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WSOC NCAA R2 Preview

PREVIEW | #14 Mountain Lions and #7 Orediggers Set for Third Meeting of the Season in South Central Semifinal

11/22/2025 12:00:00 PM

By: Jake Ross, Assistant Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCH UP
  • The fourteenth ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's soccer team opened the NCAA Championship with a one-nil victory over sixth seeded Midwestern State in the first round of the tournament. Casey Tadlock was the hero of the match, netting a corner kick restart with her head in the dying minutes of the first half from Mikaela Carlson providing the assist.
  • The seventh ranked Colorado School of Mines Orediggers enjoyed a first round bye as the second seed in the region, hosting UCCS and MSU at Stermole Stadium for their first-round match. Mines enter the tournament after capturing the automatic qualification for NCAA postseason play, winning their second consecutive RMAC tournament title with a one-nil win over Colorado Mesa in the RMAC Final thanks to a penalty kick goal.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • Ticket prices are set at $10 for adults, $5 for Kids ages 7-18, Seniors over the age of 65 and Military members. Tickets can be purchased online here.
LIVESTREAMING
  • Fans unable to attend in-person will be able to watch the match on NCAA.com. There is a direct link to the broadcast here, and can also be accessed by clicking the watch button on the women's soccer schedule page. The broadcast is free for all fans.
2025 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • The Mountain Lions began with a mixed bag of results in their first three matches, all against sides that were nationally ranked, or receiving votes. A 3-2 win against RV Cal State East Bay, a 2-2 draw with RV Western Washington, and a 2-1 loss at #7 Dallas Baptist had UCCS 1-1-1 to begin the fall.
  • The Mountain Lions began to click on the second half of their non-conference trip to Texas, when they smothered St. Edward's University 4-1 in Austin, before returning home to Colorado Springs to take down Division I Air Force 2-0 at the United States Air Force Academy. A confident 3-0 win on home turf over Cal Poly Humboldt wrapped up the non-conference slate, with UCCS commanding a 4-1-1 record heading into conference play.
  • The first half of conference play was an enjoyable stretch for the Mountain Lions who stormed their way to a 5-0-1 record through the first six conference matches, with the lone blemish being a 0-0 draw in Lakewood with Colorado Christian. The stretch finished with a signature win over then #25 Regis who UCCS dispatched with a 3-0 result at home, as the Mountain Lions geared up for the final portion of the conference schedule.
  • Leading the conference in goals by a wide margin, UCCS was met with defensive stances from the final six opponents on their RMAC path and was only solved once. That was by #13 Colorado School of Mines to start the final six matches, as UCCS fell 2-1 in Golden on October 17th. UCCS rebounded with three straight victories at CSU Pueblo (1-0), vs New Mexico Highlands (3-2), and vs Adams State (4-0). The final two matches of the year were each scoreless draws on the road, both against top defenses in the RMAC in Colorado Mesa and Westminster who ranked 1st and T2nd in fewest goals allowed, respectively.
RMAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET
  • The RMAC Tournament began with the play-in match when (7) Adams State took on (8) CSU Pueblo in Alamosa. Adams State proved victorious in that match behind goals from Ashlynn Mustain and Fatso Williams.
  • Three matches took place in the quarterfinal round, with (7) Adams State travelling to Golden to face off with (2) #7 Colorado School of Mines, (6) Westminster University taking on (3) #14 UCCS in Colorado Springs, and (4) Fort Lewis hosting (5) Regis University in Durango. Colorado School of Mines dispatched Adams State 4-1, UCCS prevailed 2-1 over Westminster in the second half of extra time, with Fort Lewis eliminating Regis with a 2-0 result.
  • Top seeded #23 Colorado Mesa hosted the final four teams in Grand Junction, Colo. with the CMU Mavericks and FLC Skyhawks opening the final site of play with the Mavericks advancing by a one-nil final over Fort Lewis. Colorado School of Mines and UCCS then faced off against one another in the semifinal nightcap battling for 110 minutes to a 1-1 draw. Ten rounds of penalty kicks ensued with CSM advancing 5-4 in PKs to the RMAC Final.
