UCCS Athletics

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The No. 18 nationally ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team opened the 2026 campaign on Thursday afternoon with a dominant performance in San Antonio, Texas, as six different Mountain Lions found the back of the net on the way to an 8-0 victory over Sul Ross State University.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: #18 UCCS 8, SRSU 0
Records: UCCS (1-0-0, 0-0-0 RMAC), SRSU (0-1-0, 0-0-0 LSC)
Facility: TAMUSA Multisport Facility | San Antonio, Texas
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 2-0 all-time against the Lobos.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountain Lions came out of the gates as the more aggressive team offensively, firing three shots across the opening six minutes of play before putting their first attempt on frame in the 12^th minute on a shot from freshman Olly Reynolds. UCCS continued to apply pressure in the 15^th minute with senior Jack Cook testing Sul Ross State goalkeeper Fernando Hernandez as part of a stretch that saw the Mountain Lions record six of the first seven shots in the match.
• UCCS finally broke through for the opening goal in the 22^nd minute as junior Dillon Clarke connected with junior Diego Macias, who buried a right-footed strike into the bottom center of the net to give the Mountain Lions a 1-0 advantage. The Mountain Lions continued to control the attacking opportunities following the opening score, generating three more shots and three corner kicks over the ensuing ten minutes of action. The last of those corners led to UCCS doubling its advantage in the 32^nd minute as junior Sean Belzer sent a cross into the box for Reynolds, who deposited the first goal of his collegiate career into the top center of the net to push the Mountain Lion lead to 2-0.
• Following Reynolds' goal, the Mountain Lions continued to dominate the action as they erupted for a pair of goals in quick succession late in the opening half. Freshman Toby Benitez got the scoring burst started in the 43^rd minute, taking a pass from Belzer and putting the ball in the back of the net with a left-footed finish for his first score at the collegiate level, making it a 3-0 contest. Just four seconds later, it was Benitez sending a quick pass to fifth year Marcus Garcia, who found the nylon with a left-footed strike of his own to send UCCS into the halftime break holding a commanding 4-0 advantage.
• UCCS picked up right where they left off to begin the second half, peppering the Sul Ross State defense with six shots across the opening eight minutes of the period, with three of those attempts finding their way on frame. In the 53^rd minute, senior Dalton Uehling sent the ball across the pitch to freshman Moses Kamara, who unleashed a right-footed strike into the bottom right corner of the nylon for his first collegiate goal, further extending the Mountain Lion lead to 5-0. Less than three minutes later, Benitez struck for the second time in the match as Garcia set up the first-year midfielder for a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner of the frame in the 56^th minute, giving UCCS a 6-0 cushion.
• The offensive onslaught continued in the 62^nd minute when sophomore Cole Wearner became the sixth different goal scorer for the Mountain Lions, taking a pass from freshman Ieuan Bailey and burying a right-footed strike into the top right corner of the net to stretch the UCCS lead to 7-0.
• With a seven-goal advantage in hand, the Mountain Lions continued to generate opportunities throughout the final 30 minutes of play while keeping the Lobos off the scoreboard. Sul Ross State managed four shots between the 64^th and 80^th minutes, but just one found its way on frame as UCCS goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg turned aside Diego Uribe's attempt in the 80^th minute to preserve the clean sheet. UCCS put an exclamation point on the dominant performance in the 88^th minute when Wearner found the back of the net for the second time in the match, scoring an unassisted goal to bring the final margin to 8-0.

STATS FROM THE GAME

• UCCS dominated on the offensive side of the ball, outshooting Sul Ross State by a 34-6 margin while putting 19 of their attempts on goal, compared to just two for the Lobos. The Mountain Lions also held a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks.
• Benitez and Wearner led the offensive outburst with two goals apiece, while D. Macias, Reynolds, Garcia, and Kamara each added one goal to account for six different goal scorers in the match.
• Benitez finished as the team leader with five points on two goals and one assist, while Wearner contributed four points with his pair of goals. Belzer also recorded a two-point performance with a pair of assists.
• In addition to Belzer's two assists, Clarke, Uehling, Garcia, Bailey, and Benitez each dished out one assist as the Mountain Lions recorded a total of seven in the match.
• Sjöberg played the full 90 minutes in goal for UCCS, recording a pair of saves to secure his first clean sheet of the 2026 season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Thursday's outburst marked one of the most complete offensive performances in program history, with the Mountain Lions' eight goals tying for the second-most in a single game. UCCS also tied for third all-time in points (23) and shots on goal (19), tied for fourth in assists (7), and tied for sixth in total shots (34).
• The Mountain Lions have now defeated Sul Ross State on opening day in each of the past two seasons and extended their unbeaten streak in season-opening matches to six consecutive years, posting a 4-0-2 record in their openers dating back to the 2021 campaign.
• The goals by Benitez and Garcia coming just four seconds apart late in the first half established a new program record for the fastest consecutive goals scored by the Mountain Lions. The previous record of nine seconds had been accomplished twice, most recently in last season's RMAC Tournament Championship match against MSU Denver on Nov. 15, 2025.
• Sjöberg's clean sheet marked the sixth of his career and moved him into a tie for tenth all-time in program history in career shutouts.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will continue their season-opening road trip on Saturday, Aug. 29 against St. Mary's University. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 5 p.m. (MT) at Sigma Beta Chi Field in San Antonio, Texas.

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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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