The poll, released on Wednesday, is led by defending national champions Grand Valley State.

The Orediggers, starting the team’s sixth season, netted the No. 7 ranking in the poll. Metro State, which won national titles in 2004 and 2006, nabbed the No. 10 spot.

Mines finished second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference posting a record of 13-3 in conference play and an overall record of 19-5-1. The Orediggers earned their second consecutive berth in the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament in 2009 and snared the No. 3 seed. Mines won a pair of games in Durango, Colo., against Regis University (2-1) and Fort Lewis (2-1) to advance to the Central Region Championship.

Mines defeated Metro State in a shootout at Auraria Field in Denver to advance to the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, the Orediggers fell to Grand Valley State 3-0.

Metro State returns seven starters from last year’s team that went 21-1-2 and won its eighth consecutive RMAC championship.  Junior defender Courtney Ryan is back after earning first team All-America honors as she led all defenders in the country in assists with 15, the most for a defender in school history.  

The Roadrunners must replace All-America forward Becca Mays and all-region forward Jen Thomas on offense.  Mays finished her four-year career second all-time in points and goals at Metro State.  The team also will look to replace All-America defender Kathryn Gosztyla and all-region goalkeeper Becca Maloney.

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.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has selected its 2009 women’s Division II All-America teams, and three Colorado players have been honored:

FIRST TEAM
Position, Player, Class, School, Hometown
K, Jamie Gillis, Sr., Massachusetts-Lowell, Billerica, Mass.
D, Kelly Guerin, Jr., College of St. Rose, Sutton, Mass.
D, Katie Whiting*, Jr., College of St. Rose, Holden, Mass.
D, Kim Abbott, Sr., St. Edward’s, Missouri City, Texas
D, Lisa Bradley, Jr., UC San Diego, Martinez, Calif.
M, Amanda Deck*, Jr., College of St. Rose, Cicero, N.Y.
M, Erin Mruz, So., Grand Valley State, Gurnee, Ill.
M, Jenna Boyko, Sr., Quincy, St. Charles, Mo.
F, Kristin Burton*, Sr., Armstrong Atlantic State, Ocala, Fla.
F, Irie Dennis , Sr., Grand Valley State, New Albany, Ohio
F, Shakira Duncan, Jr., West Florida, Kingston, Jamaica
F, Becca Mays*, Sr., Metropolitan State College, San Antonio

SECOND TEAM
K, Lyndsie Bernardini, Fr., West Chester, Elmer, N.J.
D, Alli Miller, Sr., Central Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
D, Abby Schuhmann, So., Bellarmine, Louisville, Ky.
D, Kathleen Strazzere, Sr., Massachusetts-Lowell, Wilmington, Mass.
M, Megan Beal, Sr., Davis and Elkins, Pilesgrove, N.J.
M, Marcela Franco, Sr., West Florida, Sao Paulo, Brazil
M, Courtney Turner*, Jr., Tusculum, Cocoa Beach, Fla.
F, Kayla Mitchell, Sr., Colorado School of Mines, Ontario, Ore.
F, Jessica Murphy, So., Cal State Dominguez Hills, Torrance, Calif.
F, Jocelyn Charette, Sr., Seattle Pacific, Lakewood, Wash.
F, Gabriela Demoner***, Sr., Franklin Pierce, Vitoria, Brazil
F, Gina Goforth, Sr., Columbus State, Fayetteville, Ga.

THIRD TEAM
K, Mary Rob Plunkett, Jr., Georgia College, Augusta, Ga.
D, Shameka Gordon*, Sr., West Florida, Old Harbour, Jamaica
D, Casey Smith, Jr., North Georgia, Stockbridge, Ga.
D, Meagan Thomas, Jr., Rollins, Ponte Vedra, Fla.
M, Brittany Godin, So., College of St. Rose, Rochester, N.Y.
M, Morgan Gruenenfelder, Jr., Carson-Newman, Sweetwater, Tenn.
M, Jamie MacArthur, Sr., Fort Lewis, Albuquerque
M, Katie Reuck, Sr., Truman State, Jacksonville, Ill.
F, Shaneka Gordon*, Sr., West Florida, Old Harbour, Jamaica
F, Gabrielle Gramprey*, Sr., Merrimack, Brockton, Mass.
F, Angelika Johansson**, Jr., Franklin Pierce, Falkenberg, Sweden
F, Sarah Oswald*, Jr., West Chester, Macungie, Pa.

Orediggers goalkeeper Briana Schulze makes one of her three saves in the shootout.
(photo by George Tanner/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

DENVER — In Friday’s shootout, things started going poorly for the No. 4 Metropolitan State College women’s soccer team on the Roadrunners’ first touch. And things started going right for the Colorado School of Mines on its goalkeeper’s first touch.

Orediggers keeper Briana Schulze got just enough of the ball to deflect Metro State shooter Becca Mays’ attempt into the post as the Orediggers set the tone early in the PK phase. Schulze made three saves in the shootout as Mines won 4-3, capping a match that went 110 minutes without a goal and putting the Golden school into the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time ever.

“I was just trying to keep really calm, take one penalty at a time, trying to figure out where they’re going and just guess right,” Schulze said. “You just look at where they put the ball down, and it’s just a reaction.”

Her reactions were true on Friday afternoon. From the beginning of the PKs, she had Metro’s number. She stopped Mays, the Roadrunners’ leading scorer, on the opening attempt, and she also stoned Ashley Nemmers and Kat Gosztyla. The last of those saves came in the sixth round of the shootout and set up freshman Dani Hering with a chance to end the proceedings.

