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RMAC MSOC QF PREVIEW

PREVIEW | Men’s Soccer Hosts Westminster in RMAC Quarterfinal Match

11/1/2023 4:00:00 PM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Assistant Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • After finishing the regular season on a seven-game unbeaten streak, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team earned the No. 4 seed in the RMAC Tournament and is set to welcome No. 5 seed Westminster University to Mountain Lion Stadium for an RMAC Quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
  • On the opposite side of the bracket, the tournament's No. 3 seed Colorado State University Pueblo will play host to No. 6 seed Metropolitan State University Denver, with kickoff for that quarterfinal match set for 7 p.m. from Art and Lorraine Gonzales Stadium in Pueblo, Colo.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • All fans will be charged admission and are encouraged to purchase tickets online before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2. Online ticket sales will not be available after 4 p.m. or at the ticket gate at Mountain Lion Stadium. Fans who did not purchase tickets online in advance can purchase tickets at the gate with cash only. Students from Westminster and/or UCCS will be granted free admission to the match by presenting a valid student ID at the ticket gate.
  • Ticket Prices:
    • Adults - $15.00
    • Over 65 - $10.00
    • Children - $10.00
    • Under 5 – Free
    • RMAC Students (With ID) – Free
RMAC NETWORK
  • Fans unable to attend in-person will be able to purchase day passes on the RMAC Network for each day of tournament play, priced at $9.95 per day. To purchase the day pass, fans will navigate to www.rmacnetwork.com and will be directed to select the institution that they are supporting through their viewership. Once the payment submission is complete, fans will have access to any RMAC championship contest available for that specific sport. Day passes will expire within 24 hours of the purchase.
2023 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • The Mountain Lions put together a strong start to the 2023 season that saw them record a five-game unbeaten streak to open the campaign that included a trio of wins and a draw against then No. 3 St. Mary's University. UCCS closed their eight-game non-conference slate with a difficult stretch as they fell in a pair of one-goal matches to then No. 13 Rogers State University and then No. 3 Colorado State University Pueblo while earning a 2-1 win on the road against Westminster.
  • UCCS drew a challenging schedule to open the RMAC portion of their schedule, as they began conference play with a scoreless draw against last year's champion, Colorado School of Mines, before dropping a pair of tight matches against Metropolitan State University Denver and then No. 8 CSU Pueblo.
  • Sitting at 0-2-1 in the conference after three games, UCCS flipped the switch and proceeded to go unbeaten over the final seven games of their conference slate to finish the campaign tied for fourth place with a 5-2-3 record and 18 points.
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
  • In the second edition of the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Regional Rankings that were released earlier this afternoon, the UCCS Men's Soccer team earned a No. 11 ranking within Super Region 4.
  • The top ten teams from each of the four super regions across the country will qualify for the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament. The South Central region, which includes the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and the Lone Star Conference (LSC), is combined with the West region that includes teams from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), and the Pacific West Conference to make up Super Region 4.
  • The third and final set of regional rankings will be released by the NCAA next Wednesday, Nov. 8, before the field of 40 teams for the 2023 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship is set to be announced on Monday, Nov. 13 with the official NCAA Selection Show being live streamed on the NCAA website at 5 p.m. (MT).
RMAC LEADERS
  • As a team, the Mountain Lions finished the regular season ranked among the league leaders in most offensive and defensive statistical categories. Defensively, UCCS posted the third best goals against average in the conference at 1.06 while also limiting opponents to just 10.7 shots and 4.6 shots on goal per game. On the offensive end, the Mountain Lions led the league with 284 total shots while also ranking second in assists (31), third in shots on goal (116), tied for fourth in points (93), and fifth in goals (31)
  • UCCS finished the season with a plus-12 goal differential, which ended the regular season ranked fourth in the conference behind only Fort Lewis (+21), CSU Pueblo (+20), and Colorado Mesa (+15).
  • Individually, senior Alex Andersson ended the regular season ranked among the top-ten in the RMAC for most offensive categories as he was the conference leader in shots per game (3.41/gm) and sits tied for fourth in goals with eight, sixth in points with 18, and seventh in shots on goal with 20.
  • After earning All-RMAC First Team honors last season, Kolby Raineri continued his solid play during the 2023 season as he also sits among the top five in the league for total shots (48) and shots on goal (25) while ranking tied for fifth in assists with six and tied for seventh with 16 points.
  • Graduate student Marvin Putu has also continued to have a strong nose for finding goal-scorers as he posted seven assists during the regular season, which ranks tied for the third-most in the conference.
  • Between the sticks, first-year Mountain Lion Soren Russell established himself as one of the top-tier goalkeepers in the conference as he posted the fourth-lowest GAA in the league at 1.09 across 1,485 minutes played. Russell notched the second-best save percentage in the RMAC at .772 while grabbing the third-most saves with 61. In addition, he completed five clean sheet performances during the regular season, which was tied for the third-most in the league.
