Cal State Dominguez Hills notched a goal in the 7th minute and the 79th minute to seal the win, 2-1, in the opener for both teams.

Cal State Dominguez Hills, the 2008 NCAA National Champions, got an early goal from Billy Gutierrez to give the Toros an early advantage.

CMU answered with a goal of its own. Freshman Phil Neuwirth netted his first collegiate goal and evened the game at a goal apeice. Neuwirth’s goal came in the 36th minute and was assisted by Stevie Palma and Jeremy Gwerder.

The Toros got the game winner in the 79th minute. Miguel Vasquez took a pass from Wyatt Stucker and found the goal and gave them the edge 2-1.

Freshman Micah Conrads got the start in goal and made four saves for CMU.

Minot 2, CMU 1: CMU women’s soccer team opened the season in California against the Minot State Beavers. The Beavers tallied goals in the 71st minute and the 76th minute to hand the Mavericks a 2-1 loss.

Freshman Daniela Salinas netted the Mavericks lone goal in the match. Salinas’ goal came in the 75th minute and knotted the game at 1-1. Salinas won a scrum in front of the net and pushed it past the goalie.

A Maverick foul in the box proved to be the difference in the match. Minot’s Sidney Bockhaven took the PK for the Beavers and converted.

Senior Arielle Harris made two saves in the loss.

CC 2, Pitt 2: The Colorado College women rallied from two goals down on the road to tie Pitt 2-2 on Friday afternoon.

Pittsburgh went ahead on a brace from Ashley Cuba. The first came in the seventh minute when Cuba beat a defender off a pass from Katheryn Kunugi and fired a low shot to the left. Cuba doubled the advantage in the 30th minute off a pass from Katelyn Ruhe.

The Tigers, however, put on the pressure and broke through 30 seconds later when Jaclyn Silsby tapped in a shot during a scramble in front of the net. In the 64th minute, Kaeli Vandersluis latched onto the ball in a scramble and knotted the score at 2.

Neither team was able to find a winner as both ‘keepers turned in solid efforts. Hannah Berglund finished with three saves for the Tigers. Kristina Rioux had sive saves for Pitt.

Northern State (S.D.) 4, Thunderwolves 1: CSU-Pueblo faltered in the season opener, losing 4-1 at home on Friday.

Northern State opened up the scoring off an error by the goalkeeper that led to a breakaway shot for Rachel Goslinga that was nearly saved.

CSU-Pueblo continued to work out the early season kinks and answered with a goal of their own by Gabby Gonzales received a pass from Brittany Kliesen that she calmly tucked away in the upper right corner beating the Wolves goalkeeper tying the game 1-1.

Northern State would respond six minutes later when Haley Burns found an open Khachirha Tugas in the middle of the box that she finished in the upper right corner just beyond the outstretched goalkeeper.

The Thunderwolves had an opportunity for an equalizer on a breakaway but failed to capitalize when the Wolves goalkeeper, Shaina Stein, came up with a game-tying save.

The lost opportunity came back to hurt the Thunderwolves when Goslinga struck again. A ball played into the box was lost by the Thunderwolves defenders that eventually bounced its way to an open Goslinga who headed the ball over the goalkeeper for her second goal of the night and a 3-1 Northern State lead that held up into the half.

Northern State added some insurance in the 61st minute when Goslinga added an assist to her resume’ as she sent a cross into the box that found the foot of Ashley Elliott who beat the keeper short side to claim a 4-1 lead.

Mines 1, CSU-Pueblo 0: The Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team closed out the 2010 regular season with a 1-0 victory in RMAC women’s soccer action against CSU-Pueblo on Sunday afternoon at the CSM Soccer Stadium.
 
Anna Evans was on the attack early cutting back across the box and firing a shot far post in the sixth minute that skipped just wide. Evans created space hitting a shot from the top of the box in the eighth minute but CSU-Pueblo goalkeeper Katie Martinet came up with the diving save.
 
Mines broke through in the 62nd minute as Evans chased down a ball into the box, staying with the play and emerging on the other side of the CSU-Pueblo goalkeeper for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
 
Briana Schulze collected her 26th career shutout moving her into sole possession of fourth-place on the RMAC women’s soccer all-time career shutout list. Schulze made three saves while the Mines defense held the ThunderWolves to just five total shots in the match on only one shot in the second half.
 
The Orediggers (10-5-3, 9-4-1 RMAC), the fourth-seed in the RMAC Tournament, will host the fifth-seed Metro State (12-4-2, 8-4-2 RMAC) at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinal round. The winner will advance to the semifinal round to be played on Friday in Durango at host school Fort Lewis College.

Elsewhere in women’s soccer, Fort Lewis secured the RMAC title with a 1-0 win over Regis, Adams State beat Nebraska-Kearney 2-1, and Mesa State was facing UC-Colorado Springs.

Metro State 4, CSU-Pueblo 1: In men’s action, the Thunderwolves fell to the visiting Roadrunners in the regular season closer on Sunday.

The Roadrunners improved to 11-5-2 and 8-4-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the ThunderWolves fell to 7-10-1 and 6-7-2 in the RMAC.

Midfielder Steven Emory scored two more times, bringing his season total to 15 goals, as he stretched his school record streak of consecutive games with at least one point to nine games.  However, his school record streak of consecutive games with an assist ended at six games.

 Marc Herschberger opened the scoring with a goal in the 18th minute, assisted by Andrew Mejia.  Emory extended the lead to 2-0 in the 39th minute.

Walter Bertini got on the board unassisted in the 67th minute, scoring in the upper-left corner of the net.

CSU-Pueblo scored with the aid of an own goal as Jonathan Hall’s shot deflected off a Metro State defender’s back and into the net in the 69th minute.

Emory scored again in the 85th minute, off a cross from Scott Crawford.

Issa Bissau made two saves as Metro State outshot the Thunderwolves 29-8.

Metro State will host either CSU-Pueblo or Mesa State on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in the opening round of the RMAC Tournament.

Elsewhere in men’s soccer, UC-Colorado Springs crushed Colorado Christian 6-0, Mesa State surprised Regis 2-1, and Adams State was playing Fort Lewis in the late game.

Meanwhile, CU fell in overtime and Northern Colorado fell apart late. In men’s soccer, DU and Air Force each lost close matches.