Hering coolly approached the ball and slammed it down the middle. Metro goalkeeper Becca Maloney pushed off to her left and got her trailing right hand on the ball, but she couldn’t keep it from going into the net.

For 21st-ranked Mines, which had lost 6-1 at Metro’s home turf in September, pandemonium ensued.

“I was really pumped up because Bri had just stopped a PK,” Hering said. “I really wanted to win the game for the seniors, so I was just focusing on them instead of focusing on all the pressure.”

It wasn’t the only pressure Hering faced on Friday. She was given the unenviable task of marking Mays through 110 minutes of play. She came through with flying colors.

“Not only did she make the last kick, but she marked the best player on the other team, Becca Mays, who’s a tremendous, tremendous players. We knew if she was in that situation after chasing Becca around for 110 minutes that she was going to make it count,” Mines coach Frank Kohlenstein said. “We had Dani mark her wherever she went. Becca is a really, really smart player, and she’s able to float off defenders and get in really good places. We saw her do that again last week, where they let her alone and she drifted into a spot. And we didn’t want that to happen.”

With Hering shutting down Mays, that left the back line of Aubrey Bagley, Jessica Stark, Stefanie Frelinger and Alison Oien to focus on speedy Metro striker Jen Thomas. The Orediggers’ defense did a good job of keeping Mays, Thomas and midfielder Madison McQuilliams away from Schulze and the front of its goal.

“Jen … was basically going against three players, so in order for her to get any joy she was going wide sort of on her own because those other three players were there to pick her up,” Kohlenstein said.

Metro State, however, did have two excellent scoring chances during play.

In the fifth minute, McQuilliams played a ball in to Thomas on the left side of the Mines penalty area. She took a high, hard shot that Schulze tipped up into the air. The ball came down at the right post, where Mays headed it inches wide of the post.

And in the first 10-minute overtime, Mays and Schulze collided in front of the Orediggers’ net. The ball wound up in the goal, but referee Jose Corro called a foul on Mays on the play, negating a goal that would’ve ended the match.

Hering said it was a moment of panic, then relief.

“I had lost my mark, so I was like, ‘Oh, crap, this is totally my fault,’ ” she said. “And then Bri comes out and she gets it and all of a sudden she gets run over.”

Metro coach Adrianne Almaraz said the Roadrunners would have preferred to decide the game during the run of play. A couple of weeks ago, after losing the RMAC tournament title game to Fort Lewis College on penalty kicks, she said she wouldn’t be surprised if her team found itself in a similar situation in the NCAA tournament. She was right. What did she do to prepare?

“We hit some PKs. We did some of that stuff. But at the end of the day it’s one of those things that you can’t put them in a game-like experience with all the pressure and all the fans,” Almaraz said. “The goalkeeper had some great saves, and some of theirs hit the post. But you just never know which way it’s going to go once it gets to PKs.

“We knew we had to win on the field because once you get to PKs, it’s 50-50. You call it, a coin toss. It’s a hard way to end your season, when you’ve done so well, when you’ve had such a high goal to get back to the Final Four.”

Mays said it’s not a fair way to end a game, much less a season.

“I think PKs are the worst way to win any game. I don’t think that it shows anything that a team has,” she said. “You just play it out until somebody scores, even if it takes an hour after. Whoever wants it the most and whoever has the most heart, they’ll put it in. You just keep battling. That’s how soccer is. You don’t get to take breaks, and everyone knows that in playoffs. You just keep going. And it sucks because your legs are so tired, but that’s where the heart comes in. And that’s where you figure out who the top teams are and who wants it the most.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Schulze. She made 11 saves in the match and was the hero of the shootout.

MULTIMEDIA BONANZA: For the first time, we’re uploading our postgame interviews. Normally, I don’t do this because of my poor enunciation and ingenious use of the pause effect known as “Ummm. … ” But enough of the questions were asked by the Metro State television crew that it limited all of my mumblings. We’ll start with Almaraz. No coach wants to give this interview, but she does it with grace. Unfortunately, this process is one step too long. After you click this light blue link, you have to click on the link of the file name, which is “Almaraz” in this case. Then, once you’re on the next page, which is where the sound file is, make sure to click the little horizontal triangle at the bottom left of your screen to start listening. Whew.

AUDIO: GOSZTYLA AND MAYS: This interview is painful. Gosztyla and Mays held hands for support, and the tears flowed freely. Just listen to the sniffles, and you get some idea of how difficult it was for the two of them to discuss this match so soon after it happened. Gosztyla answers the first question, and Mays answers the question about Mines’ defense. The first couple of questions are asked by the television crew; I chime in about Mays’ header.

AUDIO: HERING: I watched almost the entire game with Hering’s father as we shot photos from behind one of the goals. I’m not sure whose smile was bigger after the match, his or his daughter’s. I think she misunderstood my question about the difference between being among the first five shooters and being the sixth shooter in the PK phase, but that’s OK. Listen to this interview here.

AUDIO: SCHULZE: I was curious to hear whether the players believe it makes a difference when Kohlenstein, who also coaches and travels with the Mines men’s team, is on the sidelines for the women’s team. Schulze gave an honest answer, but I would’ve liked to have heard more on the topic.