RMAC AWARDS
  • Throughout the 2023 season, two UCCS men's soccer student-athletes combined to bring in a total of four weekly conference awards, with sophomore Soren Russell earning a trio of RMAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors (9/5, 9/12, 10/31) and Kolby Raineri picking up RMAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Oct. 17.
  • The conference will announce their All-RMAC and major awards for the 2023 season on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. and are set to release the RMAC All-Academic teams on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 12 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES
  • The Mountain Lions hold a record of 15-9 all-time against the Griffins and are currently riding a three-game winning streak dating back to the start of 2022 season.
  • The Mountain Lions have faced off with the Griffins twice already this season and picked up a pair of victories, with one coming on the road during non-conference and the other at home during the conference slate. In the first matchup between the two squads on Sept. 20, UCCS came out on top with a 2-1 victory as Alex Andersson got the scoring started in the fourth minute before the Griffins committed an own goal in the 83rd minute that proved to be the deciding score. The two teams met for the second time this season just over a week ago on Oct. 22 at Mountain Lion Stadium as the Mountain Lions claimed a 3-2 conference win with Kolby Raineri, Peter Chang, and Lars Walczyk scoring for UCCS.
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
  • The Griffins concluded their 2023 regular season with an 8-5-5 overall record and a 5-2-3 record within conference play as they matched the Mountain Lions with 18 points. UCCS earned the tiebreaker over Westminster by virtue of their head-to-head win earlier in the conference season.
  • Westminster began their season by going 3-3-2 during their eight-game non-conference schedule but found their stride going into the RMAC schedule as they opened conference play with three consecutive wins. A 2-1 loss to Colorado School of Mines halted their momentum briefly, but the Griffins managed to post a 2-1-3 record in their final six games of the regular season to make their way into the RMAC Tournament.
  • Offensively, Westminster's offense ranked in the middle of the pack among RMAC teams as they finished the regular season ranked seventh in the conference with 23 total goals for an average of 1.28 per game while taking a total of 195 shots and 84 shots on goal for the season.
  • On the other side of the ball, the Griffins boasted one of the better defenses in the conference as they recorded a 1.11 GAA, which was tied for fourth in the conference with Colorado Mesa. Westminster also tallied eight clean sheet performances on the year while limiting their opponents to 10.8 shots and 5.22 shots on goal per game.
  • The Griffins have used a balanced attack on offense throughout the year as they have six different student-athletes that have tallied at least two goals for the season, led by Jack Cardwell with five. Cardwell also paces the team with 12 points, 32 shots, and 12 shots on goal.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • Fifth-year player Kolby Raineri has continued to establish himself as one of the most decorated players in program history as he currently ranks among the top-five in the UCCS men's soccer record book for points (75), goals (27), assists (21), shots (206), SOG (104), games played (77), and minutes (5,760).
  • Senior Alex Andersson has also made his mark on the UCCS men's soccer record book as he enters the postseason tournament ranked tied for sixth all-time with 24 goals, eighth with 57 points, tied for eighth with 53 shots on goal, and ninth with 124 total shots.
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH LEWIS WILCOX
  • Head coach Lewis Wilcox is currently in his third season at the helm of the UCCS men's soccer program and has posted an exceptional 28-17-10 overall record. Under Wilcox, the Mountain Lions are set to make their second consecutive appearance in the RMAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed on the bracket in both 2022 and 2023.
  • During his first two seasons at the helm, Wilcox led the Mountain Lions to a 19-13-5 overall record and coached the team to their first appearance in the RMAC Tournament since the 2018 season. Under his guidance, the UCCS men's soccer program has earned nine All-RMAC selections, including four on the first team, two on the second team, and three honorable mention selections. In addition, Wilcox's resume features a pair of RMAC major awards, including the 2021 RMAC Player of the Year in Alex Andersson and the 2022 Co-Freshman of the Year in Matteo Moreno Madrid.
  • The Mountain Lions have also been well-represented at the regional and national levels during his time at the head of the program, securing six D2CCA All-Region honors, two United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades, and one D2CCA All-American (Alex Andersson – 2021 First Team).
  • UCCS men's soccer has also flourished academically with the leadership of Wilcox, securing three RMAC All-Academic First Team honors, four College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades, and one CSC Academic All-America award (Kolby Raineri – 2022 Third Team).
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Thursday evening in Colorado Springs, Colo., calls for clear skies with a daytime high of 62 degrees and a nighttime low of 37 degrees.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the Mountain Lions and Griffins will advance to the RMAC Semifinal matchup against the tournament's No. 1 seed and No. 12 nationally ranked Fort Lewis College on Sunday, Nov. 5. Kickoff for the semifinal matchup is set for 5 p.m.
 
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