DU Needs OT: Sophomore defender Katy Van Lieshout scored a game-winner in overtime to help DU keep its Sun Belt Conference record unblemished, as the Pioneers defeated the Florida International Golden Panthers 1-0 at CIBER Field on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s nice to remain undefeated at home and in conference play,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “We knew this was going to be a good battle, and our depth really helped us in the late part of the game.”

The goal came 1:08 into overtime, after freshman Cassidy Larson played a ball down the right sideline and crossed to freshman midfielder Nicholette DiGiacomo, who fired a shot. The ball deflected off FIU goalkeeper Melanie Raimo, and Van Lieshout was there to make the point-blank finish. It was Van Lieshout’s third game-winner in the past four games.

“The goal was very fundamental,” Hooker said.

Sophomore goalkeeper Lara Campbell made one save for her fifth shutout of the season. Denver outshot the Golden Panthers 16-5 and had a 9-3 advantage over FIU on corner kicks.

In eight Sun Belt Conference games, the Pioneers have outscored their opponents 19-1.

The Pioneers return to action when they visit conference rival Arkansas State at 2 p.m. Thursday.

CU Drops: The Buffaloes remain snakebit. They keep games close, but they are having trouble defeating Big 12 Conference foes.

The latest example of this came on Sunday as CU fell to the University of Oklahoma 2-1.

Colorado (6-9-1) suffered its fifth loss in Big 12 Conference competition giving them a 2-5-1 mark as Oklahoma (9-5-2) improved to 4-2-1 in league play.

Kate Russell scored the only goal of the first 45 minutes in the 3rd minute. Amy Barczuk sent a cross to the far post where Russell connected with it on a header. This was Russell’s third goal of the season and Barczuk’s first career assist.

Despite being outshot 6-3, the Buffaloes managed to lead 1-0 after the first half with CU goalkeeper Annie Brunner making two saves.

“Annie (Brunner) was brilliant,” said head coach Bill Hempen. “She had some great saves that they didn’t score which helped a lot.”
On its 13th shot of the game, Oklahoma scored the equalizer to tie it at 1-1 in the 67th minute.  Dria Hampton scored the goal for the Sooners from 18 yards out sending the ball over Brunner’s head for her fourth this season.

Less than a minute into CU’s sixth overtime match of the season, Whitney Palmer netted the golden goal for the Sooners ending the game at 2-1 and giving the Buffaloes their second extra period loss of the season.  Annalisa Hall served a corner kick to Palmer who sent it into a wide open net.

“They were winning all the knock-down stuff. And we were turning the ball over on various areas of the field,” said Hempen. “They are very direct and committed to going forward. They made some great runs through our back line and were just really good today.”

The Buffaloes return home to take on the University of Kansas at Prentup Field at 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Bears Tumble: The Northern Colorado women’s soccer squad came away disappointed after letting up a couple late goals in a 2-0 loss at home to Sacramento State.
The loss put the Bears’ record at 9-4-2, 2-1-1 in Big Sky play, while also ending their five-game unbeaten streak.

Northern Colorado’s next match comes on Friday when Eastern Washington comes to Greeley. That night will be senior night for the Bears.

Falcons Falter: Devon Sandoval headed a pass from Patrick Pacheco into the net with two seconds remaining Sunday to give the New Mexico men’s soccer team a 1-0 victory over Air Force at Cadet Soccer Stadium.

The Lobos improved to 6-4-2 overall and 3-2-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Falcons fell to 4-9-0, 2-3-0 MPSF.

With the clock running down, Pacheco raced down the right side and sent a cross into the front of the net. Sandoval flicked the ball with his head past Air Force goalie Matt Underwood just inside the left post as UNM avenged a 3-2 loss to the Falcons last Sunday in Albuquerque.

Underwood made four saves for Air Force, while Lobo keeper Justin Holmes made one save in recording his third shutout of the season.

Air Force returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday against San Jose State at Cadet Soccer Stadium.

Pioneers Fall: The University of Denver men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to UNLV at CIBER Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Rebel’s Mike Mota scored in the 19th minute when he headed a corner kick into the back right corner of the net, and the Pioneers weren’t able to answer offensively.

“I was disappointed with today’s performance,” head coach Bobby Muuss said. “It’s particularly frustrating that we controlled the majority of possession in the game but couldn’t produce offensively.”

Denver (5-5-3, 2-2-1 MPSF) had two promising scoring opportunities in the final minute on corner kicks, but the crosses from senior Kellan Christensen were unsuccessful in locating a Pioneer boot within the box.

The Rebels (5-7-1, 2-2-1 MPSF) out-shot the Pioneers 17-10, and took four corners kicks to UNLV’s three. Senior goalkeeper Joe Willis made four saves for Denver, while UNLV’s Simon Cook made three saves for the shutout.

Denver returns to action when it hosts Sacramento State at 7 p.m. Friday.

And in Durango, two teams with a history of yellow cards and active dislike needed more than 90 minutes to find a winner.

Colorado-Colorado Springs 8, Adams State 0: Nothing went right for the Adams State men on Friday afternoon as Colorado Springs pounded the Grizzlies for seven goals in the first half alone.

Forward Matt Friesen had a hat trick, and defender Mike Mason had three assists plus two goals on two shots in the first half. Three other players scored for Colorado Springs as they handed the Grizzlies a second 8-0 loss in the past week.

The Grizzlies dropped to 0-10-0, 0-7-0 RMAC with the loss.  Colorado Springs improved to 2-8-1, 1-5-1 RMAC with the victory.

Colorado Mines 5, CSU-Pueblo 0: The nation’s top-ranked men’s team started a little slowly against the Thunderwolves, but cranked out a convincing victory on Friday afternoon.

Baski Baker’s goal in the 25th minute was the lone score in the first half for the Orediggers.

The second half was a different story. Sean Helser added a goal in the 49th minute. Chike Sullivan scored on a penalty kick in the 56th minute, and Alex Nass chipped in with a free kick from 40 yards out during the 78th minute. Seun Ogenmodede knocked in the fifth goal in the 86th minute.

The Orediggers, the No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division II, improved to 10-0-1, 7-0-1 RMAC. The Thunderwolves moved to 5-6-0, 4-3-0 RMAC.

Fort Lewis 3, Metro State 2 (2OTs): Two teams with an active distaste for one another tangled at Dirks Field in Durango on Friday, and the home team emerged with a win.

