OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The No. 8 nationally ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team opened their two-game road trip in Oklahoma with an impressive 2-0 victory over Rogers State University on Thursday afternoon at OCU Eagle Soccer Field.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: #8 UCCS 2, RSU 0
Records: UCCS (4-0-1, 0-0-0 RMAC), RSU (0-3-2, 0-0-0 GAC)
Facility: OCU Eagle Soccer Field |Oklahoma City, Okla.
All-Time Series: UCCS evens the all-time series against Rogers State at 1-1-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UCCS' neutral site clash against Rogers State opened with a defensive mindset as each team managed to record just a single shot attempt across the first 20 minutes of action.
- Both offenses found more opportunities at the net throughout the remainder of the opening half after the sluggish start, but it wasn't until the final 15 seconds of the period that the Mountain Lions were able to break through for the first goal of the game. As the clock was ticking towards the halftime buzzer, redshirt senior Lars Walczyk drew a foul inside the penalty area on a Rogers State defender, and on the ensuing penalty kick, junior Miles Seminario lined a right-footed strike into the bottom right corner of the frame to give the Mountain Lions a 1-0 advantage.
- After getting on the scoreboard just before the end of the first half, the Mountain Lions came out of the break with plenty of momentum as they quickly put RSU goalkeeper Declan Viljoen to the test with a pair of shots on goal within the first six minutes of the second period.
- UCCS' offense continued to put immense pressure on the Hillcats across the next 30 minutes of action, and it paid off in the 80th minute when the Mountain Lions were fouled inside the penalty area. Junior Nick Walker lined up to take the penalty kick for the Mountain Lions and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper into the center of the net to extend UCCS' lead to 2-0.
- With a comfortable advantage in hand, the UCCS defense continued their top tier play for the final ten minutes of action to secure their first clean sheet of the season in a 2-0 victory over the Hillcats.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- The Mountain Lions held the advantage in shots (15-7), shots on goal (5-3), and corner kicks (4-2).
- Seminario's goal in the 45th minute was his first of the season, while Walker picked up his fourth goal of the campaign in the 80th minute and now leads the team in that category for the season.
- A trio of Mountain Lions matched each other for the team lead in shots with Seminario, Lars Walczyk, and Dani Barajas each recording three. Graduate student Jack Souder and freshman Eduardo Macias also notched two shots apiece.
- Defenders Rory Scott and Adin Schwenke both logged complete 90-minute performances on the back line as they played a key part in keeping the Hillcats off the scoreboard and limiting them to a total of just three shots on target.
- Junior goalkeeper Soren Russell notched his first clean sheet of the season with a 90-minute showing in frame in which he corralled each of his three save opportunities.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With the win over the Hillcats, the Mountain Lions have extended their win streak to four games and have matched last season's program best five-game unbeaten streak to begin the season.
- Russell's clean sheet marks the sixth of his career as a member of the Mountain Lions and moves him into a tie for ninth all-time in program history.
- After two more successful penalty kicks this afternoon, the Mountain Lions are now a perfect 6-for-6 on PK attempts this season. UCCS entered today leading NCAA Division II with four penalty kick goals across their first four games.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will remain in Oklahoma City, Okla., to take on Oklahoma Christian University on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (MT) from OCU Eagle Soccer Field.
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
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.
