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MSOC SF Preview

PREVIEW | Men’s Soccer Prepares to Host Westminster in RMAC Semifinal Match

11/11/2025 8:00:00 AM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team secured the No. 1 seed in the RMAC Tournament and is set to host the No. 4 seeded Westminster University Griffins in a semifinal clash that will kick off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from Mountain Lion Stadium.
  • On the opposite side of the bracket, the tournament's No. 2 seed Metropolitan State University Denver will play host to No. 3 seed Regis University with kickoff for that semifinal matchup set for 5 p.m. from MSU Denver's Assembly Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • All fans will be charged admission and are encouraged to pre-purchase tickets online.
  • Ticket Prices:
    • General Admission - $16.00
    • Kids (6-17), Over 65 & Military - $11.00
    • Children 5 and Under – Free
    • Students – Free
RMAC NETWORK
  • Fans who are unable to attend in-person will be able to view each game of the RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament on the RMAC Network. Championship Day Passes will be available to purchase and will permit fans access to all championship broadcasts for 24 hours. All championship broadcasts are included with the purchase of a monthly or annual subscription.
2025 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • After opening the campaign as the No. 17 ranked team in the nation in the preseason poll on July 31 and earning a 2-1 victory in their season-opener against Sul Ross State University on Sept. 4, the Mountain Lions endured a challenging six-game stretch of their non-conference schedule in which they posted an 0-3-3 record, with each of the three setbacks coming by just a single goal.
  • UCCS reversed their fortunes in the final non-conference match of the season with a dominant 2-0 victory over Regis University on Sept. 28 and carried their momentum into the start of the RMAC schedule as they won their first four conference games. Following a setback at Fort Lewis College on Oct. 16, UCCS went on to post a 3-1-1 record across their final five conference matches to move their overall record to 9-5-4 and their conference record to 7-2-1. With 22 points in the conference standings, the Mountain Lions were named RMAC Men's Soccer Co-Champions for the first time in program history and secured the top seed in the conference tournament by virtue of their head-to-head win against MSU Denver during the regular season.
UNITED SOCCER COACHES NATIONAL RANKINGS
  • The Mountain Lions opened the 2025 campaign ranked No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll and found themselves in and out of the rankings throughout the season. UCCS landed at No. 19 in the most recent publication of the national poll that was released on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
2025 United Soccer Coaches Rankings
Preseason           July 31              #17
Week 1                Sept. 9              NR
Week 2                Sept. 16            NR
Week 3                Sept. 23            NR
Week 4                Sept. 30            NR
Week 5                Oct.   7              NR
Week 6                Oct. 14              #22
Week 7                Oct. 21              RV
Week 8                Oct. 28              NR
Week 9                Nov. 4                #19
 