The two teams traded punches in each half. Chris Yoder scored first for the Roadrunners in the 22nd minute, and Fabian Kling tied it up for the Skyhawks two minutes later.

Fort Lewis took the lead two minutes into the second half on a Joe Barnd goal. The lead held until the 86th minute when Steve Emory latch onto a poor clearance and leveled for Metro State.

With less than 15 minutes remaining in the second overtime, Kling scored off a Barnd cross to end the game.

With the win, Fort Lewis improved to 7-4-0, 6-1-0 RMAC. Metro State fell to 7-2-2, 4-1-2 RMAC.

Regis 0, Mesa State 0: The Rangers and Mavericks locked horns in a defensive struggle Friday afternoon, with neither team finding a goal in Grand Junction.

Regis moved to 7-1-2, 3-1-2 RMAC. Mesa State settled at 6-4-2, 2-4-2 RMAC.

In women’s RMAC action early in the day, the conference leading Skyhawks had all they could handle in facing the Orediggers, while Colorado Christian sank deeper in the conference cellar. 

Fort Lewis 2, Colorado Mines 1: The No. 7-ranked Skyhawks had just enough to get past the Orediggers in women’s soccer action on Friday.

The win helped Fort Lewis solidify its hold on the top spot in the conference, at 10-1-0 overall, 6-1-0 RMAC. The Orediggers dropped to 5-3-3, 4-2-1 RMAC.

Metro State 1, Mesa State 0: Aleah DeGeneres connected on an Ashley Nemmers pass in the 60th minute and deposited it in the upper left hand corner of the goal for a Roadrunners win Friday evening.

A humorless match, the game featured nearly as many yellow cards, 6, as shots on goal, 7.

The win allowed Metro State (9-1-1, 5-1-1 RMAC) to remain in second place in the conference heading to a match with front-running Fort Lewis in Durango on Sunday.

The Mavericks slid to 4-6-2, 2-5-1 RMAC.

CSU-Pueblo 2, Adams State 1 (OT): Melissa Christensen’s goal in the second minute of overtime gave the Thunderwolves a Friday night victory in Pueblo.

Katie Thiebaut put CSU-Pueblo on the board just before half, and Kaylee Smith equalized for the Grizzlies in the 75th minute, setting the stage for Christensen’s late heroics.

CSU-Pueblo moved to 4-7-0, 2-5-0 RMAC with the win. Adams State slipped to 3-8-0, 2-5-0 RMAC with the loss.

Nebraska-Kearney 6, Colorado-Colorado Springs 2: Julia Saenz’s two goals, one each half, were the loan bright spots for the Mountain Lions as the Lopers punched in three goals in each half.

UNK improved to 6-5-0, 3-4-0 RMAC, while UCCS fell to 6-4-0, 3-3-0 RMAC.

New Mexico Highlands 2, Colorado Christian O: Krista Mashak assisted on Susannah Hertz’s 23rd minute goal and then provided one of her own in the 80th minute as the Cowgirls knocked off Colorado Christian 2-0.

With the win, the Cowgirls improved to 6-4-1 overall, 4-2-1 RMAC. The Cougars dropped to 1-11-0, 1-7-0 RMAC.

Mines 4, Fort Lewis 2: The nation’s No. 1 team in Division II pulled off a rare win in Durango on Friday, as the Orediggers earned a victory over Fort Lewis 4-2 at Dirks Field.
 
Fort Lewis had not lost at home since Oct. 14, 2007, and had either tied or won 36 consecutive RMAC matches up until today. The last time Mines’ won in Durango was a 4-3 double overtime victory during the 2002 season.
 
Mines came out with an early goal making the score 1-0 in the 7th minute of the match as Tesho Akindele blasted a shot from 20 yards out. CSM pulled ahead 2-0 in the 20th minute off the foot of Chike Sullivan’s free kick from 30 yards out.

Fabian Kling cut into the Skyhawks deficit before the end of the first half scoring in the 43rd minute of the match for his third goal of the season. Jamie Cunningham notched the assist.

Fort Lewis pulled within one goal making the score 3-2 as Joe Barnd scored his second goal of the season in the 55th minute while Kyle Wood recorded the assist.
 
Mines added a final goal to secure the 4-2 victory in the 90th minute as Philip Wilson cleared the ball and found Akindele who dribbled in for his fifth goal of the season. The assist was Wilson’s fourth on the season.
 
Manville Strand picked up the win in goal as he made fives saves in the match.
           
The Orediggers (8-0-1, 5-0-1 RMAC) will play at Mesa State on Sunday at noon.

Metro State 8, Adams State 0: Roadrunners goalkeeper Issa Bissau picked up his sixth shutout of the season and faced no shots on goal Friday afternoon at Auraria Field.

The No. 7 Metro State men’s soccer team crushed Adams State 8-0.

The Roadrunners improved to 7-1-2 overall and 4-0-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Grizzlies fell to 0-8-0 and 0-5-0 in the RMAC.

The eight goals were the most Metro State scored in a game since beating Colorado Christian 9-0 on Oct. 19, 2008. This was the first meeting between the Roadrunners and Adams State as Adams State started its men’s soccer program last year.

The Roadrunners off to a quick start as Scott Grode scored in the sixth minute from the left side on a through ball from Marc Herschberger. Steven Emory followed six minutes later with a goal off a pass from Chris Yoder. Five minutes later, the rush was on as Kevin Pocalyko scored in the 17th minute followed by Emory’s second goal of the game 26 seconds later.

Gerald Mota scored his first career goal in the 26th minute on a shot from the left post as Herschberger earned his second assist of the game. The Roadrunners took that 5-0 lead into the break and added their sixth goal just over a minute into the second half when Herschberger found Grode in the box for Grode’s ninth goal of the season.

In the 75th minute Yoder scored on a through ball in the box from Walter Bertini. Bertini scored his own goal two minutes later after taking a misplayed ball from an ASC player.

The Roadrunners outshot the Grizzlies 34-2 in the game.

Metro State will play at Mesa State and Fort Lewis next weekend.

Regis University 2, CSU-Pueblo 1: The Thunderwolves came in riding a two-game winning streak and nearly turned it into win against the  No. 19-ranked Rangers on Friday.

The Pack started off skiddish and looked to avoid giving up any early goals. The play looked to work in the ThunderWolves’ advantage as midfielder Jamie Prakhine would strike first on the night from a pass from Dustin Geist and tucked the goal away past Regis ‘keeper Doug Passalaqua.

