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PREVIEW | Women's Soccer to Face Point Loma in NCAA Division II Quarterfinal

12/1/2023 3:05:00 PM

By: Jake Ross, Assistant Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCH UP
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's soccer team captured the South-Central Region in an one-nil decision against Colorado Mesa University on Thursday. The Mountain Lions winning goal came from an impressive 30-plus yard shot from Sydney Lasater, who banked it in off the left post.
  • The Point Loma Nazarene University Sea Lions have won their first two matches of the NCAA Tournament behind 2-0 scores, defeating Concordia University Irvine, and Seattle Pacific University in their path to the Division II Quarterfinals. An early strike from Nicki Friedman, and a late insurance goal from Alana Diaz was the difference over Seattle Pacific in the West Region Final on Thursday in Grand Junction, Colo.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • Ticket prices are set at $10 for adults, $5 for Seniors, with Students and children under 18 admitted for free. Tickets can be purchased online here.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE NETWORK
  • Fans unable to attend in-person will be able to watch the match on the Rocky Mountain Athletic 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 UCCS 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 gap 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 Point Loma faced off just one time prior to their quarterfinal tilt, with that match being played on September 14th in Colorado Springs, just 49 days ahead of the rematch on the national stage. UCCS was victorious in that match 2-1 powered by goals from Abby Barhydt and Makayla Merlo. Zoe Crockett added one for the Sea Lions in the second half with just 35 seconds to play, but it was too little, too late for the visitors.
SCOUTING THE SEA LIONS
  • Point Loma Nazarene Women's Soccer entered the NCAA postseason after earning a 12-3-1 record in the regular season and earning a first-round bye for the NCAA Tournament.
  • The Sea Lions have won eight straight contests, outscoring opponents 29-3 in those matches, and not giving up a goal since their final regular season match on November 11th.
  • Nikki Ross and Alana Diaz pace the attack for Point Loma, Ross with seven goals and two assists for 16 points, Diaz with six goals and two assists for 14 points. Emma Thrapp and Nicki Friedman have stepped up in the clutch for the Sea Lions as well, with Thrapp's four goals this season all being game winners, and four of Friedman's five goals counting as the difference.
  • Sophomore Julia Pinnell is the expected starter in goal for Point Loma, who has only allowed eight goals this season. She has not allowed a goal since she let in two against Chaminade, a 2-1 loss for PLNU. She was, however, credited with the loss giving up two goals to the UCCS attack in their meeting in September.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • After recording a hat trick in the Mountain Lions match at Dallas Baptist, redshirt senior Kaitlin Hinkle moved into second in program history for goals scored with 30 career strikes. She also earned her 70th career point, which also moves her into second in the program for all-time points.
  • Redshirt senior defender Jade Kinsey captured the all-time program lead for minutes played with 6,056 career minutes; she is the first player in the program's history to eclipse six thousand minutes played. She also ranks second all-time in both games played and games started, with 86 games played and 70 games started.
  • 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 with 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 8th all-time in saves with 65, Tied for 2nd all-time in goals against average at 0.73, and she checks in 3rd all-time in clean sheets with her 9 this season, needing just two 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 56-13-7 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 372-159-44 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 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 in Texas.
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Thursday evening for campus at Colorado Mesa University calls for mostly cloudy weather that gradually will become sunny as the day matures. The daytime high is expected to be 39 degrees, with a northern wind turning west at 10 mph. After dark, there is a 20% chance of snow showers, with a nighttime low of 25 degrees and 5 mph winds.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of the National Quarterfinal Match will advance to Matthews, North Carolina next weekend, for the 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Semifinals, where they will be reseeded with the rest of the final four. For all tournament information, kickoff times and updates, stay tuned to gomountainlions.com and ncaa.com.
 
 
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