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MSOC NCAA Second Round Preview

PREVIEW | No. 3 Seed Men’s Soccer to Host No. 6 Seed Fort Lewis in NCAA Second Round Matchup

11/21/2024 10:00:00 AM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • After being selected as the No. 3 seed in Super Region 4 for the 2024 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team is set to host No. 6 seed Fort Lewis College in a rematch of last season's NCAA first round matchup on Sunday, Nov. 24. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. from Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • The Mountain Lions will be making their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship after earning their first tournament selection in program history last year. UCCS' No. 3 seeding is the highest in program history, while Sunday's match will mark the program's first appearance in the second round of the tournament as well as the first national tournament home game in team history.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • All fans attending Mountain Lion Stadium will be charged admission. CASH ONLY will be accepted at the gate.
  • The first 100 UCCS students will receive free admission.
  • Ticket Prices:
Adults - $10
Students with I.D. - $5
Senior Citizens - $5
Children, ages 2-12 - $5
*Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
 
2024 MEN'S SOCCER SEASON IN REVIEW
  • After making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, the Mountain Lions began the 2024 season with high expectations and did not fail to deliver as they opened the campaign with a 7-0-1 record through their non-conference schedule that was capped by a 2-1 win over then No. 9 nationally ranked CSU Pueblo.
  • UCCS continued their success into the start of their RMAC slate as they posted a 2-0-1 record across their first three games with wins over Mines and Colorado Christian University. On Oct. 17, the Mountain Lions suffered their first setback of the season in a 3-1 defeat against Fort Lewis. The team quickly rebounded, however, as they finished their conference schedule with a six-game unbeaten streak, going 4-0-2 down the stretch to finish the regular season with a 13-1-4 overall record and a 6-1-3 conference record.
  • In the RMAC Tournament, UCCS earned the No. 4 seed and hosted a quarterfinal match against Colorado School of Mines on Sunday, Nov. 10, in which they battled for a 2-1, double overtime victory. In the semifinal round against No. 1 seed Colorado State University Pueblo, the Mountain Lions found themselves in a 2-0 first half hole and were unable to fully climb back as they were eliminated from the tournament with a 2-1 loss at the hands of the ThunderWolves.
  • Despite the early exit from the conference tournament, UCCS' strong resume for the season stood tall as they were selected for their second consecutive national tournament on Monday, Nov. 18, as the No. 3 seed in Super Region 4.
UNITED SOCCER COACHES NATIONAL RANKINGS
  • The Mountain Lions have risen to new heights this season, securing their highest national ranking in program history in the Week 9 edition of the United Soccer Coaches National Poll at No. 3.
  • After opening the season unranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, UCCS jumped into the top 25 with a No. 24 ranking in Week 1 before climbing inside the top 10 in Week 2 with a No. 8 ranking. The Mountain Lions continued their climb in Week 3 as they moved up to No. 5 in the rankings and have maintained their position inside the top five for the past seven weeks.
2024 United Soccer Coaches Rankings
Preseason           Aug. 6               NR
Week 1                Sept. 10            #24
Week 2                Sept. 17            #8
Week 3                Sept. 24            #5
Week 4                Oct.  1                #4
Week 5                Oct.   8               #4
Week 6                Oct. 15              #4
Week 7                Oct. 22              #5
Week 8                Oct. 29              #5
Week 9                Nov. 5                #3   
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS
  • As a team, the Mountain Lions have been one of the most dominant and well-rounded squads in the RMAC and NCAA Division II as they currently rank ninth in the nation for winning percentage (0.800) and 19th in the country in goal differential (+25).
  • On the defensive side of the ball, UCCS leads the conference and ranks 15th in the nation with a 0.845 team GAA while holding their opponents to just 11.0 shots per game and 4.50 shots on goal per game.
  • The Mountain Lions have also held a formidable offensive attack throughout the season as they rank 22nd in the country with 15.40 total shots per game and 5.85 corner kicks per game while tying for the 23rd-most goals scored in NCAA Division II with 42.