AUDIO: KOHLENSTEIN: Finally, here’s the interview with Mines’ coach. Kohlenstein gives intelligent, insightful interviews whether the topic is the women’s team or the men’s team or whether the outcome was a victory or a loss.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS: The official attendance was 506, and more than half of them were Mines fans. The Mines sports folks banged the drum about students getting to Auraria for the match, and did they ever. Some brought oversized red cards and yellow cards, and most brought their shouting voices. Some brought face paint, and others wore chest paint. One wore hot pink short shorts and little else. But into the second half, you could tell the Mines players were feeding off the energy of the home crowd, er, the Mines fans at Metro.

WEATHER MATTERS: Although the forecast I read called for temperatures in the 50s, I’m guessing it was in the 60s. I brought a vest, a hat and a coat just in case it was cold, but I was disappointed that I hadn’t worn shorts. It was a beautiful fall day in the Mile High City. The warm temperatures, however, melted a lot of the snow that was left over from last weekend’s storm, which made footing slightly precarious throughout the match.

UP NEXT FOR MINES: The Orediggers will face Grand Valley State at 1 p.m. Sunday at Auraria Field in downtown Denver in the NCAA quarterfinals. It is the farthest any team from Mines has advanced in any sport. Grand Valley defeated Northern Kentucky in the day’s second match. After a scoreless 110 minutes of play, the teams decided their match in penalty kicks, and Grand Valley came out with a 5-4 victory. “I’m at least glad that one RMAC school is going to be representing us in the Elite Eight and hopefully the Final Four and on,” Almaraz said.

UP NEXT FOR MAYS AND GOSZTYLA: I asked the two seniors about their soccer plans after today. Mays was direct about her desire to play professionally, but Gosztyla’s answer indicated that she may not have thought about it as much. Kat, if you’re reading this, think about it. Colorado’s Nikki Marshall might be the best player in the state, and another RMAC coach told me Mays is the best player in Division II. But Gosztyla seems to have all the tools to be a professional: size, speed, strength, powerful leg, willingness to use the body, excellent defensive skill, great anticipation. … I’m no professional scout (although I wouldn’t mind being one, if anybody’s hiring … anybody? Anybody? Bueller?), but Gosztyla is one of the best prospects for a pro career in the state.

MINES’ STARTERS: Briana Schulze, Aubrey Bagley, Stefanie Frelinger, Jessica Stark, Dani Hering, Alison Oien, Adrea Johnson, Elizabeth Oba, Kayla Mitchell, Allison Heeg, Megan Woodworth.

METRO’S STARTERS: Becca Maloney, Jen Thomas, Becca Mays, Madison McQuilliams, Ashley Nemmers, Ashley Munchiando, Kathryn Gosztyla, Courtney Ryan, Hayley Renko, Nicole Renko, Gabby Klipp.

George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an affiliate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

To advertise on Colorado Soccer Now, e-mail George at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

Becca Mays scored her second goal of the game with about four minutes remaining in overtime to give the No. 4 Metropolitan State College women’s soccer team a 2-1 victory over Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA tournament on Sunday. The Roadrunners will face No. 21 Colorado Mines, which beat Fort Lewis College in Durango, at noon on Friday in Denver.

The Roadrunners improved to 21-1-1 this season; the Bulldogs finished the year with a record of 17-3-2.

Scoring chances were slim early in overtime, but Gabby Klipp flipped the ball over two defenders to Mays in the 96th minute, leaving Mays one on one with Duluth goalkeeper Hannah Bengtson. Mays finished to give Metro State the victory, and the Roadrunners improved to 4-0-1 in overtime this season.

Metro’s most recent overtime goal in the NCAA tournament was scored by current student assistant coach Jaimie Stephenson last season in a 2-1 victory over Regis in Allendale, Michigan.

Mays scored the match’s first goal in the 85th minute to put the Roadrunners ahead 1-0. Ashley Munchiando’s cross was deflected to Jen Thomas, who touched the ball to Mays in front of the net, leaving the striker alone with Bengtson.

But Lauren Graydon tied the game less than a minute later as her left-footed shot from the top of the box hooked inside the top-left corner of the net.

Although all of the scoring happened late, scoring opportunities began early. Bengtson stopped Mays on a point-blank shot just 1 minute, 40 seconds into the match. Thomas connected on Courtney Ryan’s corner kick in front of the net in the 26th minute, but Thomas’ shot missed just left of the net. The Roadrunners held a 6-3 shot advantage in the first half.

Mays had the first good scoring chance of the second half as her header in the 75th minute hit the crossbar off another corner kick from Ryan.

The Bulldogs nearly took a 1-0 lead three minutes later when Reegan Lloyd’s free kick from 25 yards away hit the right post. Graydon scored on the rebound, but UMD was called for offsides.

Metro State had three corner kicks in the 80th and 82nd minutes, the final one leading to a save by Bengtson on a header by Ashley Munchiando.

DENVER — On Friday, after Fort Lewis College came from behind to win in the semifinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women’s soccer tournament, coach Damian Clark said his team is accustomed to playing with poise, even when trailing.

He said the Skyhawks are confident that when they play a possession game the result will turn out in their favor.

And, looking ahead to Sunday’s tournament final, he said his team enjoys playing Metropolitan State College, especially at Auraria Field.

Sunday’s match turned out just as Clark said.

Elena Benavides scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute, and tournament MVP Christine Schmelzle held high-flying Metro to one goal in three chances in the shootout as the Skyhawks, seeded third, won the RMAC playoffs.

