SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The No. 10 seed University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team saw their playoff push end in the third round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament on Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 defeat against No. 3 seed Point Loma Nazarene University.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 1, PLNU 2
Records: UCCS (12-6-5, 7-2-1 RMAC), PLNU (16-3-2, 9-1-0 PacWest)
Facility: PLNU Soccer Field | San Diego, Calif.
All-Time Series: Saturday's match marked the first meeting in program history against the Sea Lions.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountain Lions opened Saturday afternoon's match on the offensive as they spent much of the opening five minutes of play in their attacking zone and got an early shot attempt by Jackson Million that sailed high of the crossbar. In the sixth minute, Point Loma took advantage of the Mountain Lions' press as they earned a breakaway opportunity at midfield that was ultimately thwarted by defender Luke Noameshie and goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg.
• After the Mountain Lions had a strong look at the net in the ninth minute off a throw in into the box by Miles Seminario that resulted in a pair of quick shot attempts by Diego Macias, the Sea Lions went back on the attack and found some momentum in the 17^th minute when Curtis Collazos found Gael Ruiz at the top of the box for a strong right-footed strike into the left side of the net that gave Point Loma a 1-0 lead.
• Following the early goal, the Mountain Lions went under siege as the Sea Lions spent a large part of the remainder of the first half in their attacking zone, getting seven shots off and putting two on frame. Despite the pressure, UCCS managed to keep Point Loma out of the nylon to keep the deficit at just a single goal heading into the halftime break.
• Point Loma continued to apply offensive pressure coming out of the intermission and finally found some success in the 51^st minute as Ruiz sent a perfect crosser into the box from the left side that set up Elijah Langford to connect on a diving header into the back of the net that gave the Sea Lions a 2-0 advantage.
• After watching the deficit grow to two goals, the Mountain Lions finally began to regain some momentum on the offensive side of the ball in the 76^th minute Nick Walker sent a shot to the top left corner of the frame that was narrowly tipped out by PLNU goalkeeper Gonzalo Gurrola, resulting in a corner kick for UCCS. On the ensuing set piece, Dalton Uehling collected the ricochet at the top of the box and sent another strike towards the frame that landed just high of the crossbar.
• Just about 90 seconds later in the 78^th minute, the Mountain Lions were back in their attacking area and this time they were able to find the back of the net with Gael Hernandez getting the ball into the box for Walker, who finished at the net to cut the Sea Lions' lead to just a single goal with about 10 minutes remaining in the match.
• The Mountain Lions continued to fight down the stretch as they searched for an equalizer and managed to get a few good looks at the frame but were ultimately turned away by Point Loma as the Sea Lions secured the 2-1 victory.  

STATS FROM THE GAME

• The Sea Lions held the advantage in total shots (20-11), shots on goal (8-3), and corner kicks (5-2).
• Walker netted his 10^th goal of the season, while Diego Macias and Garcia both picked up assists in the match.
• Walker, Diego Macias, and Jackson Million paced the team with a pair of shots apiece, with Walker putting both his shots on frame.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Rory Scott and Noameshie both played the full 90 minutes for the Mountains
• Sjöberg also logged a full 90-minute performance in frame for UCCS, surrendering two goals while making five saves.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Mountain Lions became the first No. 10 seed in any super region to advance to the third round since University of Wisconsin Parkside achieved the feat during the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

SOCIAL
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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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