  • Midfielder Dani Barajas has established himself as one of the top offensive weapons in the conference during his senior season as he leads the league in goals (11) and sits second in the conference in total points (26). Barajas is also tied for second in the conference with three game-winning goals and tied for ninth with 19 shots on goal. Barajas is also making a name for himself on the national stage as he currently ranks tied for 21st in the country in goals and 27th in points.
  • Junior forwards Nick Walker and Miles Seminario have proven to be excellent complements to Barajas as part of the Mountain Lions' high-powered offense. The front-field duo currently ranks tied for seventh in the RMAC with seven goals apiece, while Seminario sits second on the team with 18 points and is followed closely by Walker with 16 points.
  • Spearheading the impressive defensive efforts this season was a group of six student-athletes that each logged at least 900 minutes of action. Adin Schwenke started 19 games for the Mountain Lions and led the group with 1,644 minutes of action, while Dalton Uehling appeared in each of the team's 20 games and logged 1,324 minutes played. All-RMAC First Team defender Rory Scott dealt with some injuries towards the end of the season, but has still provided 1,308 minutes of outstanding play from the center back position. On the wing, Soulo Letsoalo was a 19-game starter for UCCS and played 1,285 minutes, while the freshman duo of Dillon Clarke (1,097 min.) and Luke Noameshie (967 min.) both played significant roles on the defensive side of the ball in their debut seasons. 
  • Junior Soren Russell has turned in a spectacular season in frame for UCCS to this point as he has appeared in 19 games and logged 1,658 minutes of action while currently ranking third in the conference with a 0.923 GAA. The native of Bellevue, Wash., is also currently second in the league in save percentage (0.788) and third in individual clean sheets (5), while collecting 63 saves. In conjunction with Danny Fischer, who has not allowed a goal in 154 minutes of action, the UCCS goalkeepers have the tenth-best save percentage in the nation at 0.811.
TEAM AWARDS
  • Throughout the 2024 season, the UCCS men's soccer team had four student-athletes earn weekly conference awards with senior Dani Barajas (9/17) and junior Miles Seminario (10/1) earning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, freshman Dillon Clarke (10/29) collecting RMAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades, and junior Soren Russell (10/1) securing RMAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
  • Six Mountain Lions earned recognition on the 2024 RMAC Men's Soccer All-Academic teams on Monday, Nov. 11 with Seminario and Russell both being named to the first team and Manny Loya, Adin Schwenke, Jack Souder, and Dalton Uehling all being tabbed to the honor roll. Seminario and Russell were also awarded with College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades on Tuesday, Nov. 19 and were both selected to advance to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Academic All-America ballot.
  • UCCS also had six student-athletes honored in the 2024 All-RMAC Teams and Major Awards with Russell being tabbed the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year and being joined by Barajas and Rory Scott on the All-RMAC First Team. Seminario, Lars Walczyk, and Nick Walker were recognized as members of the All-RMAC Second Team.
ALL-TIME SERIES
  • The Mountain Lions hold a 15-45-5 record in the all-time series against the Skyhawks. The two teams have split the last eight matchups in the series dating back to the 2018 season, but Fort Lewis is currently on a three-game winning streak that includes victories in last season's RMAC Semifinal match and NCAA First Round in addition to a win during the regular season this year.  
  • UCCS' lone matchup against the Skyhawks this season came at home on Thursday, Oct. 17, and saw Fort Lewis jump ahead to a 3-0 lead in the opening 65 minutes of play. A goal from Dani Barajas in the 80th minute cut the Mountain Lions' deficit to 3-1, but the Skyhawks held on from that point forward to hand UCCS their first loss of the season.
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
  • The Skyhawks enter the NCAA postseason holding a 12-3-6 overall record, which earned them a No. 6 seed in the national tournament. Fort Lewis posted a 7-2-1 record  throughout their conference schedule to secure the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Tournament and went on to defeat MSU Denver and Regis in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively, before falling in the conference championship by a score of 2-1 against CSU Pueblo.