The key play in the shootout was Schmelzle’s save on Nicole Renko in the first round. After Fort Lewis’ Jamie MacArthur buried her chance to begin the shootout, Schmelzle gave the Skyhawks the advantage by stopping Renko’s low shot toward the right of goal.

“That was just a reaction save, and I just went berserk. It was an adrenaline rush,” Schmelzle said. “I try to look at her hips, but you can’t do a lot. You just stay on your toes and react as fast as you can. I don’t like to guess either way because I think that lessens your chances, so I try to react. You don’t have a lot of reaction time, but there’s that split second. And maybe if it’s a slower kick than normal you can get there and see what happens.”

Fort Lewis’ Hayley Hollenga and Metro’s Becca Mays each scored in the second round. Then Jessica Otero took care of business against Metro goalkeeper Becca Maloney in the third round.

Metro coach Adrianne Almaraz sent Rachael Michaels to the penalty spot as the Roadrunners’ third shooter. Michaels, who didn’t play during the 110-minute match, missed the frame.

With a 3-1 lead in the shootout, all Nichole Kluk had to do to win the match for Fort Lewis was score. The RMAC defender of the year did just that, setting off an eruption from the Fort Lewis bench.

“It feels amazing because last year we didn’t win, and now we did. And we’re taking home a plate,” Benavides said. “It feels great.”

Fort Lewis forced the shootout with a long stretch of offensive pressure in the second half that culminated in Benavides’ late goal.

After Metro State set the tone in the first half, getting a goal in 12th minute on a beautiful long ball by Becca Mays that Jen Thomas, the Skyhawks took over in the second 45 minutes.

With about 25 to 30 minutes left in the match, the Fort Lewis midfield was starting to assert itself. MacArthur’s play on the flanks was forcing Metro to play wide to account for the senior from Albuquerque. That was opening up room for Benavides and Samantha Smith on the inside.

In the 66th minute, Fort Lewis got the ball to Torrey Larson in Metro’s penalty box, and she wreaked havoc. She spun and whirled with the ball, keeping it away from a host of desperate defenders. The Roadrunners didn’t let Larson get a shot, but they also couldn’t get the ball from her, creating a sense of panic along the back line, which had been well-organized until that point.

A few minutes later, Larson had another opportunity to score. This time Maloney left her line, but Larson’s angle was good enough that she was able to shoot past Maloney. A sliding block from center back Kat Gosztyla was the only thing that preserved Metro’s 1-0 lead at the time.

Fort Lewis maintained the attack, however, and broke through with a little more than 8 minutes left. Hollenga took a long throw-in from the right sideline that bounced off a couple of Metro defenders … right to Benavides.

“All I remember is the ball coming into the box, bouncing out and I ran onto it,” she said. “I think it might have hit off the defender’s hip. Hayley definitely got the assist.”

Benavides said a couple of factors gave the Skyhawks the confidence to tie the match.

“The buildup and thinking you can win, just taking it all in and thinking, ‘We can do this.’ Just knowing you can and that you want to get it,” she said. “Our coach says don’t give up, don’t get your heads down, and that’s how we took it. We’re a good team at coming back.”

For Almaraz, giving up the lead so late in the game stung.

“Within the last 20 minutes we teetered off. Maybe that’s a little bit of fitness; maybe that’s a lack of focus. But that’s something we’re going to have to address heading into the NCAA tournament,” she said. “When you’re winning 1-0 with 8 minutes left in the game, you have to defend it. You can’t let it go into overtime; you can’t let it get into PKs.”

RECORDS: The match goes in the books as a tie. Fort Lewis is now 18-2-3. Metro, the tournament’s top seed, stands at 20-1-1.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Benavides. Her goal was the reason the match reached the PK phase, and her play in the midfield — along with that of Smith, MacArthur and Erika Shisler — was the reason the Skyhawks were able to break through in the second half.

SO, DOES THE KEEPER WANT THE GAME TO GO TO PENALTY KICKS? “I hope it happens in regulation,” Schmelzle said. “But I trust my team to make their shots, and I do my job for them. So if it comes to that, we’re ready for it.”

SAVE OF THE GAME: In the 52nd minute, Mays cracked a direct free kick high and on frame. Schmelzle leaped to stop the shot, but she couldn’t control it. She and the ball both came down hard, and Schmelzle was able to cover it before it dribbled across the goal line.

OK, SO GOSZTYLA STOPPED A SURE GOAL; WHAT DID FLC’S DEFENSE DO? The Skyhawks cleared a Mays head off the goal line after a corner kick in the 56th minute.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS: The official attendance was 446.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: I was honored to be chosen for the panel that selects the all-tournament team. The final team consisted of Thomas, Maloney, Gosztyla, Ryan and Renko from Metro; Hollenga, Schmelzle, Benavides and MacArthur from Fort Lewis; Jessica Stark of the Colorado School of Mines and Chelsea Bokan of Regis University. Schmelzle was named the MVP of the competition. I also voted for Kayla Mitchell of Mines, Madison McQuilliams of Metro and Laurel Reinhardt of Fort Lewis.

FORT LEWIS STARTERS: Christine Schmelzle, Serena Mancha, Jessica Otero, Samantha Smith, Erika Shisler, Jamie MacArthur, Nichole Kluk, Michelle Felten, Laurel Reinhardt, Hayley Hollenga, Elena Benavides.

