ALAMOSA, Colo. – The No. 4 nationally ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team scored five second half goals to defeat the Adams State University Grizzlies by a score of 5-0 on Sunday afternoon in Alamosa, Colo.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 5, ASU 0
Records: UCCS (10-1-2, 3-1-1 RMAC), ASU (2-7-2, 0-4-1 RMAC)
Facility: ASU Soccer/Lacrosse Field | Alamosa, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS improves to 20-2-1 all-time against the Grizzlies.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountain Lions opened Sunday afternoon by putting immediate pressure on the Adams State defense as they found a pair of shot opportunities in the first two minutes of the match with strikes from Gael Hernandez and Lars Walczyk both sailing off target.
• Following the early burst of offense by UCCS, the Mountain Lions and Grizzlies settled into a defensive struggle as the two teams combined for just three shots across the remainder of the first half. Walczyk added a shot on frame in the 14^th minute and Cole Venable had a shot blocked in the 43^rd minute while Tim Mietenkorte provided the lone shot of the half for Adams State in the 28^th minute with a shot that was saved by UCCS goalkeeper Soren Russell.
• Despite the uneventful first half, UCCS quickly found themselves with some momentum early in the second period. After ASU goalkeeper JP Fernandez tapped a short ball to the right-side defender on a goal kick, Dani Barajas pressed hard into the penalty box and stole the ball away from the Grizzlies, which set him up for an easy tap-in goal into the left corner of the net that broke the scoreless tie and gave the Mountain Lions a 1-0 advantage.
• The Mountain Lions added to their lead in the 62^nd minute after earning a free kick just ahead of the midfield line. When the ball was put back into play, UCCS rapidly took the ball down the right sideline with Barajas sending a pass in the direction of Miles Seminario, who had a wide-open look at the frame from about 20 yards out and sent a right-footed strike past the diving goalkeeper and into the back of the net for a 2-0 advantage.
• UCCS' lead continued to expand in the 69^th minute as Hugo Nordenberg found some space in the defense and put a strong shot on frame that was blocked. Off the deflection from Nordenberg's shot, Jack Souder collected the ball and fired it into the bottom right corner of the frame with his left foot to make it a three-goal game in favor of the Mountain Lions.
• Ten minutes later in the 79^th minute, Diego Macias set up the Mountain Lions with another strong chance to add to their lead as he drew a foul just outside the top of the 18-yard box, giving UCCS a free kick from that spot. Drew Sanchez lined up on the ball to take the free kick for UCCS and unleashed a bending liner into the top right corner of the net for his first goal of the season and a 4-0 Mountain Lion lead.
• The Mountain Lions went back on the attack in the 82^nd minute as they displayed some solid ball movement inside the box with Gael Hernandez tapping a pass to his left to Nordenberg, who collected the ball, turned around, and struck it into the center of the net with his left foot to push the advantage to 5-0 in favor of UCCS.
• On the other end of the ball, the UCCS defensive unit continued their lockdown play throughout the second half as they kept the Grizzlies to just one additional shot while securing their fifth clean sheet of the season in a five-goal victory.  

STATS FROM THE GAME

• UCCS held massive advantages over the Grizzlies in total shots (18-2), shots on goal (12-2), and corner kicks (11-2).
• Five different Mountain Lion student-athletes scored goals in Sunday's match, with Barajas scoring his eighth of the season, Seminario tallying his fifth of the season, and Souder, Nordenberg, and Sanchez each scoring their first of the campaign.
• Three UCCS players were credited with assists as Nordenberg, Barajas, and Hernandez each tallied one.
• The Mountain Lions had 11 separate players record at least one shot in the match. Walczyk and Seminario paced the team with three shots apiece, while Souder, Sanchez, and Nordenberg each had two.
• In frame, Russell played the full 90 minutes and made a pair of saves while earning his third individual clean sheet of the season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With the win, the Mountain Lions extended their winning streak against the Grizzlies to seven games dating back to Oct. 18, 2019.
• Russell's clean sheet marked the eighth of his career and moves him into sole possession of fifth place all-time in the category. Brandon Costa and Mike Archuleta are next up on the top ten list as they sit tied for third all-time with 13 shutouts in their respective careers.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions continue their road trip next week as they will take on Colorado Mesa University at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 before heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against Westminster University on Sunday, Oct. 27.

 
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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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