The lead wouldn’t last too long for the Pack as Regis would answer two minutes later with a goal by Nathan Kafer. Kafer found himself alone in front of the net after a cross from Kyle Emge, that he headed past ‘keeper Jacob Blum.

The ThunderWolves would make a costly mistake early in the second half when a Pack defender took a Regis player out from behind, in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Blum guessed right on the kick jumping to his right but Taylor Diem found the back of the net, putting Regis in front.

Diem’s goal would provide the difference in the 2-1 win.

The loss dropped the Pack to 4-5-0 overall (3-2-0 RMAC). The Rangers improved to 6-1-1, 2-1-1 RMAC.

Mesa State 2, Colorado Christian 0: The Mesa State Mavericks Men’s Soccer team picked up an RMAC victory on Friday night as they defeated the Colorado Christian Cougars 2-0. The Mavericks record improves to 6-3-1 and 2-3-1 in the RMAC while the Cougars fall to 1-9-0 and 1-5-0 in RMAC play.

Mesa State got on the board midway through the first half on a goal byBrandon Burton in the 19th minute. Burton took a cross from Sam Dixon and found the left side of the net. The goal was Burton’s first of the season and gave the Mavericks an early 1-0 lead.

In the 84th minute, Mesa State would get an insurance goal. Steve Shaw scored his third goal of the season to give the Mavericks a 2-0 edge. Shaw took a pass from Reese Kegans for the goal.

‘Keepers Billy Martinez and Chris Raines combined for the shutout in goal.

Colorado College 2, Oglethorpe 1: Colorado College maintained its share of first place in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference by coming from behind for a 2-1 victory at Oglethorpe University on Friday afternoon.

Colorado School of Mines, which shares the RMAC lead with the Skyhawks, was idle on Sunday.

FORT LEWIS 3, ADAMS STATE 1: The No. 12-ranked Skyhawks found their scoring touch Sunday, scoring a season-high three goals en route to a 3-1 win over Adams State College at Dirks Field.

“You can’t complain when you have three different freshmen scoring goals,” head coach Damian Clarke said. 

The Skyhawks (8-1-0 overall, 3-1-0 in the RMAC) peppered the Grizzlies (3-6-0, 2-3-0) with 21 shots, including 11 on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net until the 38:22 mark of the first half. Freshman Emma Cannis sent a long pass over the top of the ASC defenders, which fellow freshman Megan Striedel outran for a short breakaway. Striedel beat ASC goalkeeper Hannah Kohlts with a bullet to put FLC on top 1-0.

Cannis scored on a header in traffic at 59:04 to put FLC ahead 2-0. She was the beneficiary of a corner kick by senior Erika Shisler, who has seven helpers on the season and six in the past four games.

The Grizzlies, who only managed three shots for the afternoon, but all of which were on target, trimmed the lead to 2-1 at 72:55 when Kelli Williams scored in heavy traffic in front of ‘keeper Christine Schmelzle. Amber Drumm assisted on Williams’ goal.

The Skyhawks added some insurance at 81:04 when Shisler took a rocket from 20 yards out that curled past Kohlts. Redshirt freshman Rachel Budagher was making a run to the far post and knocked the pass into the net from point blank range for the first marker of her collegiate career.

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS 1, REGIS 0: The Rangers rise to the top of the RMAC took a diversion on Sunday. 

After riding a three game winning streak, the Rangers traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico, to face the Cowgirls of  New Mexico Highlands and fell 1-0. Both teams put five shots on goal, but Highlands walked away with the goal and the win.

The game went scoreless for the first half as both teams played a physical game trying to get a goal. RU (6-4-0, 3-2-0 RMAC) goalkeeper Ellen Augsburger made two saves in the period.

With just under 20 minutes remaining in the game, Highlands’ (4-3-1, 2-1-1 RMAC) Krista Mashak put one in the Ranger goal as she was assisted by Arianna Strickland. Although Regis outshot Highlands in the second half six to five, the Rangers were unable to answer back leading to a Cowgirl victory.

METRO STATE 2, COLORADO CHRISTIAN 0: The No. 3-ranked Metro State women’s soccer team used a big second half to beat Colorado Christian 2-0 at home on Sunday. 

 The win moved the Roadrunners to 7-1-1 overall this season and 3-1-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Cougars fell to 1-8-0 and 1-4-0 in the RMAC.

It was a tale of two completely different halfs on Sunday as Metro State came out with a sluggish first half and the two teams played evenly before the intermission. 

The second half was dominated by Metro State, with the Roadrunners holding possession nearly the entire period.  They attempted three shots in the first 10 minutes before Madison McQuilliams ended the scoreless tie in the 60th minute by scoring from inside the box after receiving a through ball from Taylor Nicholls.

Aleah DeGeneres scored nine minutes later as she put in Nicholls’ corner kick from the right side that deflected off the far post. 

Metro State outshot CCU 14-0 in the second half and 26-4 in the game. 

For Nicholls, it was the first multi-assist game of her career.  McQuilliams moved into a tie for eighth place all-time at Metro State in points with the two points from her goal.  She currently has 74 points, tying her with Jen Thomas (2008-09). 

UCCS 3, MESA STATE 2: Three first-half goals on just six shots led the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to a 3-2 victory over the Mesa State Mavericks Sunday at Walker Field.
 
The Mountain Lions got goals from Josi Talbot, Lindsay Link and Jennifer Joern. Kristin Preble and Julia Saenz had assists.
 
For Saenz, the assist extended her UCCS single-season record in that category to seven. The previous record was three, held jointly by four players including Saenz.
 
UCCS, which scored 21 times in each of its first two seasons, already has 20 in this, the seventh match of its third season. The Mountain Lions should shatter the old mark with 10 regular-season matches remaining plus the postseason.
 
UCCS improved to 5-3-0, 2-2-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Mesa State is now 3-5-1 and 1-3-0 in the RMAC.
 
It took less than two minutes for the Mountain Lions to begin the scoring. Preble threaded a pass through the defense that found the speedy Talbot, who put in into the right side of the net.
 
Mesa State evened the match in the 20th minute on a Sara Islas goal. Kelci Crispe and Marissa Cascio earned assists.
 
The Mountain Lions answered with a pair of set-piece scores. Link drove in a free kick in the 29th minute and Joern converted a Saenz free kick in the 41st minute.
 