METRO STATE STARTERS: Becca Maloney, Jen Thomas, Becca Mays, Madison McQuilliams, Ashley Nemmers, Ashley Munchiando, Kat Gosztyla, Courtney Ryan, Hayley Renko, Gabby Klipp.

PICTURED IN INSERT ABOVE: Fort Lewis midfielder Samantha Smith holds the RMAC tournament trophy. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

SORRY FOR THE DELAY, FOLKS: ColoradoSoccerNow.com switched to a new host on Saturday, and we were still working out the bugs on Sunday. That delayed the posting of the story until late Sunday night, and it delayed the posting of the photos until Monday morning. All is well now. Jonathan Ingraham had a ton of wonderful photos, and a few are posted now.

Metro State center back Kat Gosztyla recovers from a bruising collision late regulation on Sunday at Auraria Field. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an affiliate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

To advertise on Colorado Soccer Now, e-mail George at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

DENVER — When the women’s soccer teams from Metropolitan State College and Regis University met in mid-October at Auraria Field in downtown Denver, the Roadrunners went on a three-goal tear in the second half. That was the difference between the teams on that day.

On Friday, in the semifinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, the difference between the teams essentially was a three-goal first half by Metro.

The Roadrunners, undefeated champions of the RMAC regular season and host of the conference championships, turned a 3-0 halftime lead into a 5-1 victory on Saturday. The victory sets up a meeting in the conference final with Fort Lewis College at noon Sunday at Auraria.

Jen Thomas scored two of Metro’s goals in the first half, including the first goal of the match.

In the 19th minute, Metro’s Ashley Nemmers got as far as she could up the right wing and came back toward the middle of the field, dishing off to Hayley Renko, who made a left-footed pass to to Thomas. The senior from Aurora settled with one touch then shot into the right side of the net.

Thomas’ other goal came in the 29th minute and essentially put the game out of reach.

Aleah DeGeneres launched a vertical ball through the Regis defense that no one was fast enough to get to.

Except Thomas.

She ran onto the pass and, as Rangers goalkeeper Nicole Eddings rushed out to cut down Thomas’ angle, the senior striker from Aurora slotted the ball underneath Eddings for a 3-0 lead.

“Luckily I was in the right place at the right time and shot it in,” Thomas said. “Aleah played a great ball and I got a good touch on it. I think we just came out fired up and had a lot of motivation. We just want that championship. We just made stuff happen.”

Thomas’ goals sandwiched one by fellow striker Becca Mays, who gave the Roadrunners a two-goal cushion in the 25th minute. Metro left back Courtney Ryan took a corner kick that Eddings couldn’t handle, and Mays popped the loose ball into the net.

The three goals in roughly 10 minutes sent a chill through the Rangers’ hopes of advancing to Sunday’s title game, but the team regrouped at halftime. The Rangers saw much more of the ball in the second 45 minutes.

Regis outshot Metro 8-7 in the second half and had three corner kicks to the hosts’ one. But Rangers coach J.B. Belzer said efficiency was the key to the game for Metro, which took eight shots on goal in the game and scored five times.

“At the end of the day, it was the efficiency,” Belzer said. “Any time you have a team that’s going to be that efficient for scoring it’s going to win. Full credit to Metro: They played very effectively and very efficiently, and they were the better team today.”

Regis was outscored only 2-1 in the second half, getting a goal from Chelsea Reichard in the 85th minute.

Metro’s other two goals were scored by Ashley Nemmers in the 73rd and Taylor Nicholls in the 86th.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Thomas’ brace in the first half was key for Metro State. The third goal put Regis on ice. Metro has allowed two goals in a game twice this season; it has not allowed three.

SAVE OF THE GAME: Eddings made two nice stops on Mays in the second half. Which was nicer? Take your pick. In the 61st minute, Mays cranked a hard, dipping shot that Eddings did well to smother. It was a difficult play, and she handled it cleanly. About three minutes later, Mays had a point-blank opportunity after a free kick, and Eddings was up to the task once again.

IN THE OTHER NET: Metro State goalkeeper Becca Maloney doesn’t get a lot of ink because she’s not tested all that much. Her finest moment came in the 27th minute. Regis’ Erin Kettmann pushed a through-ball forward to Kari Taylor that Taylor did well to toe-poke away from the defense and into open space, setting herself apart from Metro State’s formidable back line. Maloney, though, anticipated the problem and moved forward without hesitation to smother the ball and any chance Taylor might have had.

INJURY REPORT: RMAC freshman of the year Marissa Davis went down in the seventh minute, darkening the complexion of the match early on for Regis. “I thought we started better today. … I thought we were giving as good as we were getting,” Belzer said. “Losing Mo early in the match changes it for us. Someday we’re going to catch a break and stay healthy through an entire season.” Belzer said Davis would have to visit a doctor before they would know the extent of the injury.

REGIS STARTERS: Nicole Eddings, Chelsea Bokan, Heidi Boersma, lKalley Mahaffey, Katie Horn, Marissa Davis, Danielle Lardner, Chelsea Reichard, Jordan Miller, Maddie Reeves, Erin Kettmann.

METRO STARTERS: Becca Maloney, Jen Thomas, Becca Mays, Madison McQuilliams, Ashley Nemmers, Ashley Munchiando, Kat Gosztyla, Courtney Ryan, Hayley Renko, Nicole Renko, Gabby Klipp.

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).

The Orediggers have shut out seven of their past eight opponents.

