The NCAA Division II soccer tournament will have plenty of Colorado representatives after announcing the brackets for the men’s and women’s tournaments on Monday evening.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponent Fort Lewis moved up to No. 8 and Colorado Mines jumped into the top-25 at No. 24.

St. Rose (N.Y.) remained the No. 1-ranked team in this week’s poll.

The Roadrunners (7-1-1, 3-1-1 RMAC) fell 3-2 to Regis in double overtime last Wednesday, but rebounded with a 3-0 win over Colorado Mines and a 2-0 victory over Colorado Christian over the weekend.  They will travel to Nebraska-Kearney for a noon game on Sunday.

The Skyhawks will continues a six-game homestand against New Mexico Highlands (4-3-1, 2-1-1) at 1 p.m. Friday.

The Orediggers (4-2-2, 3-1 RMAC) will host Nebraska-Kearney on Friday at 4 p.m.

This is the first team in the history of Colorado School of Mines Athletics to ever hold a No. 1 national ranking.

Mines’ is now 3-0-1 against Top 25 ranked opponents this season picking up wins earlier in the season against then No. 1 ranked Fort Lewis (1-0) and No. 24 West Texas A&M (4-0). CSM improved its record last week with wins over No. 18 Regis University (2-1) and a tie in double overtime (0-0) against then-11th-ranked Metro State. CSM also added a 4-0 victory over Colorado Christian.

Metro State moved up to No. 7 in the new poll, the first time the Roadrunners have been ranked in the top 10 since the 2008 preseason poll. Regis University slipped one spot to No. 19.

CSM currently ranks fourth in Division II in goals against average (0.36) and 10th in shutout percentage (0.63). Mines leads the RMAC in points (64), goals (tied – 22), goals per game (2.75), assists (20), assists per game (2.50), goals allowed (3), goals against average and ranks second with five shutouts.

Juett Honor: Jacob Juett, a senior defender has been named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Juett helped the Orediggers post two shutouts and secure another victory in three games last week. Juett anchored a CSM defense against CCU that allowed just 5 total shots in the win. Juett scored his second game-winning goal of the season in the 45th minute of the match in Mines win over Regis. On Sunday, Juett helped Mines hold the Metro State scoreless for the first time this season. Juett has played in all eight matches this season.

On Tap: The No. 1 ranked Orediggers (7-0-1, 4-0-1 RMAC) will play a pair of road games beginning with Fort Lewis on Friday in Durango at 3:30 p.m. Mines will take on Mesa State on Sunday at noon.

This award, sponsored by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association, provides the opportunity to highlight the extraordinary achievements of its student-athletes. Butch Raymond, Division II CCA president and commissioner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, said that the award showcases the academic and athletic talent at the NCAA Division II level.

“The CCA Scholar-Athlete Awards exemplify the balance between academics and athletics that is the cornerstone of Division II,” Raymond said.

The commissioners from the regions that comprise the Division II basketball alignment selected the regional winners. To be nominated for consideration, a student-athlete must have attained a 3.0 career cumulative grade point average and possess outstanding athletic credentials.

In 2009, Mitchell became the first women’s soccer player at Mines to earn All-American honors. Mitchell was named Daktronics First Team All-American and NSCAA Second Team All-American. Mitchell was selected as the 2009 Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year and the RMAC Player of the Year. A unanimous First Team All-RMAC pick, Mitchell led the RMAC in goals (30), points (69) and game-winning goals (14). Mitchell finished the season ranked seventh in Division II in goals per game (1.2) and points per game (2.76).

A Daktronics and NSCAA First Team All-Central Region pick, Mitchell recorded five hat tricks and established CSM single-game records for points (8) and goals (4). 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.

Mitchell finished her career ranked first in the RMAC in career shots (447), career game-winning goals (30), most game winning goals in a season (14) and is second in both career goals (76) and career points (170).

A male and female Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be selected from the 16 regional winners, eight men and eight women. The national award winners will be announced in September.

Also, Fort Lewis defender Jamie Cunningham was named the preseason defensive player of the year for the men. Colorado School of Mines goalkeeper Briana Schulze picked up the defensive honor among the women in awards released Thursday.

About Emory: In 2009, Emory was named Daktronics second team All-America after earning Central Region Player of the Year and RMAC Player of the Year honors. NSCAA and Daktronics first team All-Central Region. Started all 21 games as a center midfielder. Led Metro State with 11 goals, seven assists, 29 points, 83 shot attempts and 46 shots on goal.

About Davis: The 2009 RMAC Freshman of the Year, Davis was also named NSCAA All-Central Region First Team, Daktronics All-Central Region First Team and All-RMAC First Team. She played in 21 games with 20 starts and was second on the Rangers with 10 goals and eight assists. Davis finished third in the RMAC with a 4.05 shots per game average.

About Cunningham: Started 22 of 23 games, including the NCAA Division II National Championship game in which the Skyhawks defeated Lees-McRae 1-0. Scored five goals and had three assists on the season. Recorded an assist in national semi-final victory over Le Moyne. Scored FLC’s first goal in 2009 RMAC Tournament championship game against Metro State.