Mesa State scored again in the 76th minute.

NEBRASKA-KEARNEY 2, CSU-PUEBLO 1: Freshman Savannah Thompson collided with Kearney striker Caitlin Parra near the tail end of the first half, and she fell like a ton of bricks, allowing a Loper goal while she was out cold. Despite lying on the field motionless for the better part of a half-hour, she later returned to the field under her own power.

“It was a 50-50 ball and both players just went for it,” Pack coach Janet Cassidy said of the big play.  “Savannah just went after it too hard.  We played the rest of the game not knowing how she was doing so we were doing our best to win it for her.”

Down 2-0 and playing in front of reserve ‘keeper Jessica Stumpf the Pack showed new life and nearly took the game away. Esther Villa arced a long score to the upper left corner of the net in the 82nd minute, but the ThunderWolves couldn’t get that tying score, falling 2-1.

The loss, the ThunderWolves’ third straight, puts the Pack at 3-5-0 0verall and 1-3-0 in RMAC play.

I set up the All-Colorado women’s team with a nearly identical intro, so if you want to skip ahead straight to the team, feel free.

To reset: I was very thankful in 2009 to see many excellent college soccer teams and players on the field in Division I and II. And while watching them, I can’t help but be amazed at their skill and quality.

It was during the spring, when the W-League was in full swing, that I got the idea to put together a list of the best 11 players that we covered in that league. So when the college season started, the idea was still fresh in my mind. And today we present the final results for all the teams that play men’s college soccer in this state.

I have to admit that we didn’t get to cover every team in the state this fall. We made the effort, but we fell short of covering every men’s and every women’s college team.

Sometimes our choices of what games to cover were influenced by trying to see as many teams as possible.

Sometimes our choices were based on the expected quality of a particular match. For example, in the fall, we were at Auraria Field for a Metro State women’s game, and we opted to leave and go to Golden so we could cover Fort Lewis at Mines. We missed the Metro men that afternoon, and we never got back to see the Metro men. That was disappointing. But on that day, it was the right choice. The only time we got to see the Metropolitan State College men’s team was in the Colorado Rapids’ annual Burgundy & Blue match in the spring at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and that was not the best example of how well the Roadrunners can play.

Sometimes our coverage was influenced by the weather, and our coverage always was limited by how many places I physically needed to be on a given week.

So, with that in mind, ColoradoSoccerNow.com is proud to announce its 2009 All-Colorado men’s team, as chosen by me with input from photographers Tom Auclair and Jonathan Ingraham. We’ve chosen to go with a 4-3-3.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tom Settle, Fort Lewis College. The Skyhawks had weapons all across the pitch, but Settle was the creative side of the brain for FLC. Settle had only 10 goals but narrowly missed being the leading scorer in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference because he had so many assists. Just look at the list of RMAC leading scorers: Eight of the top 20 scorers were from Fort Lewis, including the top four. A lot of that can be attributed to Settle’s vision and distribution. Settle had 24 assists, far and away the best number in the conference. The second-best assist total was 11.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Oige Kennedy, Fort Lewis College. It’s simple, really. If you win the national championship, you are the coach of the year. If you win the national championship in your first year as the head coach, something no college soccer coach had ever done, you are the coach of the year. And if you win the national championship as an interim head coach, you get hired full-time.

ALL-COLORADO 2009
GOALKEEPER
Manville Strand, Colorado School of Mines: True freshman set the RMAC on fire with gutsy, acrobatic saves and leadership from the back. Strand started all 22 matches in goal and had a 0.87 goals-against average, second-best in the conference, and led the RMAC in save percentage (.808). He posted a record of 15-2-4 with eight shutouts, second in the conference. More honors: National Soccer Coaches Association of America second team all-Central Region, Daktronics second team All-Central Region, 2009 RMAC freshman of the year, second team All-RMAC honors, RMAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Oct. 6). Will be fun to watch in the years to come.

DEFENSE
Kyle Wood, Fort Lewis: Relentlessly pushes the ball forward, and does it fast. His moves are smooth. He has solid footwork. He’s difficult to beat. And the other team’s entire left side must worry about him.

Fabian Kling, Fort Lewis: He’s a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Germany who is dazzling in the middle of the field. He moves well in all directions and has the confidence to advance deep into an opponent’s territory. Excellent ball handler.

Jamie Cunningham, Fort Lewis: OK, I just don’t get this. I’m picking three Fort Lewis defenders as the best in the state at any level, and none of them was chosen All-RMAC. Wood, Kling and Cunningham were recognized on the Daktronics all-Central Region teams, but not all-RMAC. Wood is a dynamic force on the outside, and Cunningham and Kling are nearly impregnable on the inside. Cunningham, a 6-2 junior from Arizona, looks at least as big as Kling and is physical, strong, fast and aggressive. He also pushes forward when the situation arises.

Kris Banghart, DU: This senior from Fort Collins was named to the Duke Classic all-tournament team despite the fact that the Pioneers lost 4-0 and 2-0. He’s an imposing physical presence at the back with great vertical and lateral movement, with or without the ball. Invited to the Major League Soccer combine. Banghart and the three Fort Lewis defenders would be lethal on the field together.

MIDFIELD
Jarod Stigall, Denver: He’s got a wicked shot and nasty moves. Nice touch on set pieces. Second-team all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and was second-leading scorer for the Pioneers.

Collin Audley, Denver: The Pioneers are blessed with two players who are dangerous on restarts, and Izzy is the other one. After DU lost Sam Garza to a knee injury early in the season, Audley’s role increased dramatically for DU. He displayed poise, control, leadership and composure as DU’s captain. Was two-time all-MPSF selection. Was third in scoring for DU.

Tom Settle, Fort Lewis: See above.

FORWARD
Steven Emory, Metro State: The RMAC player of the year, the Daktronics Central Region player of the year. He led the RMAC in shots, was fifth in scoring with 29 points, was fifth in goal scoring with 11 and was fifth in assists.

Euan Purcell, Fort Lewis: A no-brainer here. Amazing vertical leap makes him a threat in the air. He’s fast and strong and plays the role of a target well. The RMAC’s leading scorer and leading goal scorer (21).

Jeff Nelson, Mines: When I think of Mines, I think of the dynamic strand at the back of the field and the dynamic Nelson at the front. Nelson was fourth in the RMAC in goals, with 12, and he made them count: He was second with five game-winning goals. The senior was on the NSCAA’s academic All-West first team and the academic all-RMAC first team.