Mitchell gave Mines a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute, when Liz Oba chipped a ball over the CSU-Pueblo defense. Mitchell controlled the ball and beat the goalkeeper to the far post for her 12th winning goal of the season. The assist was Oba’s fourth.

Mitchell struck again in the 14th minute. Megan Woodworth controlled the ball at the top of the box, finding Allison Heeg open on her left near the edge of the box. Mitchell made an overlapping run, and Heeg played the ball to Mitchell, who placed the ball high toward the far post. The assist was Heeg’s first of the season.

In the 34th minute, Mitchell completed the hat trick, receiving the ball in the box from Becca Morales and turning inside to score once again.

Woodworth and Mitchell connected in the 70th minute. Woodworth found Mitchell in the box with a short pass and collected her sixth assist of the season.

Mitchell’s four-goal performance established Mines records for goals and points in a match. The hat trick was Mitchell’s fifth of the season and the eighth of her career.

Briana Schulze earned her sixth shutout, registering six saves.

The Orediggers (15-3, 11-3 RMAC) will travel to Las Vegas, N.M., on Sunday to take on New Mexico Highlands.

WOMEN
Fort Lewis 2, UCCS 1: In Colorado Springs, Erika Shisler punched in a loose ball with less than 14 minutes remaining as the No. 13 Skyhawks escaped Mountain Lion Stadium. Just 15:39 into the contest, the Mountain Lions managed something that only four other teams have done this season: They scored against the Skyhawks. Fort Lewis, led by a disciplined defense and the impenetrable Christine Schmelzle in goal, has logged an RMAC-best 11 shutouts, including six of its previous seven matches and three straight. Lauren Hall ended that streak with a highlight-reel goal. Following a UCCS corner kick, Jessica Escobedo sent a low crossing pass to Hall, who was standing in the middle of the field, 10 yards from goal. The problem was that the junior from Fruita had her back to the goal and two defenders in the way. Instead of turning, Hall flicked the ball backward over her head, a maneuver that took Schmelzle – and everyone else – by surprise. The ball sailed over the stunned defenders and into the net. Fort Lewis evened the match in the 28th minute when Sam Smith converted a crossing pass by Nichole Kluk. The tie endured all the way to the 86:04 mark, when Shisler’s goal ended UCCS’ hopes of an upset. Freshman goalkeeper Kayla Millar made 11 saves for the Mountain Lions, some of which were jaw-dropping. Twice, she thwarted one-on-ones and on a third shot she threw herself at the feet of a Skyhawk who had a point-blank shot. Schmelzle had six saves for Fort Lewis, which improved to 15-2-1, 11-2-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and held onto second place in the conference standings. The top two teams in the regular season get first-round byes in the RMAC playoffs. UCCS dropped to 6-8, 5-8 in RMAC play.

Denver 2, Western Kentucky 0: Kelsey Quinn scored her first goal of the season, while Mariah Johnston had a goal, her third of the year, and an assist. Johnston scored in the 25th minute of the game with a chip shot into the top right corner off of an assist from Kaitlin Bast. DU’s second goal came in the 60th minute from Quinn. The Pioneers improved to 12-5-1 overall and 7-2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. The loss drops Western Kentucky to 12-4-1 and 7-2-0 in conference. Freshman goalkeeper Lara Campbell ended the night with five saves. The Pioneers continue their weekend on the road as they take on Middle Tennessee on Sunday.

Texas A&M 2, CU 0: The Buffs continued to struggle on the road. No. 20 Texas A&M (11-5-1, 5-2-1 Big 12) collected its 17th victory over Colorado in 19 tries, and the Buffs fell to 8-8 overall and 5-3 in Big 12 play. The Aggies, who have historically proven to be a difficult opponent for the Buffs, got off to an early start by scoring the first goal of the match less than three minutes in. Alyssa Mautz took a pass from Katie Hamilton at the top of the box and fired a hard shot into the upper left corner of the goal, beyond the reach of CU goalkeeper Kara Linder. Senior Nikki Marshall nearly got on the board for the Buffs in the 13th minute, when she found herself in a one-on-one situation with Aggie goalkeeper Kelly Dyer. Marshall went for a chip over the keeper’s head but missed wide right. The Aggies would strike again in the 34th minute. Hamilton received a pass from Chelsea Jones just inside the 18. She needed just one touch, took a sliding shot and buried the ball inside the left goal post. Colorado nearly converted a Marshall-to-Marshall goal in the 80th minute as Nikki Marshall dished a pass out to unmarked sister Shaye Marshall in front of the goal, but her shot was blocked and sent back into play by a Texas A&M defender. Colorado will now head west to Austin and face the University of Texas at noon on Sunday.

New Mexico Highlands 2, Adams State 1: The Grizzlies’ hopes of qualifying for the RMAC tournament for the first time since 2006 took a major blow in Las Vegas, N.M. The Cowgirls, who had been shut out in each of their previous eight games, received goals in the 13th and 29th minutes from Yolanda Elias and Krista Mashak, respectively, as they improved to 3-15 overall and to 3-11 in RMAC action. The Grizzlies (6-11-1 overall and 4-9-1 in the RMAC) have dropped six straight games on Highlands’ narrow sports-turf field, which has been a place of horrors for the Grizzlies since they claimed their only road win over the Cowgirls in 2003. ASC dominated the Cowgirls at home in a 3-0 win just nine days ago.

