Krystine Dalton, a junior, got things rolling for the Bears by scoring on a breakaway in just the third minute. Less than a minute later, Northern Colorado struck again, this time with Ariel Cook scoring her second goal in two preseason games.

“I really liked how much energy we played with right out of the gate,” said Northern Colorado head coach Tim Barrera. “Even though its preseason,  getting out to the early lead helped make it easier to play some other players.”

Following the two quick goals to start the game, the Bears finished out the half with a goal by freshman forward Brittany Dunn and a score from senior Brittani Knott. The score going into halftime was already 4-0.

In the second half, Barrera played more of his bench. The Bears played staunch defense, allowing just two shots on target the entire game.

“The girls played really well out there tonight,” Barrera said. “They are definitely excited to get the season underway and see what we can do against Wyoming.”

The Bears will head up to Wyoming to take on the Cowgirls on Friday.

The Orediggers (18-4) will play Fort Lewis College at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dirks Field in the second round. The Skyhawks are the host team and the No. 2 seed in the Central Region.

Regis, which made its second consecutive trip to the Division II tournament, ends the season with a 14-5-4 record.

Regis controlled much of the first half, but the Rangers let Mitchell get behind the defense 11 minutes into the game. Mitchell tracked down a ball in the far left corner of the box, controlled it and cut back in front of the goal, beating a defender. Her shot ricocheted off senior goalkeeper Marianne Clausen’s hand into the back of the net.

Mitchell scored her 29th goal of the season on a similar play 34 minutes into the first half to make the score 2-0. She collected a loose ball in the corner of the box and slipped it past Clausen inside the near post.

The Rangers got on the board in the 60th minute, when junior Katie Horn served a ball into the box and Mines goalkeeper Briana Schulze misplayed the ball. Senior Chelsea Reichard took advantage of the opportunity and scored her eighth goal of the season to cut the lead in half.

With just 45 seconds remaining, Regis had the ball inside the box. After a scramble, the ball wound up going into the net off a Rangers player. But before the ball went in, the referee’s assistant raised his flag, indicating offsides. The goal was disallowed, and Mines was able to hold on.

Schulze made three saves in the match.

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.

The Rangers ran into a buzzsaw on Friday in Durango as the Skyhawks, ranked No. 2 in the nation, rolled to a 6-1 victory, dropping the Rangers to 9-6-4. FLC improved to 18-1.

“The guys left everything on the field,” Regis coach Tony McCall said. “And with a good core of players returning next season, the Rangers will be a team to reckon with.”

Fort Lewis got on the scoreboard 40 seconds into the match, when Dimo Krymanidis took a pass from Thomas Hoang and blasted it past Rangers goalkeeper Wally Fink.

The Skyhawks scored the next three goals before Regis sophomore Jordan Brandel took a pass from junior Gary Cole and took a shot from 40 yards out that went just over the head of all-conference goalkeeper Zane Wells.

Regis loses four seniors: Fink, forward James Copeland, midfielder Donnie Montoya and defender Ryan Brennan. “These four will be missed. They helped get a young group of student-athletes to play at a level needed to compete in the RMAC,” McCall said.

Early on, both teams were trying to find pace of the game, when freshman Patrick Bonitatibus took a ball up the right side and dribbled around a couple of defenders and powered home his third goal of the season at the 12:26 mark of the first half.

The defense for Colorado Christian (2-16-2, 0-13-1 RMAC) held the Ranger offense at one goal for nearly 26 minutes before another freshman, Adam Hinkelman, got a gift from the Cougars’ goalkeeper. Jared Jacobs came out of the box to retrieve a ball and kicked it to the middle of the field, where Hinkelman was waiting, Jacobs could not return to the net in time as Hinkelman had a wide open net and made the Cougars pay. It was his second goal of the season.

Senior James Copeland scored one more time for the Rangers in the first half off an assist from junior Nathan Kafer. Copeland then returned the favor to Kafer as Copeland found Kafer sliding in front of the net to score just three minutes into the second half.

Sophomore Jordan Brandel scored the next two goals for Regis, his fifth and sixth goals of the season, tying him for the team lead. Brandel was the beneficiary of a great pass from Copeland that put Brandel in a good spot to score.

Senior Wally Fink not only had a good game in goal, no goals allowed and five saves, but also capped off his stellar four-year career with his first goal scored of the season. Head Coach Tony McCall decided to put Fink in where he had begun his career, at forward, and it payed off. Fink took an excellent cross from Bonitatibus and beat his defender to the right and was able to blast the ball by the goalkeeper to make the final score 7-0.

Fink, Copeland, Donnie Montoya and Ryan Brennan all played in their final home game of their career.

Regis had 24 shots, compared with 11 for the visiting Cougars. Three goalkeepers, Fink and freshmen Francisco Martinez and Scott Brown all combined for the Rangers’ shutout.

Regis will take on Fort Lewis, ranked No. 2 in the nation, at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Durango. The match can be seen live via the B2 Networks. Log on to goskyhawks.com or rmacsports.org to view a schedule of the matches being broadcast.

