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WSOC Round 2 Preview Graphic

PREVIEW | Women's Soccer Faces Dallas Baptist in South-Central Regional Semifinal

11/17/2023 3:46:00 PM

By: Jake Ross, Assistant Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCH UP
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's soccer team bounced back against the St. Mary's Rattlers in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, defeating STMU 2-1. Goals from Sydney Lasater and Emily Aguilar enabled UCCS to overcome a 1-0 halftime lead after conceding in the first half.
  • The Dallas Baptist University women's squad has yet to stumble in the 2023 fall season as they still sit undefeated behind a 14-0-4 record. The Patriots captured the double championship in the Lone Star Conference winning the regular season title and the conference tournament. 
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • Ticket prices are set at $10 and can be purchased online here.
LONE STAR CONFERENCE NETWORK
  • Fans unable to attend in-person will be able to watch the match on the Lone Star Conference Network. There is a direct link to the broadcast here, and can also be accessed by clicking the watch button on the women's soccer schedule page. The broadcast will be free of charge.
2023 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • The Mountain Lions had a slow start to the year going 0-2-1 in their opening three matches, but a 5-1 home win over Southwestern Oklahoma State ignited their season as they captured a 2-0-1 record on the back half of the non-conference schedule.
  • UCCS carried their momentum into the start of conference play, winning their first six matches of the RMAC portion of the schedule.
  • A draw in Denver vs Regis and a home loss to then #6 Colorado Mesa was the first adversity the Mountain Lions faced, but they responded with a vengeance, finishing the year with four consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 9-0 in their final four matches.
NCAA SELECTION SHOW
  • UCCS grabbed the #4 seed in the 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championships, trailing Dallas Baptist, Colorado School of Mines, and Colorado Mesa for the top three seeds.
  • The top six teams from each region earned a bid to the NCAA DII Women's Soccer Championship beginning Thursday. UCCS is a member of the South-Central Region which is comprised of the RMAC out of Colorado and Lone Star Conference out of Texas.
  • The final two seeds were claimed by St. Mary's University at #5, who faced UCCS in the first round, and Texas Woman's University at #6 who faced #3 Colorado Mesa in the first round in Golden, Colorado.
RMAC LEADERS
  • The lady Mountain Lions allowed the second fewest goals in the RMAC, only conceding eleven goals in their eighteen regular season matches. The only team in the conference with fewer was Colorado School of Mines who gave up just eight goals in the same number of matches. Their 11 clean sheets also ranked second in the conference behind the Orediggers. Despite their second-place finish in goals allowed, UCCS was tied for sixth in the conference in saves, which is a testament to the lockdown defense the backline was able to provide throughout the season.
  • UCCS was among the elite scoring squads this fall as well, checking in with the fourth most goals in the RMAC with 36. Colorado School of Mines scored the most with 52, and Regis (50) and Colorado Mesa (42) bridged the at 2nd and 3rd most. Individually, Makayla Merlo lead the Mountain Lions with seven goals, including the game winner against CSU Pueblo which clinched the RMAC regular season title for UCCS, a mark that earned her sixth most of RMAC players. Merlo's four game winning goals is second most in the conference, only CMU's Sauvelyne Randel has more with five.
  • On the wing Fie Steenberg has been a creator for UCCS this season, holding a tie for the fourth most assists in the conference with six. Anna Vince also sits in the top ten of that category with her four helpers, which has her tied for ninth.
  • In frame, UCCS' Isabella Whitmore has been a wall this season. Her .444 Shutouts Per Game is the best of any keeper in the conference, as she sits third in Goals Against Average (.67) and third in saves with 55 (.825 Save %).
RMAC AWARDS
  • This fall saw three Mountain Lions bring home Player of the Week selections, with Isabella Whitmore earning two Goalkeeper of the Week highlights, and Jade Kinsey earning two Defensive Player of the Week honors. Makayla Merlo took home the Offensive Player of the Week honor in the final week of the regular season for her only weekly honor this year.
  • Six Mountain Lions brought home All-Conference distinctions highlighted by Isabella Whitmore being named RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year and Head Coach J. B. Belzer being named Coach of the Year. Whitmore, Jade Kinsey, Makayla Merlo, and Fie Steenberg garnered All-RMAC First Team selections, with Abby Barhydt and Emily Aguilar being named to the Second Team.
ALL-TIME SERIES
  • UCCS and DBU have faced off five times historically on the women's soccer pitch, Dallas Baptist holds the upper hand winning three games with UCCS only winning one. The two programs also have drawn once.
SCOUTING DALLAS BAPTIST
  • Dallas Baptist has been on a tear from the jump this season, winning all but four games this fall, with the four non-wins being draws. DBU has hosted a regional semifinal in the past four NCAA tournaments dating back to 2019.
  • The last time UCCS and DBU met in the NCAA tournament was in 2021 when the Patriots eliminated the Mountain Lions to advance to the National Quarterfinals.
  • This season, the Patriots are led by midfielders Taylor Tufts (7 goals, 17 assists, 31 points) and Sophia Schrock (9 goals, 6 assists, 24 points) with the pair being the two players on the DBU roster to eclipse the impressive 20-point season total.
  • The Patriots have played the majority of their games in front of freshman Carmen Lopez in goal, who has been very solid for DBU. In 1,216 minutes on the year, Lopez has allowed just five goals by her. With 35 saves out of DBU's 40 total on the season, the Dallas native owns a 87.5 save percentage this season.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • Redshirt senior defender Jade Kinsey captured the all-time program lead for minutes played with 5,876 career minutes.
  • Playing in her final season as a Mountain Lion, redshirt junior Makayla Merlo ranks in the top ten in program history for goals (5th with 22), assists (tied 8th 10), points (6th with 54), shots (3rd with 152), and shots on goal (5th with 70).
  • In just her first season in Colorado Springs, graduate goalkeeper Isabella Whitmore has already put her name in the record book as she ranks 9th all-time in saves with 58, 2nd all-time in goals against average at 0.69, and she checks in 3rd all-time in clean sheets with her 8 this season, needing just three more to tie the season record of 11 set by Alexis Walker last fall.
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH J. B. Belzer
  • Head coach J. B. Belzer is in his 4th season as the UCCS skipper holding a 54-13-7 record in his time in the Springs. Belzer is in his 28th season in the RMAC after spending 24 years at Regis University in Denver. Overall Belzer owns an impressive 370-159-44 record on his career between Regis and UCCS, owning the 8th most wins out of active Division II coaches. He has the 15th most wins in the history of Division II women's soccer.
  • During his time at UCCS Belzer has guided the Mountain Lions to a regular season title in three out of his four seasons, with one RMAC tournament championship in 2021.
  • The Mountain Lions have qualified for the NCAA national championship tournament in every season Belzer has coached at UCCS, with the lone exception being in 2020 when the championship tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season was the most successful NCAA tournament run for the Mountain Lions under Belzer, who made it into the final 16 teams before falling to Dallas Baptist 1-0 in Texas.
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Thursday afternoon for campus at Dallas Baptist calls for partly sunny skies with a daytime high of 67 degrees and a nighttime low of 54 degrees. Light winds of 5 mph are expected throughout the day and evening.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of the second-round match up between the Mountain Lions and Patriots will advance to the South-Central Region Final and play the winner of Colorado School of Mines vs Colorado Mesa next weekend.
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