Soccer Stadium as the No. 1 seed and No. 15 nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines Orediggers came away with a 1-0 victory with a goal in the 51
st minute.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 0, #15 Mines 1
Records: UCCS (11-5-4, 5-3-2 RMAC), MINES (13-4-2, 9-1-0 RMAC)
Facility: Stermole Soccer Stadium | Golden, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 15-46-3 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- UCCS goalkeeper Declan Domyan was tested early and often in Sunday afternoon's RMAC Semifinal matchup as the #15 ranked Orediggers managed to put three shots on frame in the opening seven minutes of the match, each of which being saved by the 6-foot-1 native of South Africa.
- Both offenses remained on the attack for the remainder of the opening period as the two teams combined for 12 additional shots with each putting a pair on frame, but neither team managed to find the nylon as the match headed to the halftime break in a scoreless tie.
- After being granted a corner kick in the 51st minute, Mines graduate student Lucas King sent a set piece into the UCCS goalie box where Tristan Semelsberger was waiting to put a head on the ball. Domyan would deflect Semelsberger's header attempt to keep the match scoreless for the moment, but Mines' sophomore Quin Collins would collect the deflection and slip it into the top of the net to give Mines the 1-0 advantage.
- Now in search of an equalizer, the Mountain Lions would get several opportunities at the net in the final 30 minutes of action, none better than in the 77th minute when they were given a free kick chance from a few yards outside the top of the 18-yard box. Junior Alex Andersson would line up for the free kick and fire a bending liner that pounded off the right post and harmlessly ricocheted out of play, giving possession back to the Orediggers.
- UCCS would continue to commit their efforts to evening up the match, but would manage just one more shot the rest of the way as Mines held on to secure the 1-0 win and advance to the RMAC Championship game.
STATS FROM THE GAME:
- Mines held the advantage in shots (20-12) and shots on goal (10-4), while also outpacing the Mountain Lions in corner kicks (9-6).
- Andersson led the Mountain Lions with three total shots, while Ben Ashfield and Noah Espino-Kennedy each recorded a pair of shots.
- Ashfield, Kolby Raineri, Marvin Putu, and Lars Walczyk each recorded one shot on goal to lead the UCCS offensive efforts.
- Five UCCS field players notched complete 90-minute performances, including Walczyk, Andersson, Espino-Kennedy, Putu, and Carlos Vargas.
- Domyan also recorded a full 90 minutes in frame as he surrendered just one goal while tying his season high with nine saves.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- The 11 wins for the UCCS men's soccer program this year marks the most in a single season since the 2016 season when the Mountain Lions tallied a record of 12-7-1.
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.