RMAC AWARDS
  • The UCCS men's soccer program had five student-athletes combine for a total of nine weekly conference awards throughout the 2025 campaign.
    • Week 1 (Sept. 9): Nick Walker – RMAC Offensive Player of the Week
      Week 4 (Sept. 30): Maddox Brown – RMAC Defensive Player of the Week
      Week 5 (Oct. 7): Miles Seminario – RMAC Offensive Player of the Week
      Week 5 (Oct. 7): Hugo Sjöberg – RMAC Goalkeeper of the Week
      Week 6 (Oct. 14): Nick Walker – RMAC Offensive Player of the Week
      Week 6 (Oct. 14): Luke Noameshie – RMAC Defensive Player of the Week
      Week 6 (Oct. 14): Hugo Sjöberg – RMAC Goalkeeper of the Week
      Week 8 (Oct. 28): Luke Noameshie – RMAC Defensive Player of the Week
      Week 8 (Oct. 28): Hugo Sjöberg – RMAC Goalkeeper of the Week
  • The conference is set to announce the 2025 All-RMAC Teams and Major Awards at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13 and the 2025 RMAC All-Academic Teams at 12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
  • The Mountain Lions finished the regular season with the third-ranked defense in the RMAC as they surrendered 1.22 goals per game and limited opponents to just 3.7 shots on goal per game.
  • UCCS had five players log at least 900 minutes of action on the defensive side of the ball during the regular season, including freshman Maddox Brown (1,110), sophomores Luke Noameshie (1,169) and Gustavo Diaz Avila (1,044), and seniors Soulo Letsoalo (1,263) and Dimitrios Leonoglou (986).
  • Hugo Sjöberg was a mainstay between the sticks for UCCS throughout the regular season as he played all 1,620 minutes at goalkeeper, posting a 1.22 GAA with 43 saves and a .662 save percentage. The Kiel, Germany native currently sits third in the conference for GAA and is tied for second with five clean sheets.
  • Offensively, the Mountain Lions ranked seventh in the conference in scoring with 1.78 goals per game and sixth in the league with 5.22 shots on goal per game during the regular season. In addition, UCCS finished the campaign ranked second in the RMAC with 13.83 total shots per game and third in the conference with 5.61 corner kicks per game.
  • The senior duo of Miles Seminario and Nick Walker spearheaded the Mountain Lions' offensive efforts throughout the season as they combined to score 17 of the team's 32 goals. Seminario ended the campaign ranked tied for the fourth in the RMAC with nine goals, while Walker was tied for sixth in the conference with eight goals. Drew Sanchez (3) and Cole Wearner (2) were the only other Mountain Lion players to record multiple goals, while ten additional student athletes notched one goal.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WESTMINSTER
  • The Mountain Lions hold a record of 18-9 all-time against the Griffins and are 6-1-0 in the series under current head coach Lewis Wilcox. UCCS is currently riding a six-game winning streak against Westminster dating back to the start of the 2022 season.
  • In their regular season matchup against the Griffins on Oct. 5, UCCS earned a 3-2 comeback victory in which they scored twice in the final 13 minutes of the match, including a game-tying penalty kick goal by Seminario in the 78th minute and a game-winning goal by Sanchez in the 80th minute.
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
  • After opening the 2025 campaign with a 2-0 win over University of Texas Dallas, the Griffins endured a tough stretch of their non-conference slate in which they lost four consecutive matches, although three of the four losses featured teams that were receiving national poll recognition at the time of the contest. Following their four-game slide, Westminster rebounded to close their non-conference schedule with three straight victories.
  • Westminster faced a challenging start to their RMAC schedule with matchups against then-No. 7 Colorado State University Pueblo, UCCS, and then-No. 9 Fort Lewis College, but weathered the storm with a 0-1-2 record in that stretch. The Griffins heated up across the final seven games of their conference schedule as they posted a 6-1-0 record to finish fourth in the conference standings with 20 points. The Griffins hosted No. 14 CSU Pueblo in the RMAC Quarterfinal round on Sunday, Nov. 9 and earned a 1-0 overtime victory over the ThunderWolves to advance in the tournament.
  • Led by seniors Keli'I Kiilehua (1,672 minutes) and Chase Kluksdale (1,364 minutes) the Griffins have fielded the stingiest defense in the conference to this point in the season as they lead the league with 0.89 goals allowed per game while surrendering just 8.3 shots per game and 3.8 shots on goal per game.
  • Redshirt sophomore Tommy Manwaring played the bulk of the season in frame for the Griifins, making 13 starts and posting a 0.92 GAA with 36 saves and six clean sheets across 1,175 minutes of action. Redshirt freshman Oliver Olsen also drew six starts between the sticks for Westminster and went on to post a 0.83 GAA with 11 saves and three shutouts in 540 minutes on the pitch.
  • The Griffins currently rank eighth in the conference in scoring as they scored 29 goals in 19 games played for an average of 1.53 per game. Westminster had a committee approach on the offensive end of the ball as four different players recorded at least 10 points, including Jack Cardwell (16), James Miles (12), Owen Gallo (12), and Alejandro Puente (10).
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • A fourth-year member of the UCCS men's soccer program, Seminario has etched his name into the top 10 in program history in multiple statistical categories during his senior season. When he steps onto the pitch for Wednesday's semifinal match, he will become the program's all-time leader in games played with 81 in his career. Seminario also currently ranks tied for fifth all-time in shots on goal (59) and second all-time in career shot on goal percentage (.509).
  • With his NCAA Division II and RMAC leading seven game-winning goals on the season, Walker now has nine game-winning goals in his two-year career at UCCS which ranks as the second-most by any player in program history.
  • After collecting 22 points in the conference standings during the regular season, the Mountain Lions were tabbed as RMAC Co-Champions and will be the top seed in the conference tournament for the first time in program history.
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH LEWIS WILCOX
  • Head coach Lewis Wilcox is currently in his fifth season at the helm of the UCCS men's soccer program and has posted an exceptional 52-27-18 overall record. Under the leadership of Wilcox, the Mountain Lions are making an appearance in the RMAC Semifinal round for the fourth consecutive seasons.
  • Across his first four seasons at the helm of the men's soccer program, Wilcox led the Mountain Lions to a 43-22-14 overall record while coaching the team to a trio of RMAC Semifinal appearances and the program's first two selections 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 has coached a trio of RMAC major award winners, including the 2021 RMAC Player of the Year in Alex Andersson, the 2022 Co-Freshman of the Year in Matteo Moreno Madrid, and the 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year in Soren Russell.
  • The Mountain Lions have been well-represented at the regional and national levels during his time at the head of the program, securing 10 D2CCA All-Region honors, three United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades, and two D2CCA All-Americans (Alex Andersson – 2021 First Team, Dani Barajas - 2024 Second Team).
  • In addition, UCCS men's soccer has flourished academically with the leadership of Wilcox, securing six RMAC All-Academic First Team honors, seven College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades, and tow CSC Academic All-America award (Kolby Raineri – 2022 Third Team, Miles Seminario - 2024 Second Team).
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Wednesday evening's match is calling for partly cloudy skies with a daytime high of 69 degrees and a low of 46 degrees with winds ranging from 5 to 10 miles-per-hour.
UP NEXT
  • With a win over the Griffins, UCCS would advance to host the RMAC Tournament Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. against either MSU Denver or Regis.  
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