  • Similar to the Mountain Lions, Fort Lewis ranks at the top of the RMAC in nearly every major statistical category as they sit third in the conference in goal differential (+21), team GAA (1.00), and goals per game (2.00). As a team, Fort Lewis led the league in total shots with 320 and ranked second in total shots on goal with 131.
  • On the national scale, the Skyhawks sit inside the top 25 in a handful of categories, including total goals (42 – T23rd), total assists (T22nd), total points (122 – 23rd), and shutout percentage (0.476 – 11th).
  • The Skyhawks have a balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball as five different players have recorded double-digit point totals and scored at least five goals. David Citron (22 points), Gabriel Legendre (21 points), and Tomas Duenes (17 points) are the leading point scorers for Fort Lewis, while last season's RMAC Freshman and Player of the Year, Anton Hjalmarsson, has recorded 14 points in just 450 minutes of action after missing the start of the season due to injury. This season's RMAC Freshman of the Year, Fabrizio Aguilera, rounds out the Skyhawks multi-pronged attack with five goals and 11 points in his debut season.
  • On the defensive end, it has been Jakob Larson, Casey Stracher, and Luke Pope holding down the bulk of the minutes for Fort Lewis as each member of the talented defensive trio has logged more than 1,600 minutes of action.
  • Lucas Martin has engineered an excellent season between the sticks for the Skyhawks as he has started 17 games and played 1,550 minutes while posting an RMAC-leading 0.813 GAA and 0.823 save percentage. Martin also paces the conference with nine shutouts this season while grabbing a total of 65 saves. Aidan Hartman has also made four starts in goal for Fort Lewis this season and holds a 1.75 GAA with seven goals allowed across 360 minutes played.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • As a team, the Mountain Lions have already recorded a new single-season program record for wins with 14 and established the longest winning streak in program history with their eight-game run from Sept. 7 – Oct. 3. UCCS has also matched the program record for road wins in a single season with seven.
  • In two seasons with the Mountain Lions, Russell has etched his name into the UCCS record book as one of the most accomplished goalkeepers in program history as his 1.01 career GAA ranks second all-time in program history among student-athletes with at least 1,000 minutes played and his 10 clean sheets and 0.785 save percentage both rank fifth all-time. The keeper from Bellevue, Wash., also ranks ninth all-time in total saves with 135. 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH LEWIS WILCOX
  • Head coach Lewis Wilcox is currently in his fourth season at the helm of the UCCS men's soccer program and has posted an exceptional 43-21-14 overall record. Under Wilcox, the Mountain Lions have made three consecutive trips to the conference semifinal round and are set to make their second straight appearance in the national tournament.
  • Across his first three seasons at the helm of the men's soccer program, Wilcox led the Mountain Lions to a 29-19-10 overall record while coaching the team to a pair of RMAC Semifinal appearances and their first ever selection to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament. Under his guidance, UCCS student-athletes have collected 19 All-RMAC honors, including eight first team accolades, eight second team selections, and three honorable mentions. In addition, Wilcox's resume features a trio of RMAC major awards, including the 2021 RMAC Player of the Year in Alex Andersson, the 2022 RMAC Co-Freshman of the Year in Matteo Moreno Madrid, and the 2024 RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year in Soren Russell.
  • The Mountain Lions have also been well-represented at the regional and national levels during his time at the head of the program, securing eight D2CCA All-Region honors, three United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades, and one D2CCA All-American (Alex Andersson – 2021 First Team).
  • In addition, UCCS men's soccer has flourished academically with the leadership of Wilcox, securing eight RMAC All-Academic First Team honors, seven College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades, and one CSC Academic All-America award (Kolby Raineri – 2022 Third Team).
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Sunday afternoon calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the high-50s and light winds coming from the southwest.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of Sunday's NCAA second round matchup will advance to the third round of the national tournament, which will be played on Sunday, Dec. 1.
 
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
 
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
 
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