Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

UCCS Athletics

MSOC NCAA First Round Preview

PREVIEW | No. 10 Seed Mountain Lions Head West for NCAA First Round Matchup Against No. 7 Seed Cal State LA

11/20/2025 10:00:00 AM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • As the automatic qualifier from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team secured the No. 10 seed in the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament and is set to take on No. 7 seed California State University Los Angeles in a first-round matchup on Friday, Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. (MT) inside Toro Stadium in Carson, Calif.
  • The winner of Friday's matchup between the Mountain Lions and Golden Eagles will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will meet the No. 2 seed and host institution California State University Dominguez Hills.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • All fans will be charged admission and are encouraged to pre-purchase tickets online. Fans will also have the option to scan a QR code at the gate to purchase tickets on their mobile phones.  
  • A parking permit is required in all CSUDH campus lots. The permit can be purchased at the yellow kiosk for $10.
  • Ticket Prices:
    • General Admission - $13.00
    • College Student w/valid student I.D. - $11.00
    • Children 12 and Under – Free
LAST TIME OUT
  • The Mountain Lions served up a thriller in the RMAC Tournament Championship match on Saturday as they secured their first conference tournament title in program history with a 3-2, comeback victory over Metropolitan State University Denver.
  • The championship match started in favor of the Roadrunners as they built some momentum in the early moments of the match and capitalized on it in the 17th minute when Rhyson Johnston touched a loose ball in the box into the back of the net for a 1-0 MSUD lead. Just 13 minutes after the halftime intermission, MSUD managed to add to their advantage as Joey Kresnik chopped a ball into the box that was collected by Johnston and fired into the nylon for a two-goal lead.
  • The Mountain Lions' hopes took a turn for the better in the 72nd minute when Cole Wearner drew a foul inside the 18-yard box, giving UCCS a penalty kick opportunity to cut the deficit in half. Jack Cook stepped up to the line and buried his penalty kick shot into the lower left corner of the goal, cutting the score to 2-1 and breathing some life back into the team.
  • 15 minutes later, the Mountain Lions found an unexpected scoring opportunity as goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg placed a long punt into the front field that got past all of the Roadrunners' defenders and was collected by Cook, who redirected the ball into the frame to even the game at two goals apiece. Just nine seconds later on the ensuing kickoff, Wearner managed to quickly steal the ball away from the MSU Denver defense and tapped it over to Miles Seminario, who went streaking forward towards the net and slipped the ball past Roadrunner goalkeeper Nick McNeil for the lead. UCCS' defense held off the Roadrunners for the final three minutes of the match as the Mountain Lions went on to secure the conference tournament title.
  • A full recap of the Mountain Lions' RMAC Tournament Championship victory over the Roadrunners can be found HERE.
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 final two publications of the national poll that were released on Nov. 4 and 11.
  • No. 7 seeded Cal State LA began the 2025 season ranked 11th in the nation and rose to No. 2 in the Week 1 poll but saw their ranking dip throughout the campaign as they were listed in the receiving votes section in the final regular season poll of the year.
  • No. 2 seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills started the campaign ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll before falling out of the rankings for the first six publications of the year. The Toros vaulted back into the national rankings in the Week 7 release with a No. 16 ranking before finishing the year as the No. 9 ranked team in the country for the final two sets of rankings.
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
Week 10              Nov. 11              #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 office announced their all-conference teams and individual major awards for the 2025 men's soccer season on Thursday, Nov. 13. Sophomore Luke Noameshie headlined a group of six Mountain Lion honorees as he earned All-RMAC First Team honors and was voted as the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to Noameshie's accolades, Miles Seminario and Nick Walker were also named to the All-RMAC First Team while Dimitrios Leonoglou, Soulo Letsoalo, and Hugo Sjöberg were each tabbed to the All-RMAC Second Team.
  • The RMAC All-Academic Teams were revealed at noon on Friday, Nov. 14 as senior Nick Walker headlined a group of nine student-athletes from the UCCS men's soccer team that earned academic recognition from the conference. Walker became the first UCCS men's soccer student-athlete in program history to earn RMAC Men's Soccer Academic Player of the Year honors. Along with teammate Miles Seminario, Walker was also honored as a member of the RMAC All-Academic First Team, while Sean Belzer, Dimitrios Leonoglou, Jordan Lohr, Diego Macias, Eduardo Macias, Rory Scott, and Dalton Uehling were listed on the Honor Roll.
  • UCCS had six student-athletes named to the RMAC All-Tournament team following their championship game victory over MSU Denver with Jack Cook securing Tournament MVP honors and Luke Noameshie, Miles Seminario, Eduardo Macias, Hugo Sjöberg, and Cole Wearner also being recognized.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
  • The Mountain Lions enter the NCAA Tournament holding the third-ranked defense in the RMAC as they have surrendered 1.25 goals per game and have limited opponents to just 3.95 shots on goal per game.
  • UCCS has had six players log at least 1,000 minutes of action on the defensive side of the ball this season, including freshman Maddox Brown (1,248), sophomores Luke Noameshie (1,349) and Gustavo Diaz Avila (1,097), junior Dalton Uehling (1,006), and seniors Soulo Letsoalo (1,298) and Dimitrios Leonoglou (1,015).
  • Hugo Sjöberg has been a mainstay between the sticks for UCCS throughout the season as he has played all 1,800 minutes at goalkeeper, posting a 1.25 GAA with 52 saves and a .675 save percentage. The Kiel, Germany native currently sits third in the conference with five clean sheets and fifth in the league in GAA.