About Schulze: Schulze was named first team All-RMAC in 2009 after starting all 25 matches for the Orediggers. She earned NSCAA First Team All-Central Region honors while posting a record of 19-5-1. Schulze finished third in the RMAC in shutouts with nine and was ranked fourth in the RMAC in goals against average (2,151:26, 0.86).

Women’s Preseason All-Conference Team:
Pos.       Name                                     Yr.           School                    Hometown/Previous School
MF        *Marissa Davis                      So.           Regis                      Golden, Colo./Golden HS
MF          Madison McQuilliams        Sr.           Metro State           Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield HS
GK          Briana Schulze                     Sr.           Mines                     Centennial, Colo./Eaglecrest HS
F              Hayley Hollenga                 Sr.           Fort Lewis             Colo. Springs, Colo./Air Academy
F              Daniela Ramirez                 Sr.           Mesa State             Rupert, Idaho/Dodge City CC
F              Jordan Miller                      Jr.            Regis                       Santa Fe, N.M./St. Michael’s HS
D             Nicole Renko                        Sr.           Metro State           Aurora, Colo./Rangeview HS
D             Jessica Stark                        Sr.           Mines                     Abilene, Texas/Cooper HS
GK          Christine Schmelzle            Sr.           Fort Lewis             Flagstaff, Ariz./Coconino HS
D             Brittany Corona                  Jr.            Co. Christian         Tucson, Ariz./Flowing Wells HS
MF          Megan Woodworth             So.           Mines                     Centennial, Colo./Smoky Hill HS
* – unanimous all-RMAC selection.

Men’s Preseason All-Conference Team:
Pos.      Name                    Yr.           School                    Hometown High School/Previous School
MF       *Steven Emory    Sr.            Metro State           Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins HS
MF       *Kyle Wood          Sr.            Fort Lewis             Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS
MF       Chike Sullivan      Jr.             Mines                     San Juan T& T/St. George’s College
D           Jaron Stewart       Sr.           UCCS                     Frisco, Texas Centennial HS/Incarnate Word
F           Kyle Emge             Jr.            Regis                      Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain HS
D           Fabian Kling          Jr.            Fort Lewis             Augsburg, Germany/Holblein HS
D           Jamie Cunningham Sr.         Fort Lewis             Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle HS
GK        Manville Strand    So.           Mines                     Las Vegas, Nev./Spring Valley HS
F           Scott Grode           Jr.            Metro State           Gilbert, Ariz./Basha HS
D           Gary Cole              Sr.            Regis                      Englewood, Colo./Arapahoe HS
D           Jacob Juett            Sr.           Mines                     Flower Mound, Texas/Marcus HS
* – unanimous all-RMAC selection.

The schedules are set, and the first games of the season are imminent. A national champion readies for a title defense, a few perennial cellar dwellers look for a better finish, and a host of new coaches and players ready to take the field.

First: Northern Colorado became the first Colorado institution to kick-off the fall soccer season with a Friday trip to Norman, Oklahoma.

The Bears exhibition against the Sooners is one of many preparation games ongoing for the coming season. During the next two weeks teams from Greeley to Grand Junction, Durango to Denver and Alamosa to Golden, will be running through the rituals of alumni games and preseason exhibitions.

Below are just some of the things to watch for during the coming season.

Plum Games: With 26 men’s and women’s teams taking the pitch, it’s easy to find an entertaining contest every weekend. There are some dates, however, that really stand out as I look at the fall.

Sept. 4: Colorado faces Denver at the DU Invitational in Denver. It’s nice to see two of the Division I squads get together early in the season. It will be intriguing to see the Buffs and the Pioneers collide, and the sort of matchup that builds local rivalries.

Sept. 24: Metro State women vs. Colorado School of Mines holds a lot of promise. Both teams are ranked in the NCAA Division II preason Top 10. Metro State has won eight straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles, but Mines knocked off the Roadrunners 4-3 on penalty kicks in the 2009 NCAA tournament. This promises to be an entertaining time on Auraria Field.

Oct. 8: It’s a return trip to downtown Denver as the Fort Lewis men visit Metro State. The defending National Champion Skyhawks and the Roadrunners are among the few teams that generate a true distaste for one another. These two teams don’t get along, and last year’s clash at Auraria produced a flurry of yellow and red cards. The return engagement in Durango wasn’t much better.

Seriously, I’m taking 25 minutes on the over/under for the first card in the game when these two meet.

If this doesn’t produce enough drama, the two clash again a week later in Durango.

Oct. 22: All right, this is entirely so I can mention the clip from last year’s New Mexico-BYU showdown. The women at the Air Force Academy host New Mexico. If ever there was a squad trained not to tolerate out of control Lobo defenders, this would be the team. The trip to Colorado Springs seems that much more entertaining.

Nov. 3-7: The men’s and women’s RMAC tournaments will be unfolding on these days. Odds are excellent games will be played (1) in Colorado (2) on campuses in the Denver metro area and (3) on Dirks Field in Durango. I’m in for all of it as teams scramble at the end of the regular season.

