CARSON, Calif. – The No. 10 seed University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team netted a trio of second half goals in their second-round matchup against No. 2 seed California State University Dominguez Hills on Sunday afternoon to upset the Toros by a score of 3-1 and advance to the third round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 3, CSUDH 1
Records: UCCS (12-5-5, 7-2-1 RMAC), CSUDH (12-4-4, 8-0-2 CCAA)
Facility: Toro Stadium | Carson, Calif.
All-Time Series: Sunday's match marked the first meeting in program history against the Toros.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountain Lions opened their second-round matchup against Cal State Dominguez Hills with some offensive momentum as Nick Walker and Rory Scott were each able to find solid shot attempts against the vaunted Toros' defense within the first five minutes of play.
• After turning away the Mountain Lions' early threats, Cal State Dominguez Hills began to push the ball into their attacking third as they registered a trio of shots that went wide of the frame before finally finding the net in the 14^th minute to grab a 1-0 advantage. The Toros' first goal of the match was set up by a long pass from midfield by Ramiro Rosas that was collected at the top of the box by Christian Briseno and crossed over to Aldair Marta, who used his right foot to tap the ball into the nylon before UCCS goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg could get into position for the save.
• Now trailing by a goal, the Mountain Lions found four shot attempts across the final 30 minutes of the opening half, including a shot on goal by Diego Macias in the 40^th minute, but were unable to net an equalizer as the Toros carried their advantage into the halftime break.
• After trading shots for the first 15 minutes of the second period, the Mountain Lions finally broke through for the equalizer in the 61^st minute as Cole Wearner worked through the defense on the right side of the box and threaded a pass across the area to Walker for a wide-open goal that evened the score at one.
• Less than two minutes later, Miles Seminario put the Mountain Lions into another strong scoring situation as he unleashed one of his signature long throw-ins into the box. On the throw-in, Luke Noameshie was able to get a head on the ball and redirected it towards Rory Scott, who received it and finished for the go-ahead goal as UCCS took a 2-1 lead.
• UCCS found success on a throw-in once again in the 68^th minute as Wearner tossed the ball from the boundary to the outskirts of the box, where Noameshie was again able to use his head to redirect the ball towards Scott. The Mountain Lions' senior defender collected the ball and put it into the back of the net for his second goal of the game, giving UCCS a 3-1 lead with about 20 minutes to play.
• Following the Mountain Lions third goal, Cal State Dominguez Hills went into a frenzy on the offensive side of the ball as they searched for a pair of goals to remain in the game. The Toros put plenty of pressure on the Mountain Lion defense down the stretch as they notched 10 total shots two shots on goal in the remaining minutes of the match, but UCCS held strong to secure the 3-1 victory and advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

STATS FROM THE GAME

• Cal State Dominguez Hills more than doubled up the Mountain Lions in total shots (25-12) and held the advantage in shots on goal (6-4) and corner kicks (10-1).
• Scott recorded the first brace of his collegiate career and now has three goals for the season. Walker's game-tying goal in the 61^st minute registered as his ninth of the season.
• Three different Mountain Lions were credited with at least one assist in Sunday's match, including Seminario, Noameshie, and Wearner.
• Scott and Walker paced the Mountain Lions with three shots apiece, while Diego Macias and Jack Cook each notched a pair of shot attempts.
• In addition to their efforts on the offensive side of the ball, Scott and Noameshie played the full 90-minutes while manning the Mountain Lions' defensive backline.
• Sjöberg also notched a complete 90-minute performance between the sticks as he surrendered just one goal while making five saves.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With their victory over the Toros, the UCCS men's soccer program is set to make its first appearance in the third round of the national tournament.
• UCCS' victory over the No. 9 nationally ranked Toros was the program's first win over a top 10 ranked opponent since Sept. 29, 2024 when the team defeated No. 9 Colorado State University Pueblo.
• Sunday's match marked a homecoming for Walker, who spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career as a member of the Cal State Dominguez Hills men's soccer program, recording six goals and an assist in 27 games for the Toros in 2022-23.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will take on No. 3 seed Point Loma Nazarene University in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. (MT) inside PLNU Soccer Field.

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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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