  • Offensively, the Mountain Lions enter national tournament action ranked sixth in the conference in scoring with 1.85 goals per game and 5.20 shots on goal per game. In addition, UCCS currently sits second in the RMAC with 13.90 total shots per game and is tied for second in the conference with 5.65 corner kicks per game.
  • The senior duo of Miles Seminario and Nick Walker have spearheaded the Mountain Lions' offensive efforts throughout the season as they have combined to score 18 of the team's 35 goals. Seminario currently sits fourth in the RMAC with 10 goals, while Walker is tied for sixth in the conference with eight goals. Jack Cook (3), Drew Sanchez (3), Cole Wearner (2), and Eduardo Macias (2) are the other Mountain Lion players that have recorded multiple goals on the season, while nine additional student athletes have notched one goal.
SCOUTING CAL STATE LA
  • No. 7 seed Cal State LA will head into the national tournament sporting an 8-4-6 overall record and 5-3-2 conference record. The Golden Eagles opened their 2025 campaign with an unbeaten non-conference slate that saw them post a 3-0-4 record, including road draws at fellow RMAC institutions Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver. Following a 2-1 win over University of California Merced in their conference opener, CSULA endured a stretch of up-and-down play that saw them finish league action with a 5-3-2 record and 17 points, which secured them the No. 3 seed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament.
  • The Golden Eagles saw their conference postseason hopes come to an early end in the CCAA Tournament as they fell in the quarterfinal round by a score of 2-1 against No. 6 seed California State University East Bay.
  • One of four teams from the CCAA to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, Cal State LA currently boasts the third-ranked defense in the conference with 1.17 goals allowed per game. The Golden Eagles have limited opponents to just 10.9 shots per game, although nearly half of those attempts (5.0) have been on goal.
  • The Golden Eagles' defensive efforts have been held down by a trio of student-athletes that have logged a minimum of 1,100 minutes on the season, including Angel Sevillano (1,393), All-CCAA Honorable Mention Geovanni Antuna (1,388), and Evan Yoell (1,178).
  • Freshman Brayden McClelland has been the primary netminder for the Golden Eagles throughout the season as he posted a 1.10 GAA and 57 saves while making 16 starts and logging 1,395 minutes of action. The first-year goalkeeper ranks second in the CCAA with seven clean sheets and a .770 save percentage and sits third in the league with 3.56 saves per game.
  • CSULA's offensive attack ranked near the middle of the conference throughout the season as they currently sit seventh in the league in scoring with an average of 1.56 goals per game. The Golden Eagles have taken the sixth-most total shots per game (12.89) and shots on goal per game (5.22) but rank near the bottom of the conference in corner kick opportunities with just 3.94 per contest.
  • Senior midfielders Erick Alamo and Alex Mendez currently pace the Golden Eagles with 10 points apiece with Alamo scoring a team-leading five goals with no assists and Mendez notching four goals and two assists. Andreas Christou (3), Johnny Gonzalez (2), Jose Lopez (2), and Antuna (2) have joined Alamo and Mendez in scoring multiple goals on the season, while nine additional players scored one goal.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
  • The 2025 season has already been a historic one as the Mountain Lions have secured the first conference regular season and tournament titles in program history.
  • The Mountain Lions will be making their third consecutive appearance in the national tournament and are in search of their first NCAA playoff victory in the team's history. 
  • A fourth-year member of the UCCS men's soccer program, Miles Seminario has etched his name into the top 10 in program history in multiple statistical categories during his senior season. With his appearances in the conference tournament, he became the program's all-time leader in games played with 82 in his career. Seminario also currently ranks second all-time in career shot on goal percentage (.504), fifth all-time in shots on goal (62), and 10th all-time in total shots (123). 
  • 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.
  • With at least 61 minutes played in Friday's first round matchup, Hugo Sjöberg would break the program record for minutes played in a single season. The redshirt junior goalkeeper has logged 1,800 minutes of action thus far, and Scott Eacker holds the all-time record with 1,860 minutes played during the 1991 season. 
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 54-27-18 overall record. Under the leadership of Wilcox, the men's soccer program has reached new heights as they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons and recently brought home the program's first conference regular season and tournament titles.
  • 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 25 All-RMAC honors, including 11 first team accolades, 11 second team selections, and three honorable mentions. In addition, Wilcox has coached four 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, the 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year in Soren Russell, and the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year in Luke Noameshie.
  • 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 eight RMAC All-Academic First Team honors, seven College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades, and two CSC Academic All-America award (Kolby Raineri – 2022 Third Team, Miles Seminario - 2024 Second Team). In addition, Nick Walker was named the 2025 RMAC Men's Soccer Academic Player of the Year under the tutelage of Wilcox.
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Friday afternoon in Carson, Calif. calls for mostly cloudy skies with a daytime high of 65 degrees and 5 to 10 mph winds from the northeast.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of Friday's first round matchup will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to play No. 2 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. (MT).
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
 
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
 
 
Print Friendly Version