LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Senior Alex Andersson netted a 68^th minute equalizer on Sunday afternoon at Trailblazer Stadium to help the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team salvage a 1-1 draw against Colorado Christian University.  
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 1, CCU 1
Records: UCCS (4-4-4, 0-2-2 RMAC), CCU (3-3-5, 1-1-2 RMAC)
Facility: Trailblazer Stadium | Lakewood, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 48-6-5 all-time against the Cougars and extends their unbeaten streak against CCU to four games.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sunday afternoon's matchup between the Cougars and Mountain Lions began as a defensive struggle as the two teams remained scoreless while combining for just one shot through the opening 39 minutes of action, with the one shot coming off the right foot of UCCS' Alex Andersson in the 17^th minute.
• The scoreless tie would be broken in the 40^th minute of play as the Cougars took advantage of a free kick opportunity to grab a 1-0 lead. After being granted the free kick just short of midfield, CCU's Caiden Dixon sent the ball deep into the penalty area where it was received by Drew Brown and tapped back to Matthew Beaulieu, who fired the ball just past the outstretched hands of UCCS goalkeeper Soren Russell for the first score of the game.
• CCU managed two more shot attempts before the conclusion of the first half but were unable to add to their lead as the match went to the break with the Cougars ahead by a score of 1-0.
• The start of the second period saw both teams continue their stellar defensive play as they combined to record just three shots across the first 20 minutes of the half, but the Mountain Lions would break through shortly after with Andersson finally finding the net in the 68^th minute for an equalizer that brought the match even at one goal apiece. After gaining control of the ball in their attacking territory, UCCS put together an excellent offensive sequence to get on the board with successive passes from Marvin Putu and Lars Walczyk setting up Andersson for a left-footed tapper that found its way into the lower right corner of the frame.
• UCCS would dominate possession of the ball throughout the final 20 minutes of the game and had a couple of promising opportunities to jump ahead, but ultimately were unable to find the net as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

STATS FROM THE GAME

• Andersson scored his sixth goal of the season while also leading the team with three total shots.
• Walczyk picked up his first assist of the season and was one of four UCCS field players to play the full 90 minutes in the match, joining Andersson, Putu, and Bogdan Vedernikov.
• The Mountain Lions totaled six total shots on the afternoon, including three from Andersson, two from Vedernikov, and one from Dani Barajas. Defensively, UCCS limited the Cougars to just five shots and only allowed two shots on goal.
• Russell logged a full 90-minute performance between the sticks for UCCS on Sunday, allowing one goal and making one save while facing five total shots.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With his goal in the 68^th minute, Andersson moved into a tie for eighth all-time in program history with 22 goals in his career. He also moves into a tie for tenth all-time in school history with 51 points across his four-years at UCCS.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions close their three-game road trip on Thursday, Oct. 12, as they prepare to take on Fort Lewis College at 7 p.m. from Dirks Field in Durango, Colo.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics. 
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