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UCCS Athletics

WSOC RMAC Quarterfinal Preview

PREVIEW | Women's Soccer Set to Face Westminster in RMAC Tournament Opener

11/3/2023 3:37:00 PM

By: Jake Ross, Assistant Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • The Mountain Lions charge into the postseason as the only team to go capture three wins in the final weekend of the regular season, capturing the number one seed with a 1-0 victory in Pueblo on the final day of the regular season.
  • The Griffins had a bumpy landing in their final three games the past few days, entering the tournament field on a two-game slide after losing to #14 Colorado School of Mines on Sunday and #18 Colorado Mesa on Wednesday. 
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • All fans will be charged admission and are encouraged to purchase tickets online before 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. Online ticket sales will not be available after 11 a.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 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 REGIONAL RANKINGS
  • UCCS grabbed the #4 spot in the second week of NCAA regional rankings, trailing Dallas Baptist, Colorado School of Mines, and Texas Women's.
  • The top six teams from each region will earn a bid to the NCAA DII Women's Soccer Championship later this month. UCCS is a member of the South-Central Region which is comprised of the RMAC and Lone Star Conference out of Texas.
  • The third and final set of regional rankings will be released by the NCAA next Wednesday, Nov. 8, before the field for the 2023 NCAA Women'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 4:30 p.m. (MT).
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 categories 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 (.664) and third in saves with 52 (.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.
ALL-TIME SERIES
  • UCCS has an 8-3-1 all-time record against Westminster University, with a 6-1 record against the Griffins at Mountain Lion Stadium.
  • The Mountain Lions and Griffins faced off on October 22nd at Mountain Lion Stadium just fourteen days prior to the Quarterfinal match this Sunday. UCCS captured the 1-0 victory in that match, powered by a 22nd minute goal from Makayla Merlo. UCCS held the shot advantage 10-7, but the Griffins were more accurate leading the shots on goal tally 4-3. In their last four meetings, UCCS and WU are evenly split each with two wins and two losses.
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
  • Westminster finished the season with a 6-8-3 overall record and went 4-6-2 in conference play. In their final five games played, the Griffins had a 0-4-1 record with the only tie came in a scoreless draw in Pueblo.
  • Graduate forward Cassidy Orr leads the Griffins attack as she holds the team's golden boot with six goals during the regular season, while her 12 points is tied with junior midfielder Necie Gubler for the team's lead.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • Redshirt senior defender Jade Kinsey is currently third all-time for minutes played with 5,676 career minutes. She needs 97 more minutes to move into second all-time and 118 more minutes to become the all-time program leader.
  • Playing in her final season as a Mountain Lion, redshirt junior Makayla Merlo ranks in the top ten in program history for goals (4th with 22), assists (tied 8th 10), points (6th with 54), shots (tied 4th with 146), and shots on goal (5th with 68).
  • 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 52, 2nd all-time in goals against average at 0.66, 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 53-12-7 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 369-158-44 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 is 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 cancelled 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.
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Sunday afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colo., calls for partly sunny skies with a daytime high of 71 degrees and a nighttime low of 39 degrees.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the Mountain Lions and Griffins will advance to the RMAC Semifinal matchup to play the winner of #5 MSU Denver at #4 Colorado Mesa on Wednesday. If UCCS can advance they will host the semifinal, if Westminster advances, they with travel to meet the winner of MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa's match.
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