12TH MAN
Joe Barnd, Fort Lewis: I’m creating a special category here because Barnd gave an extra dimension to a team that might not have needed one. Barnd played in 11 matches but started only three of them. And in those 11 matches, he scored eight goals. Off the bench, he had a nose for goal and was in the right place at the right time. His goal late in the match against Regis in Denver was the difference between a 1-0 victory and a 0-0 tie.

HONORABLE MENTION
GOALKEEPER: Zane Wells, Fort Lewis; Joe Willis, DU; Jarod Thomas, Adams State; Wally Fink, Regis.

DEFENSE: Pat Laughlin, Metro State; Blake Shannon, DU; Ryan Brennan, Regis, Erik Andersen, CSU-Pueblo.

MIDFIELD: Ted Decker, Mines; Keane Hamilton, Fort Lewis; Dimo Krymanidis, Fort Lewis.

FORWARD: Josh Rhynard, Air Force: Steven Noller, Air Force; Alex Tarnoczi, DU; David Barden, Fort Lewis.

I was very thankful in 2009 to see many excellent college soccer teams and players on the field in Division I and II. And while watching them, I can’t help but be amazed at their skill and quality.

It was during the spring, when the W-League was in full swing, that I got the idea to put together a list of the best 11 players that we covered in that league. So when the college season started, the idea was still fresh in my mind. And today we present the final results for all the teams that play women’s college soccer in this state.

I have to admit that we didn’t get to cover every team in the state this fall. We made a valiant effort, but we fell short of covering every men’s and every women’s college team.

Sometimes our choices of what games to cover were influenced by trying to see as many teams as possible.

Sometimes our choices were based on the expected quality of a particular match. For example, after watching a Metro State women’s game, we opted to leave Auraria Field, where the Roadrunners men’s team was about to play, so we could cover Fort Lewis at Mines. We never got back to see the Metro men, and that was disappointing. But on that day, it was the right choice.

Sometimes our coverage was influenced by the weather, and our coverage always was limited by how many places I physically needed to be on a given week.

So, with that in mind, ColoradoSoccerNow.com is proud to announce its 2009 All-Colorado women’s team, as chosen by me with input from photographers Tom Auclair and Jonathan Ingraham. We’ve chosen to go with a 4-4-2.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kayla Mitchell, Colorado School of Mines: This could’ve gone any of four ways. Colorado’s Nikki Marshall is probably the best player in the state. One Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference coach told me Metropolitan State College’s Becca Mays is the best player in the nation in Division II. Metro’s Kat Gosztyla is probably the best defender in the state. But Mitchell lit up the scoreboard in being chosen the RMAC player of the year, and her Orediggers advanced farther in the NCAA tournament than anyone expected. Farther than any team sport at Mines ever has. And even though her nickname is Pocket (is that for Pocket Rocket or Pocket Hercules?), Mitchell was huge. We’ll get into her stats a little later, but the Mines co-captain was one of the biggest reasons the Orediggers did so well in a storybook season.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Frank Kohlenstein, Colorado School of Mines: Kohlenstein coaches Mines’ women’s team AND its men’s team. If that’s not enough to win this award on its own, consider this: The women finished 19-5-1 overall and were second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at 13-3. They advanced to the Division II quarterfinals. Had they not been matched up against eventual champion Grand Valley State, who knows how far they might’ve gone. The men finished 15-3-4 overall and were 11-2-1 in conference play, and the only losses came against national champion Fort Lewis College. 2009 was an amazing year for this humble and wise teacher of the game.

ALL-COLORADO 2009
DEFENSE
Kathryn Gosztyla, Metro State: She’s a beast, a big, fast, strong, aggressive beast. She was the Roadrunners’ co-captain. Even as a center back, she finds a way to push forward. The best defender in the state. If I were a Women’s Professional Soccer scout, I’d be learning how to spell Gosztyla.

Nichole Kluk, Fort Lewis College: The RMAC defender of the year. Helped limit Mitchell to only one assist in the conference tournament as FLC knocked off No. 2 seed Mines.

Courtney Ryan, Metro State: Left back uses excellent field vision to move well, pass well and defend well. Good with the ball at her feet or at her opponent’s feet. Moves forward aggressively, recovers quickly.

Kalley Mahaffey, Regis: Oddly, we’re going with another left back. There are Division I teams in this state that would love to have a left back this dynamic in their lineup. She’s fast, good in the air, moves forward with passion and has defensive instincts that will frustrate a player trying to hold the ball.

MIDFIELD
Becca Mays, Metro State: She can beat a defender with a one-touch turn. She enlivens the game with a dramatic run forward. And, it’s a cliche, but she improves the quality of the players around her just by being on the pitch. She often played up top, but we’re penciling her in at midfield, where she could have a greater influence.

Nikki Marshall, CU: She played defense and striker for the Buffaloes, but we saw her in the midfield quite a bit with the Colorado Force in the spring. She is a force wherever she lines up, and we’ll put her here. And we hope to see her someday in Women’s Professional Soccer.

Mariah Johnston, University of Denver: Mo finished the season strong and was a big reason the Pioneers got better as the year went on. She was the Pioneers’ second-leading scorer (21 points), and she led the team with 13 assists. She had three winning goals.

Jamie MacArthur, Fort Lewis College: A fine playmaker for an excellent team. Creative, steady, consistent, unflappable. Despite all the talent around her, MacArthur stood out on the field. Knows when a move forward, backward or sideways is the best option.

FORWARDS
Kayla Mitchell, Mines: Mitchell became the first women’s soccer player at Mines to earn All-America honors. She was named a Daktronics first-team All-American, the 2009 Daktronics Central Region player of the year and the RMAC player of the year. A unanimous first-team All-RMAC pick, she led the RMAC in goals (30), points (69) and game-winning goals (14) and was tied for fourth in assists (9). During the conference season, Mitchell was the RMAC offensive player of the week four times and was selected as the RMAC women’s athlete for the month of October. She was a Daktronics and NSCAA first-team All-Central Region pick. She had five hat trick, including a four-goal performance against CSU-Pueblo in which she established Mines single-game records for points (8) and goals. For her efforts in the classroom, Mitchell earned CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine second-team Academic All-American honors and was selected as the 2009 RMAC women’s soccer academic player of the year. Mitchell also earned CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine first-team academic All-District and first-team academic All-RMAC honors. Un-freaking-believable.