Five minutes, 18 seconds into the second half, Reichard scored to put Regis up by one. Katie Horn assisted her on the play. 19 seconds later, Colorado Christian’s Mallorie Kenczewicz tied the game on an assist from Jessica Smith.

The game remained tied at 1-1 until just less than two minutes remained. Miller scored her 14th goal of the game to put the Rangers up by one, then Thomas scored the final goal with just a few seconds left. She was assisted by Erin Kettmann on the play.

Regis outshot Colorado Christian 25-6.

Jeff Nelson of the Colorado School of Mines was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for games played the weekend of Oct. 23. It is the second time this month and season that Nelson has received this honor.

Nelson, a senior forward from Laramie High School in Wyoming, scored three goals and added one assist to help Mines beat Colorado-Colorado Springs 5-1 and Colorado State University-Pueblo 4-2 last weekend. Nelson notched a pair of goals against UCCS, the third time he has done so in the past five games, and recorded an assist. In Mines’ game against CSU-Pueblo, Nelson broke a 2-2 tie in the 51st minute of the match, scoring his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

This season, Nelson ranks first in the RMAC with four game-winning goals, is second in points (26), points per game (1.53), goals and goals per game (0.65).

The 15th-ranked Orediggers (13-2-3, 9-2-1 RMAC) will play at No. 24 Metro State at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Mines will close out the regular season at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at home against Regis University.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Regis goalkeeper Wally Fink, a senior, posted a shutout against Mesa State on Friday, stopping six shots on goal, and recorded eight saves in a 3-0 loss at Fort Lewis College.

RMAC WOMEN’S HONORS: Colorado School of Mines players Kayla Mitchell and Briana Schulze have been named the RMAC offensive and defensive player of the week, respectively. This is the third time this month that Mitchell has received this honor and the third time that Schulze has earned the honor in her career. Mitchell, a senior forward from Ontario, Ore., scored four goals in Mines’ 4-0 win over CSU-Pueblo on Friday. Mitchell’s four goal performance established new single-game school records for goals and points. The hat trick was Mitchell’s fifth of the season. Mitchell, the 2009 Women’s Soccer RMAC academic player of the year, leads the conference in goals (26), goals per game (1.37), points (59), points per game (3.11) and game-winning goals (12) and is tied for sixth in assists (7). In NCAA Division II, Mitchell is tied for fourth in goals per game and ranks seventh in points per game. This season, Mitchell has scored multiple goals in seven games. Against CSU-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands, Schulze, a junior goalkeeper from Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, recorded her sixth and seventh shutouts this season. Schuzle played all 180 minutes in goal and made seven saves in the two victories. This season, Schulze has helped Mines to 13 shutout victories, most in the RMAC. In her past nine games, Schulze has allowed two goals. At home, Schulze has allowed only two goals all season and has helped Mines blank nine of its past 10 opponents. Schulze ranks third in the RMAC in goals against average (0.74) and fourth in shutouts. The Orediggers (16-3, 12-3 RMAC) will close out the 2009 regular season at noon Sunday against Colorado Christian in Golden.

SUN BELT CONFERENCE WOMEN’S HONOR: University of Denver women’s soccer senior forward Mariah Johnston has been named Sun Belt Conference player of the week for the first time this season. Johnston scored the game-winning goal and had an assist in each of Denver’s two road victories during the weekend. Johnston is tied for the SBC lead in conference games with seven assists and three game-winning goals. Johnston also ranks third in points with 15 and is tied for ninth in goals with four. She leads the team with nine assists, is second in points with 17 and tied for third in goals with eight. This marks the third time in her career that Johnston has won this award and the fourth time by a Pioneer this season. The Pioneers end their regular season at home at 5 p.m. Friday against North Texas at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team. Both Denver soccer teams will honor their seniors.

2009 Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week:

10/27 – Mariah Johnston, Forward, Denver
10/20 – Christina Veasley, Forward, Arkansas-Little Rock
10/13 – Kellie Walker, Midfielder, Western Kentucky
10/6 – Katrina Rose, Defense, Florida International
9/29 – Kaitlin Bast, Forward, Denver
9/22 – Kellie Walker, Midfielder, Western Kentucky
9/15 – Kaitlin Bast, Forward, Denver
9/8 – Kendall Juett, Midfielder, North Texas
9/1 – Lara Campbell, Goalkeeper, Denver
8/25 – Shan Jones, Forward, Middle Tennessee

SUN BELT CONFERENCE MEN’S HONOR: Air Force freshman goalie Mike Mauro has been named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s soccer co-player of the week after leading the Falcons to a pair of home conference victories this past weekend. Mauro, from Bristol, Conn., made 10 saves and allowed just one goal as the Falcons beat New Mexico 1-0 and UNLV 2-1. He shares the award with Ernesto Carranza of Sacramento State. On Friday, Mauro made six saves as the Falcons beat New Mexico for the first time since 2003, snapping a seven-game losing streak and 11-game winless streak against the Lobos. He kept Air Force in the game with 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. On Sunday, he made four saves against UNLV and allowed a goal in the 71st minute, snapping a scoreless streak of 185 minutes. Mauro, who is 4-3 this season after taking over for senior Jim Gullo, leads the MPSF with a save percentage of .780 and is second by averaging four saves per game.