Away and Home: The Mesa State women win the prize for the split personality schedule. They open the season with six consecutive road games. While they rack up the road miles, they get a reward at the end of September. The Mavericks start a six-game homestand on Sept. 22, just as the RMAC conference schedule gets under way.

Road Warriors: CSU-Pueblo’s women and the Fort Lewis men will also be collecting miles in the first part of the season.

The Thunderwolves women play three exhibition games on the road, followed by three of the first four games on the road.

The Skyhawks open with a road exhibition game at New Mexico before playing seven of their first eight games on the road.

Aloha Rangers: The Regis women travel to Honolulu to take on BYU-Hawai’i and Hawai’i Pacific on Aug. 26 and 28, respectively, to start the Rangers’ season.

Yes, there will be the challenges of travel and time changes, but doesn’t this sound like the perfect cap to a summer?

Suddenly, all the photographers and every writer at ColoradoSoccerNow.com were ready for an out of town trip.

What Time?: If you are going to a Fort Lewis women’s game and forget the start time, gamble on it being 1 p.m. The Skyhawks play 10 of their 18 games at 1 p.m.. Throw in the Aug. 23 exhibition against Colorado College, and 11 of the team’s games start at 1 p.m.

No other Colorado team comes close to such consistency.

And with that, we begin.

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.

The men’s recruits are Tesho Akindele, a midfielder-forward from Thornton; Seun Ogunmodede, a forward from Castle Rock; Brandon Sawada, a midfielder from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; and Ari Vrohidis, a defender-midfielder from Stillwater, Minnesota.

Akindele was a four-year letter winner at Northglenn High School. He was a rookie of the year, offensive MVP and team MVP of his high school squad. Akindele was a two-time all-conference selection and was named Front Range Conference MVP. Akindele also earned multiple all-state honors.

Ogunmodede was a three-year letter winner and helped lead Regis Jesuit High School to a second-place finish in the 2008 5A playoffs.

Vrohidis played three seasons and lettered in each at Shattuck–St. Mary’s Academy in Fairbault, Minn. Vrohidis’ team was ranked No. 2 among Minnesota club soccer teams and posted a runner-up finish at the 2009 U.S. club soccer national championships.

Sawada was a team captain at Kealakehe High School, and eh led his team to multiple championships as well as a fifth-place finish at the state championships. Sawada lettered all four years and received multiple all-conference and all-state honors.

The Mines women’s team got commitments from Bree Archuleta, a defender from Thornton; Anna Evans, a midfielder from Arvada; Jordan Hopper, a midfielder from Houston; Alyssa Makhani, a midfielder from Round Rock, Texas; Kat Murphy, a midfielder from Colorado Springs; and Kelsey Neal, a defender from Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Archuleta was a three-year letter winner at Legacy High School and helped lead her team to the semifinals of the state playoffs in 2009.

Evans lettered all four years at Arvada West High School, was a second-team all-state selection as a junior and led her team to state championships in 2007 and 2008.

Hopper wass a four-year letter winner at Cypress Falls High School. As a freshman, she helped lead her team to the state championships. As a junior and senior, Hopper was a team captain.

Makhani earned three lettersat Stony Point High School and helped lead her team to the district playoffs as a sophomore.

Murphy lettered three times as a member of the varsity squad at Cheyenne Mountain High School. During her career she helped lead her team to a state championship in 2007 and berths in the state tournament in 2008 and 2009.

Neal was district player of the year during her senior season at Los Alamos High School, and she led the team to three runner-up finishes at the state championships. Neal was a three-time first-team all-district pick and twice earned all-state honorable mention accolades as a four-year letter winner.

In his 12th season as head coach, Kohlenstein led Mines to the NCAA Division II tournament for the second time in program history. The Orediggers finished the 2009 season with a record of 15-3-4 overall (11-2-1 RMAC). They were ranked 18th in Division II. Kohlenstein was named the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2009, marking the fifth time in his career he has received this honor. Two games into the 2009 season, Kohlenstein became Mines’ winningest men’s soccer coach. He has 139 total victories at Mines.

Kohlenstein owns a career record of 462-208-63 (.673 winning percentage), and the 2009 season marked his 30th in the collegiate and professional ranks. Kohlenstein has coached 28 All-Americans, 12 Academic All-Americans, one Rhodes Scholar, five national team players and 145 all-conference athletes.

Clarke is the first women’s soccer coach in Fort Lewis history to earn this honor. In 2009, the Skyhawks completed the most successful season in the history of the school’s women’s soccer program. FLC had a 19-3-2 overall record, and a 12-2-2 RMAC record. The team climbed to its highest national ranking ever, No. 11, and it was the RMAC tournament champion. Fort Lewis hosted its first national tournament game and made it farther than any women’s soccer team in Fort Lewis history by making it to the second round of the national tournament.

Clarke has a 45-15-7 record in his three seasons as head coach.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America awards are based on a vote of the coaches’ peers within their region. Regional coaches of the year are finalists for the national coach of the year award at their respective levels. The national winners will be announced at the annual NSCAA awards banquet on Jan. 15 in Philadelphia.

PICTURED ABOVE: Kohlenstein also coaches the Orediggers women’s team. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

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.