Kaitlin Bast, DU: She started 23 of 24 games and was the Pioneers’ leading scorer with 12 goals and 31 points. Her seven assists were second on the team. The freshman wasn’t shy about shooting: She led the team with 80 shots, 25 more than Bria Beardsley, who was second. She will be a joy to watch for the next three seasons.

GOALKEEPER
Lara Campbell, University of Denver: Athletic and unbelievably composed for a freshman. When we interviewed her just moments after giving up a goal to Nikki Marshall in an overtime loss to CU in early September, she had been a collegiate soccer player for a very short time. Despite a heartbreaking finish against an in-state rival just moments earlier, she was as poised and comfortable during the interview as she was for nearly 110 minutes in goal that day. She started all 21 games in which she played, allowing 18 goals for a GAA of 0.88. She made 84 saves, had nine shutouts and finished with a 15-4-1 record.

HONORABLE MENTION
GOALKEEPER: Christine Schmelzle, Fort Lewis; Briana Schulze, Colorado School of Mines; Liana Signorile, Colorado Christian.

DEFENSE: Laurel Reinhardt, Fort Lewis; Nicole Renko, Metro State; Laura Wayland, Northern Colorado.

MIDFIELD: Amy Barczuk, CU; Kelly Butler, CU; Kassidy Fitzpatrick, CU; Katie Horn, Regis; Brittney Lyman, Colorado College; Madison McQuilliams, Metro State; Liz Oba, Mines; Megan Woodworth, Mines.

FORWARD: Tiffany Brown, Colorado College; Hayley Hollenga, Fort Lewis; Stephanie Patterson, Air Force.

Dani Hering gave Mines a lead in the 10th minute of the match. Allison Heeg found Hering open just outside the box on the right side, and Hering blasted a shot to the far post for her fourth goal of the season.

Mines put one more in the back of the net in the 84th minute. Megan Woodworth chipped a ball behind the Cougar defense that Kayla Mitchell was able to control and shoot just under the crossbar. The goal was Mitchell’s 27th of the season. Woodworth’s assist was her seventh.

Mines held a 20-3 advantage in shots. CCU goalkeeper Liana Signorile made nine saves against Mines, which put 11 shots on goal.

The Mines defense held the Cougars to just three shots. It was the 14th shutout victory of the season for Mines and goalkeeper Briana Schulze’s eighth shutout of the season in net.

At 2:30 p.m. Friday at Metro State, the Orediggers (17-3, 13-3 RMAC) will play the winner of this week’s Fort Lewis-UCCS match.

MEN
Colorado-Colorado Springs 2, Mesa State1: Michael Flynn’s first career goal proved to be the winner as UCCS defeated Mesa State 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Mountain Lion Stadium. It was, to say the least, an unusual goal. Ryan Piechowski managed to split a pair of Mesa State defenders before sending a through-pass to Flynn, who was running step-for-step with another defender. Flynn reached out and got a toe on the ball, redirecting it rolling toward the far post. The ball looked to be in slow motion but had just enough speed to cross the goal line, giving the Mountain Lions the lead in the 79th minute. UCCS goalkeeper Adam Liszewski made the score hold up as UCCS improved to 8-10-1 overall and 5-8-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Liszewski finished with four saves. After a scoreless first half, the Mountain Lions struck first. In the 58th minute, Matt Friesen fought off three defenders to gain control of the ball just above the penalty area and managed to center it with a swipe off the side of his foot. Riley Gallagher, who was charging straight upfield, one-timed it into the upper left corner. The celebration didn’t last long. Less than two minutes after Gallagher’s goal, Mesa State’s Tyler Amerman sidewheeled in a bouncer off a throw-in. Josh Tinaglia made four saves in a scoreless first half before yielding to Bill Martinez, who added three saves, in the second. Tinaglia switched jerseys and played forward in the second half for Mesa State (2-15-1, 2-11-1 RMAC).

Cal State-Bakersfield 3, Denver 0: The host Roadrunners (8-6-2, 3-3-0 MPSF) scored all three goals in a span of 5 minutes, 20 seconds. Robbie Gouk scored with a quick header to the near post 16 minutes into the contest, and he scored on another header in the 20th minute. Gouk then assisted Omar Heredia in the 22nd minute. Denver (3-9-3, 0-4-1 MPSF) put five of eight shots on goal, but Bakersfield goalkeeper Eric Shannon stopped them all. The Pioneers end their regular-season home schedule against Seattle at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium in a game that was postponed from Friday because of the weather. Denver will honor its seniors prior to the game.

Seattle 2, Air Force 1 OT: Ian Walsh scored with less than two minutes remaining in the second overtime to give the Seattle University men’s soccer team a 2-1 victory over Air Force Sunday afternoon in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action at the Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Wash. With the victory, Seattle improved to 3-10-1 overall and 2-3 in the MPSF, while the Falcons fell to 7-7-1 and 2-4. Seattle took advantage of Air Force playing short-handed because of two red cards. The Redhawks pressed as the second overtime wound down, advancing the ball to the right side, where Kevin Cook corralled it and dribbled it down the field. Cook’s entry pass found Walsh, whose shot sailed over the head of Air Force goalie Mike Mauro and dropped into the net to give Seattle its second conference victory of the season. After Air Force earned some early chances in the first half, Seattle took control, putting five shots on goal in an 11-minute span. The fifth one came as a result of a corner kick, as Sean Morris directed a short kick to Elliot Richards, who served the ball into the box. John Pegg got his head on the ball and sent it on net, eluding Mauro and trickling over the goal line in the 26th minute. Air Force lost freshman Eric Tise in the 53rd minute, when he received his second yellow card of the match. Then senior Aaron Eshkenazi was given a red card in the 72nd minute. Despite playing two men short, the Falcons evened the game with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation. Freshman Kevin Durr sent a pass from the left side into the box, where sophomore Ben Chavez redirected the ball toward the net. Before Seattle goalie Ivan Dizdar could get his hands on the ball, senior Josh Rhynard deposited the ball under Dizdar into the lower left corner of the net for his team-high fourth goal of the season. Seattle had a couple of chances to end the match in regulation, but a shot by Pegg hit the post with less than two minutes remaining, and another shot by Brandon Hamer smacked the crossbar with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Mauro made a career-high 10 saves. Rhynard and fellow senior Steven Noller led the way for the Falcons with two shots on goal each, while senior Kevin Rosser finished with a team-best five total shots. The Falcons close out their 2009 regular season Saturday, hosting the University of Denver at 7 p.m.

