COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team defeated Colorado Mesa 2-1 in their first conference match of the season on Thursday evening inside Mountain Lion Stadium.
INSIDE THE MATCH-UP
Final: UCCS 2, CMU 1
Records: UCCS (3-3-3, 1-0-0 RMAC), CMU (3-4-1, 0-1-0 RMAC)
Facility: Mountain Lion Stadium | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: Thursday evening's matchup against the Mavericks was the 32nd in UCCS program history. UCCS is now 9-17-6 in the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- With a chaotic battle for possession during the first part of the match, UCCS settled in and dominated the midfield area for the majority of the first half. An impressive scoring attempt came in the 20th minute, as Mountain Lion midfielder Dalton Uehling blasted a shot towards the lower left corner of the net. The ball was just barely saved by the fingertips of CMU goalkeeper Nathan Beck, but UCCS was able to draw a corner kick off the play.
- In the 40th minute, a UCCS defender slipped a through-ball up the left side of the pitch, giving Eduardo Macias the opportunity to connect with Miles Seminario in the 18-yard-box. Seminario went on to smash a shot between two Maverick defenders and past the hands of Beck, scoring the first Mountain Lion goal of the match.
- Despite logging 12 shots in the first half, five of which landed on frame, UCCS led by a single going into halftime. CMU recorded a mere four shots in the first 45 minutes of the match.
- Stemming from a Maverick free kick near the half line, CMU's right outside back floated a ball into Mountain Lion defensive territory and connected with a forward for a header shot, but the ball landed just wide of the net. Minutes later, midfielder Daniel Paulsson was able to rip a shot from the left side of the pitch, but CMU's scoring attempt was unsuccessful again and the Mavericks continued to trail by one.
- After a stunning string of possession in the attacking third, CMU midfielder Cain Castellon attempted to slip the ball past Hugo Sjöberg, but was unsuccessful. However, Castellon followed up in the 6-yard-box and attempted a second shot off of Sjöberg's rebounding save, which was successful and tied up the match in the 75th minute.
- Just two minutes later, UCCS responded and senior forward Nick Walker found the back of the net, leaving CMU to once again trail by a single goal.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- The Mavericks outshot the Mountain Lions 17 to 16. However, six UCCS shots landed on frame compared to CMU's five. The Mavericks led in corner kicks, logging eight total while UCCS took five during the match.
- Senior forwards Nick Walker and Miles Seminario each scored one goal against the Mavericks. Sophomore forward Eduardo Macias recorded the team's sole assist.
- Redshirt junior goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg logged the entire 90 minutes and faced 17 shots, recording four saves during the match.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
- UCCS will take on Westminster for their second conference match of the season on October 5 at 11 a.m. inside Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Then, they will travel to Rapid City, S.D. to battle against South Dakota Mines at 5 p.m. on October 9.
SOCIAL
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For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com. 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.