  • #7 Colorado School of Mines polished off their second straight conference tournament title in the RMAC Final, defeating host Colorado Mesa 1-0.
  • the tournament will await the winners of the semifinal bouts on Saturday at 5 p.m.
RMAC LEADERS
  • The Mountain Lions scored the most goals as a team in the regular season with 41, outscoring the second ranked offense, Colorado School of Mines, by eight. Abby Stassi paced the Mountain Lions with 14 goals, the second most in the RMAC regular season and sixth most in Division II. Ten Mountain Lions found the net in the regular season, with Brook Pavlich (6), Emily Aguilar (5), Luka Johnson (4), Casey Tadlock (3), Taylynn Levi (2), Mikaela Carlson (2), and Noelia Garcia (2) all netting multi-goal seasons.
  • Elise Broberg topped the team in assists with seven, tying her for the 19th most in Division II. Just behind her is Taylynn Levi with 6, with Emily Aguilar (4), Brooke Pavlich (3), Abby Stassi (3), and Reagan Dare (2) all having multiple assists on the year. In all, a dozen Mountain Lions helped find the net with assists on the season, as UCCS led the league with 31 assists, six more than any other team in the league.
  • In her first season in between the sticks for UCCS, junior keeper Nylah Mirshafiei has been very good for UCCS, helping the Mountain Lions to the 4th best defense in the conference. Mirshafiei's nine clean sheets were fourth most by a RMAC keeper, also slotting in fourth for Goals Against Average with a mark of .726 in over 1,600 minutes played.
ALL-TIME SERIES
  • UCCS and Colorado School of Mines have battled 31 times in their history, with Mines holding a 20-8-3 record over the Mountain Lions. Colorado School of Mines won the regular season match between the two sides 2-1 in Golden on October 17th, with the teams drawing 1-1 in the RMAC tournament with Mines advancing 5-4 in the tenth round of penalties.
SCOUTING THE OREDIGGERS
  • Bella Campos powers the Oredigger offense with a staggering 20 goals on the season, the most in the RMAC and the most in Division II this year. Campos accounts for 51% of Colorado School of Mines' goals as Natalie Rouse is the second leading scorer with four goals.
  • Senior goalkeeper Allie Lundgren has started all 20 matches for the Orediggers, owning six clean sheets, and three combined shutouts. Lundgren has 79 saves on the season, fourth most in the conference, as her .770 goals against average is fifth lowest.
  • Senior midfielders Afton Rasco and Kaitlyn Manalili are the enablers for Campos and company as Rasco's ten, and Manalili's nine, lead the roster in the assist category.
  • Kevin Fickes is in his 16th season as the head coach and in his 26th season overall in Golden. Fickes has coached 37 All-Americans, 17 Academic All-Americans, 96 all-conference players, and 39 RMAC major award winners. Last season, Fickes guided the Orediggers to the first #1 United Soccer Coaches ranking in the program's history.
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH J. B. BELZER
  • Head coach J.B. Belzer is in his sixth season as the UCCS skipper, holding a 80-24-14 record in his time in the Springs. Belzer is in his 30th season in the RMAC after spending 24 years at Regis University in Denver. Overall Belzer owns an impressive 396-170-51 record on his career between Regis and UCCS, owning the sixth most wins out of active Division II coaches. He has the 14th most wins in the history of Division II women's soccer.
  • During his time at UCCS Belzer has guided the Mountain Lions to a regular season title in three out of his six seasons, with one RMAC tournament championship in 2021.
  • Last fall was the first time the Mountain Lions failed to qualify for the NCAA postseason under Belzer's supervision. However, currently ranked #4 in the South-Central Region, the Mountain Lions are poised to return to the big dance this fall. The 2023 season was the most successful NCAA tournament run for the Mountain Lions under Belzer, who made it into the final eight teams before falling to Point Loma Nazarene 1-0 who would go on to win the National Championship.
WEATHER
  • The forecast for Sunday evening in Golden is chilly, with cloudy conditions expected. Match time temperature is predicted to be 50 degrees, with temperatures dropping into the forties during play. Sprinkling rain is also possible during the match.
UP NEXT
  • The winner of the South-Central Semifinal match will advance to the Regional Final which will take place on Sunday, November 30th.
 
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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.
 
 
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