Rice 0, Colorado College 0: Once Erin Scott hit the goalpost for Rice early in the match at Stewart Field in Colorado Springs, the excitement was pretty much over. The visiting Owls and CC played 110 scoreless minutes in a 0-0 tie that prevented CC from clinching a berth in the Conference USA playoffs, less than two weeks away. The Tigers finished with a 20-15 edge in shots, but other than Scott’s point-blank rocket from just inside the left side of the box that ricocheted high off the far post, neither team generated a quality chance in the offensive end. CC, now 10-5-2 overall and 6-2-1 in conference play, returns to action against Houston at noon Sunday in Colorado Springs. Goalkeeper Meghan Erkel finished with six saves for Rice, now 4-10-3 overall and 2-6-1 in Conference USA. Caitlin Hulyo made four stops in net for the Tigers, who blanked their third consecutive opponent.

Northern Colorado 4, Eastern Washington 0: After four straight Big Sky Conference losses, UNC came to life at Jackson Stadium. Kimmie Feidler, Ariel Cook, Marcie Johnson and JJ Wykstra scored for the Bears, who improved to 5-9-1 overall and 1-4-0 in conference. The Eagles fell to 6-7-1 and 3-1-1. In the 33rd minute, Feidler took a pass from Cook and opened the scoring. Feidler made one touch before striking a high shot just out of reach of Eastern Washington goalkeeper Lisa Demak. UNC increased its lead to 2-0 less than a minute into the second half with a goal from Johnson. Freshman Danielle Birdsall’s previous shot hit the crossbar, and Johnson found the back of the net from eight yards out. After a goalkeeper change for the Eagles, the Bears added a goal from Wykstra. Feidler made a quick pass in front of the goal to Wykstra, who put the Bears up 3-0 in the 66th minute. Cook rounded out the scoring. Sydney VanderVelde attempted a cross that was deflected by goalkeeper Jacki Gillis, but Cook took possession of the ball behind the keeper and found an open path to the goal for a 4-0 advantage. UNC’s total of four goals was its highest this season, and it came against an Eagles team that entered the match allowing an average of 1.64 goals per game. The Bears host Montana at noon Sunday at Jackson Stadium.

Colorado Christian 1, Mesa State 0: Cougars goalkeeper Liana Signorile made three saves en route to her eighth shutout of the season. Jessica Smith scored in the 69th minute after a long pass from Nicole Gill. Colorado Christian improved to 8-6-3, 5-6-2 in the RMAC, while Mesa State dropped to 8-9, 5-8.

Metro State 4, Nebraska-Kearney 0: The No. 6 Roadrunners outshot Nebraska-Kearney 29-5 in Kearney, Neb. Madison McQuilliams tallied a career-high three assists and Becca Mays scored twice as the Roadrunners recorded their 15th straight win.

MEN
Air Force 1, New Mexico 0: Kevin Rosser connected on a penalty kick with 4:42 remaining at Cadet Soccer Stadium. Air Force was awarded the PK when New Mexico was called for a hand ball in the box after an Air Force corner kick. Rosser placed the shot in the upper right corner, past Lobo goalie Justin Fite. It was Air Force’s first win over New Mexico since 2003, snapping a seven-game losing streak and 11-game winless streak to the Lobos. Air Force improved to 6-5-1 overall and 1-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while New Mexico fell to 8-5 and 2-1 in league play. New Mexico dominated the statistical categories, outshooting the Falcons 15-7 and taking six corner kicks to Air Force’s two. Rosser’s goal was Air Force’s only shot on goa, while the Lobos placed six on freshman goalie Mike Mauro, who made several outstanding saves, including one on a breakaway by UNM’s Justin Davis in the 52nd minute. Mauro collected the second shutout of his career. “Mauro played a great game for us tonight,” Air Force head coach Doug Hill said. “He certainly kept us in it throughout, and Eric Wilson did an outstanding job for us in the backfield. It’s always nice to beat a very good team and know that we can play with anyone in the country.” Rosser had four of Air Force’s seven shots, while seniors Josh Rhynard and Jared Gomez and freshman Zane Dydasco each had one. Air Force hosts Nevada-Las Vegas at 1 p.m. Sunday.

UNLV 2, Denver 2: Sophomore midfielder Jarod Stigall rallied the Pioneers with two goals in the final 15 minutes at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The Pioneers (3-7-3, 0-2-1 MPSF) got on the board in the 76th minute, when senior midfielder Collin Audley passed to Stigall, who fired a shot from the left corner of the box inside the opposite post. Stigall tied the game with less than six minutes remaining after a rebound of a shot by Audley and a tip pass from freshman forward Nathan Sackeyfio. The Rebels jumped on the board first as junior midfielder Stephen Sifuentes headed in a cross from senior defender Peter Rodriguez in the third minute of the game. With just over six minutes left in the first half, Sifuentes scored his second goal of the night, assisted by freshman forward Zach Kupfer.

Mines 5, UCCS 1: In Colorado Springs, Jeff Nelson scored two goals, and Jacob Juett, Chike Sullivan and Ted Decker also scored for No. 16 Mines (12-2-3, 8-2-1 RMAC). Alex Nass and Cale Haas got assists. Matt Friesen scored his seventh goal of the season for the Mountain Lions (6-9-1, 3-7-1 RMAC). Nelson’s two scores came in the closing minutes. On the first, he converted a crossing pass by Haas that UCCS goalkeeper Adam Liszewski failed to intercept in the 79th minute. The second was the result of a mis-hit by Liszewski, who was trying to clear an ill-advised pass back to the keeper in the 86th minute. Liszewski made eight saves, and Mines goalkeeper Manville Strand had five.