Colorado finishes the regular season 9-9, 6-4-0 in the Big 12, while the Red Raiders fall to 8-8-3 overall and 3-4-3 in conference.

Senior Nikki Marshall notched the 18th winning goal of her college career. After a scoreless first half, she wasted little time in putting the Buffs on the scoreboard. Freshman Erin Bricker sent a pass to Marshall at the top of the box and Marshall got around the defender and placed her shot in the upper left corner of the goal for a 1-0 CU lead in the 53rd minute.

The goal gives Marshall 42 career goals, 93 points and 18 game-winners, adding to all three of the CU career records that she holds.

The Buffs struck again five minutes later; this time Bricker would find the back of the net. Bricker took a pass from sophomore Kate Russell, took one touch around the Tech defense and placed her shot inside the left goal post.

“The best move we made today was putting Kate Russell in at outside-midfielder,” CU coach Bill Hempen said. “Kate opened up our game a lot. And as soon as she switched positions, we were getting excellent opportunities on crosses, through-balls and corners. She really helped us establish our offense in the second half.”

The shutout was CU’s fifth this season at home. Texas Tech outshot the Buffs 21-16, but senior goalkeeper Kara Linder recorded her sixth shutout of the year.

Colorado, which finished the regular season 6-1 in Boulder, will travel to San Antonio for the first round of the Big 12 championships on Wednesday.

WOMEN
Metro State 2, Adams State 0: The No. 4 Roadrunners held a 36-2 advantage in shot attempts in their the 16th consecutive win. Metro State received all the scoring it would need just 94 seconds into the match: Freshman defender Hayley Renko scored her first career goal after the Grizzlies could not fully clear a corner kick. Ashley Nemmers then scored her seventh goal of the season with just 2:30 left in the first half as Metro improved to 18-1 overall and to 15-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Grizzlies finished their season with a 6-12-2 overall mark, just one win shy of the school record.  Adams State finished 4-10-2 in RMAC play as senior Ashley Sales  and redshirt junior Ashley Grover, who has decided to forgo her final season of eligibility while graduating early, played for the final time in a Grizzly uniform. Grizzlies sophomore goalkeeper Kirsten Dorsey made nine saves, and teammate Amber Drumm blocked a shot on a Becca Mays breakaway. Nemmers, who scored a header goal off a nice Aleah DeGeneres pass, led the Roadrunners with 11 shots, and Mays had 10. Metro goalkeeper Becca Maloney recorded her ninth shutout of the season. The Roadrunners are  14-0 all-time against the Grizzlies and had outscored the Grizzlies 38-2 in the previous five meetings.

Colorado College 5, UTEP 2: Fueled by freshman Brittney Lyman’s five goals in the second half, the Colorado College women’s soccer team refused to be denied its most important game of the season on Friday night. CC thoroughly dominated but needed to come from behind twice in the team’s regular-season finale at Washburn Field. With one of their biggest victories since joining Conference USA as an affiliate member in 2006, the Tigers overtook the University of Memphis for second place in the final standings and earned a bye in the opening round of the Conference USA playoffs next week. Lyman, a 2009 graduate of Arvada West High School, wiped out 1-0 and 2-1 deficits with her first two tallies of the match before adding a natural hat trick. Colorado College will play in the semifinals of the league tournament in Dallas next Friday against the winner of one of Wednesday’s opening-round matches.

Northern Colorado 4, Northern Arizona 0: In Greeley, senior Marcie Johnson had two goals and an assist in the final game of her college career. Johnson got the game going with an unassisted goal in the 19th minute. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Ariel Cook received a pass from the corner from junior Olivia Deadmond and made a short shot to put the Bears up 2-0. Cook increased the lead to 3-0 with a shot seven minutes later, taking the assist from Johnson and making the shot from only three yards out. Johnson sealed the deal for Northern Colorado with her second unassisted goal of the night after a breakaway from 10 yards out. The match was also the final one for UNC senior Sydney VanderVelde. “Marcie played a great game and played with a lot of confidence tonight,” Coach Tim Barrera said. “Sydney and Marcie played really well. We are all really happy with how the team played tonight.” The Bears finished 2-5 in Big Sky play, 6-10-1 overall.

Colorado-Colorado Springs 5, Nebraska-Kearney 0: UCCS kept itself relevant in the RMAC playoff picture at Mountain Lion Stadium. Five players scored for the Mountain Lions: Jessica Escobedo, Julia Saenz, Lauren Hall, Krista Mirabelli and Brianna Guzzardo. Seniors Hall and Mirabelli were playing the final home game of their collegiate careers. UCCS improved to 7-8-1 overall and 6-8-1 in RMAC play with the win, good for 19 points (three for each conference win and one for the tie). UCCS is now in sixth place in the conference, two points ahead of Colorado Christian. Six teams advance to the playoffs. The five goals was a school record for the Mountain Lions’ second-year program.

MEN
CSU-Pueblo 1, Mesa State 0: Dylan Cook scored an unassisted goal in the 75th minute as the Thunderwolves won at home. Mesa State dropped to 2-14-2 (2-10-1 RMAC), and CSU-Pueblo raised its record to 8-10-0 (4-9-0 RMAC). Pueblo’s Jacob Blum made two saves in recording the shutout. Josh Tinaglia made seven saves for Mesa.

Fort Lewis 3, Colorado-Colorado Springs 0: Joe Barnd scored twice for the third-ranked Skyhawks at Mountain Lion Stadium. Fort Lewis improved to 16-0, 13-0 in the RMAC. Barnd now has seven goals in 10 matches this season. Abdel Becerra opened the scoring with a skillful goal in the 34th minute. He dribbled toward the goal, and when UCCS goalkeeper Adam Liszewski came out to cut off the angle, Becerra chipped it over his head and into the net. Barnd’s first goal came in the 59th minute, when he headed in a crossing pass by Dimo Krymanidis. Barnd converted a far-post shot from the left side with less than three minutes remaining. Liszewski made seven saves in the losing effort for UCCS (7-10-1, 4-8-1 RMAC).