COLORADO FORCE SOCCER CLINIC ON FRIDAY: The Colorado Force will be holding a Monster Soccer Clinic from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Edge Sports Center, which is in Fort Collins at the intersection of Interstate 25 and Mulberry Street (also known as State Highway 14). Here’s a Mapquest map. The cost is $15 per player. For information, contact the Force at (970)484-4653, or amy@forcesoccer.org or cayla@forcesoccer.org. The camp will feature Force players Cayla Deacon Alex Cousins, Lisa Kosena, Brittany Anderson, Lisa Franke and Julie Williford.

DENVER DYNAMITE SIGNS TWO: U.S. national arena soccer team midfielders Tony Thomas and Jay Hamilton have re-signed  with the Denver Dynamite for the 2009-10 Professional Arena Soccer League season. Thomas is a Metropolitan State College of Denver grad who spent some time on the Boulder Rapids Reserves in the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League. Hamilton is a Nevada-Las Vegas grad who also has experience with the San Diego Sockers of the former Major Indoor Soccer League. The Dynamite begins its second season in November.

MY VOTES FOR MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH: I voted for Andy Williams of Real Salt Lake first and Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts second. Williams played only 120 minutes in October, but he was instrumental in helping Real Salt Lake earn six points en route to a playoff berth, which RSL secured in the final weekend against the Rapids. He helped keep the team postseason hopes alive on Oct. 14 against New York, taking five shots in 27 minutes off the bench and scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute. And he assisted both of Robbie Findley’s goals against the Rapids in Salt Lake’s 3-0 victory. My second choice was Ricketts, who I thought had a shot at the award. He was stingy in a month where the Galaxy posted shutouts in four of its last five games. He’s been a huge reason the Galaxy rebounded this season. The winner, though, was Seattle midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, who recorded four assists while leading Seattle to a 3-0-0 record during October and a berth in the playoffs.

Fort Lewis’ Erika Shisler scored in the seventh minute after receiving the ball near the goal and kicking it into the lower left corner.

Taylor tied the score when she received a deflected cross from sophomore Jordan Miller at the 39:26 mark.

White gave Regis the lead in the 67th minute, when she drilled the ball past Skyhawks goalkeeper Christine Schmelzle. White hit the crossbar, and the ball deflected into the net.

Just as it seemed the game was going to end in favor of Regis, Fort Lewis tied the score with just over three minutes remaining. Hayley Hollenga’s goal sent the game into overtime.

Regis outshot the Skyhawks 23-7, placing eight on goal.

WOMEN
Montana 1, Northern Colorado 0: Montana scored on an own goal in the 33rd minute. Abby Grafft sent a free kick into the UNC penalty area and, after a struggle for position, the ball was deflected into the net just out of reach of Bears sophomore goalkeeper Kirstin Salminen. Northern Colorado fell to 5-10-1 overall and 1-5-0 in the Big Sky Conference. Montana improved to 2-3-1 in the Big Sky with the win. UNC will wrap up its season against Northern Arizona at 7 p.m. Friday at Jackson Stadium.

MEN
Fort Lewis 3, Regis 1: The Rangers were tied with No. 4 Fort Lewis at halftime, but Abdel Becerra and Thomas Hoang scored second-half goals for the Skyhawks. Donnie Montoya scored for Regis on a penalty kick 10 minutes into the match, and later in the half Joe Barnd scored his second goal against Regis this season. Regis (8-4-4, 6-2-4) lost its second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest of the season; the only other loss came against Fort Lewis on October 9, with Barnd scoring the only goal. FLC improved its record to 15-1 overall and 12-0 in the RMAC.

UCCS 2, Colorado Christian 1 OT: In Lakewood, Matt Friesen scored in overtime on a rebound of a Greg Miley shot. Friesen hit a low drive that went off a Cougars defender and the goalkeeper before nestling in the back of the net. It was Friesen’s team-leading eighth goal of the season, matching his freshman total of 2008 as the best mark by a UCCS player since 2002. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Mountain Lions and improved their season record to 7-9-1, 4-7-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Cougars are now winless in their past 11 games and have been outscored 64-5 over that span. For the season, Colorado Christian is 2-14-2, 0-11-1 in the RMAC. Colorado Christian’s Joda Hankins opened the scoring just 6:18 into the contest. He converted a turnover into an unassisted goal, zipping his shot through the left half of the net to put the hosts in front. Dami Oladiran tied the match in the 72nd minute. Miley sent a crossing pass that Friesen touched over to Oladiran for the shot. Adam Liszewski made four saves for UCCS, while Jared Jacobs made five for the Cougars.

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.