Fort Lewis 1, Metro State 0: Euan Purcell deflected a pass by Barden for the only goal of the match in Durango. The Skyhawks improved to 14-1 overall and 11-0 in conference. Metro State slipped to 9-5-2, 6-3-2 in RMAC play. Fort Lewis outshot the Roadrunners 14-4, and Metro goalkeeper Dominique Griffith made six saves.

Regis 1, Mesa State 0: In Grand Junction, Regis collected its third consecutive victory as Jordan Brandel scored in the 65th minute. The Rangers improved to 6-1-4 in RMAC play, 8-3-4 overall. Next, the Rangers face Fort Lewis College at 1 p.m. Sunday in Durango.

CSU-Pueblo 5, Colorado Christian 1: Sam Henritze scored three goals, and Sean Fitzgerald and Robert Kinsey each added one as the Thunderwolves rolled at home. Kinsey had an assist on one of Henritze’s goals, and the others were unassisted. Jodah Hankins scored in the 85th minute for Colorado Christian, which fell to 2-13-2 overall and 0-10-1 in conference. The Thunderwolves are 7-8 overall, 3-7 in conference.

Metro broke open a scoreless match in the beginning moments of the second half. With the Regis defense closing in on her on the right side of the Rangers’ penalty area, Jen Thomas spotted Mays a few yards away and fed her the ball. Mays quickly slotted a diagonal pass ahead to Ashley Munchiando, who was making a run toward goal from the left.

Munchiando shot back toward the right side of goal. The ball tapped the inside of the right post and went in at the 46:53 mark.

Mays got an assist on that goal, but she wouldn’t on the next one, although she was largely responsible for it. Mays executed a nice give-and-go with Ashley Nemmers in the 50th minute, and the play finished with Mays hammering a shot that Regis goalkeeper Rosie Campbell was able to deflect wide for a corner. Gabby Klipp’s corner kick went right to Maddison McQuilliams, who doubled Metro’s lead with a header.

Then Mays set up Thomas in the 54th minute. Mays split the defense with a low, line-drive header, springing Thomas behind the Regis defense. Thomas was alone against Campbell, who had little chance to make a save.

Mays didn’t add to her team-leading total of 17 goals, but that wasn’t the theme of the day for her. Take this, for example: Late in the first half, with Annie Austin waiting to enter the match to replace her, Mays was about 16 yards in front of goal with the ball at her feet.

She looked around and saw few of the teammates she started the match with; most of them were on the bench at this point, as she would be as soon as the ball went out of bounds. But Mays kept looking, and she spotted another teammate making a run in the box, someone with much less playing time than Mays or the other starters. Mays passed her the ball without a second thought.

“She knows it’s about the team,” Metro coach Adrianne Almaraz said. “She’s willing to go the extra mile as long as the team succeeds. That shows her personality. She can score goals. And in games like this, yeah, she may be marked up, but she’ll provide for other players.”

Almaraz said that type of leadership is what Metro State needed in a game against the team the Roadrunners consider their biggest rival.

“Regis and Metro is the match,” she said. “They’re always a good team, and J.B. is a great coach. Regis comes out to play us. For us to get a 3-0 game, I’m very, very pleased. For me, I’m just happy for getting the W, 1-0, 3-0, whatever it may be. Our girls were ready, and they were prepared. They were excited. I think the girls take pride that we know it will always be a battle against Regis. Fort Lewis and Mines, we will always get up for those games. But this is the game.”

Metro had more of the ball in the first half (possession probably was about 6-4 in favor of the Roadrunners in the opening period), but the Rangers were able to keep Metro off the board. The hosts did have scoring chances, but nothing like they did in the first 10 minutes of the second half. In fact, Thomas nearly knocked in a Mays cross in the first 20 seconds of the second half.

“The game was decided in 10 minutes in the second half,” Regis coach J.B. Belzer said. “We gave Metro way too much respect today. This is certainly a quality side, but we gave them way too much respct. We didn’t deserve any respect, based on how we played.

“We knew exactly how they were going to attack. We made bad decisions. We didn’t step up and press the ball in the right areas. We didn’t hold possession when we had it. And you’re going to pay the price when you’re up against good teams.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mays.

RECORDS: Metro, ranked sixth in the nation, improved to 15-1-0 overall and 12-0-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while Regis fell to 10-3-2 overall and 7-2-2 in the RMAC. Metro is ranked first in the NCAA Division II Central Region, and Regis is fifth.

WEATHER MATTERS: Sunny, breezy and about 60 degrees at kickoff.

UP NEXT:On Sunday, Metro travels to New Mexico Highlands, and Regis hosts Colorado-Colorado Springs.

PICTURED ABOVE: Mays goes on the attack in the first half. (photo by Tom Auclair/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

REGIS STARTERS: Rosie Campbell, Heidi Boersma, Heather Thomas, Kalley Mahaffey, Katie Horn, Marissa Davis, Danielle Lardner, Chelsea Reichard, Jordan Miller, Maddie Reeves, Erin Kettmann.

METRO STARTERS: Becca Maloney, Jen Thomas, Becca Mays, Madison McQuilliams, Ashley Nemmers, Ashley Munchiando, Kathryn Gosztyla, Courtney Ryan, Hayley Renko, Nicole Renko, Gabby Klipp.

George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an affiliate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

To advertise on Colorado Soccer Now, e-mail George at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.