Box Score #20 Colorado School of Mines advanced to the RMAC Tournament final with a 2-1 win over MSU Denver on Friday.
The Orediggers (13-4-1) received goals from Peyton Sanders and Acacia Ortiz as they dominated the course of the game to have a shot at their sixth straight RMAC Tournament title. They will play the winner of Fort Lewis-UCCS on Sunday at noon.
Sanders scored in the 17th minute to give Mines an early advantage. Out of a broken corner kick, Haley Cole sent the ball back into the box, and Sanders stuffed home the ball on the line for her second goal of the game.
Ortiz made it 2-0 at 54 minutes with an absolute beauty. Brooke Stoermer found her in space 25 yards out, and Ortiz ripped it to the upper right corner for her fifth of the year.
MSU Denver made it interesting a few minutes later, as Korena Perales hit a perfectly-struck free kick from near the sideline to cut the lead to 2-1; the Roadrunners kept fighting and put Mines on their heels for the final 20 minutes, but the Oredigger defense shut them down in the box, as Sam Zumbro made four saves in all.
NOTABLES
- Mines is seeking its sixth straight RMAC Tournament championship. The winner receives an automatic bye to the NCAA Tournament.
- Ortiz was by far Mines' most dangerous player, taking a game-high six shots with five on goal. Stoermer had three shots with two on net.
- Mines held an 18-9 shots advantage, including 11-2 in the first half. MSUD, to their credit, evened it at 7-7 in the second half.
- The Orediggers held a 7-4 corners edge and scored off one of their six in the first half.
- Raeanna Rosales made nine saves for the Roadrunners.
- Before the game, Mines' Emily Garnier was recognized as the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and Devon Dunmire as the RMAC Summit Award winner for having the top GPA of tournament participants. Mines also received their RMAC regular-season championship plaque.
QUOTABLES
"We stayed after that one… it is nice to see that, scrapping after it and keeping the play alive." – Kevin Fickes on Mines' tenacity in the box to score the opening goal
"Those long-range goals are something that Fick is trying to get me to do more often. Brooke did a great job reading the defenders around me." – Ortiz on finding the space to score her game-winning goal
