Mines (7-2-1, 5-0-1 RMAC) at Westminster (6-3-1, 4-1-1 RMAC) – Friday, 1:30 p.m. – Salt Lake City, Utah – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (7-2-1, 5-0-1 RMAC) at Dixie State (5-4-1, 4-2-0 RMAC) – Sunday, 11 a.m. – St. George, Utah – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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LIVE VIDEO AND THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and all RMAC contests can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
UTAH STATE OF MIND
The Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team is headed for Utah this weekend to face off against Westminster and Dixie State. It marks the Orediggers' first trip to Beehive State since 2017. Both matchups are key as Mines rolls into the weekend #1 in the RMAC standings, but Westminster was right there with the Orediggers up until a week ago. A pair of wins would provide favorable cushion for Mines among the top two in the league. However, anything less would drop the Orediggers right back into the conference-standings scrum.
 
WEATHER REPORT
As made evident by Thursday's snowfall in Golden, autumn's appearance may be brief. Friday's forecast in Salt Lake City calls for a high of 52 degrees and a low of 32 degrees. The temperature at kickoff is slated between 40-50 degrees with sunny skies, a light breeze and 29-percent humidity. While the sun may improve the warmth, layers are highly recommended for fans planning to attend the match against Westminster. That being said, Sunday's outlook appears to be much more pleasant. With the game-time temperature around 60 degrees and rising nearly to 80 by midafternoon, it'd seem that sunscreen and short sleeves would be in order. Partly cloudy skies are on the docket in St. George, Utah, but there is currently zero chance of precipitation, nearly no breeze and a dry, 14-percent humidity. Plan your trip appropriately.
 
LAST WEEK'S REVIEW
Mines remained undefeated in conference action last weekend thanks to a 7-0 win at Colorado Christian on Friday and a 1-1 draw at MSU Denver on Sunday. The Orediggers' victory at CCU featured six different goal scorers and 24 individuals seeing action in the match. Tristan Semelsberger led the way on two goals and one assist for a career-high five points. Lucas King was also stellar as he tied the program's single-game record with three assists. Additionally, Jacob Eanes and Zach Archibald both scored the first goal of their collegiate careers. Sunday featured far less offense but plenty of excitement as the Orediggers and Roadrunners went into double overtime. Ford Edwards accounted for Mines' lone goal and King collected the assist as the visitors collected another point towards their conference season total. Drew Johnson made four saves in the draw.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
Westminster started the season red-hot and matched Mines win-for-win until last weekend. After winning their first four games in RMAC play, the Griffins suffered a 1-0 loss at Fort Lewis and battled to a 1-1 draw at Colorado Mesa. Those two decisions dropped WC from a tie for #1 in the standings into a tie at #3. Despite the drop, Westminster brings a high-powered offense to the pitch which is led by Danny Darelli and his eight goals on the season. Darelli currently ranks #2 in the nation in game-winning goals and #14 in total goals. He also has 24 shots on the season. Will Desantis complements the Griffin's offense with lockdown defense in the net. Desantis has accounted for all of WC's decisions with six shutouts and 48 saves. He ranks #6 in the nation in goalie minutes played, #17 in total saves and has led Westminster to the #19-ranked goals-against average.
 
FROM PARSONS TO GRIFFINS
Westminster College athletics teams were originally nicknamed the Parsons as an ode to the school's religious (Presbyterian) roots. However, in 1979, the institution went from spiritual to mythical as it became known athletically as the Griffins. Also spelled griffon or gryphon, the school's mascot is a legendary creature featuring the body, tail and back legs of a lion while also sporting the head and wings of an eagle. It is not a real animal and seems appropriate for the school as Westminster College sports teams became mythical in 1967-68 with financial crisis forcing the discontinuation of intercollegiate athletics. The program experienced rebirth starting in the 1990's and eventually joined NCAA Division II and the RMAC in 2015-16.
 
DUMKE FIELD
The home of Westminster men's and women's soccer has experienced a robust and eclectic history. Originally opened in 1949 on the site of Dane Hansen Stadium, Dumke Field has served as a football field, soccer field, activities field, commencement green and later a paved parking facility. In fall 2005, it was transformed into a two-level parking structure with an elevated artificial turf athletic field on top. It also serves as the home of the men's and women's lacrosse teams and features seating for 1,700 fans. The artificial turf surface was replaced in 2018. The original facility was a gift of the George Hansen family in memory of a son and brother, Lt. Dane Hansen, Class of 1940, who lost his life in World War II. Based on photos, all of the seating appears to be bleacher style with no shade and a three-lane track straightaway in front.
 
SCOUTING DIXIE STATE
Dixie State enters the weekend with an overall record of 5-4-1 and conference mark of 4-2-0. The Trailblazers will host South Dakota Mines on Friday before welcoming the Orediggers to St. George on Sunday. Dixie State's most recent action features a 1-0 loss at Colorado Mesa and a 4-1, upset victory at Fort Lewis. It should be noted, that win over FLC played a big role in keeping Mines alone in first place. Three different Trailblazers are tied for the team lead with four goals each. Medina Moises holds the overall points lead for DSU thanks to four goals and two assists. John Joseph is right behind with four goals and one assist while Guglielmo Bianchi boasts four goals as well. Zach Nielson manages the goalkeeping duties, touting 61 saves and one shutout while giving up 12 goals in 10 matches. He ranks #2 in the nation in total saves and #12 in saves per game.
 
TRAILBLAZERS, REBELS AND BISON – OH MY!
The nickname Trailblazers is relatively new for Dixie State. Originally known as the Rebels, DSU attempted to adopt the nickname Red Storm in 2009 in an effort to distance itself from deep South associations. The change was unsuccessful and the University made the change to Trailblazers in 2016. The name is defined as, "a person who makes a new track through wild country," while the bison image is a carryover from the Red Storm era and is claimed as, "an authentic and worthy nod to southwestern Utah's hardscrabble history. The bison's name is Brooks which is a reference to the school's first student, Samuel Brooks. And now you know.
 
TRAILBLAZER STADIUM
The home of Dixie State soccer is also a football stadium. It was originally built in 1985 thanks to a donation from the George T. Hansen Foundation. That proves moderately interesting since Westminster's field also originated with a donation from a Hansen family. However, it appears to be different Hansens But we digress. The facility features an artificial-turf surface provided by "CoolPlay" which apparently keeps the field cooler in the hot months. There is bleacher seating for 6,500 fans on the west side and 4,000 additional seats on the east side of the stadium. The east bleachers appear to have some shade at the top. While the author cannot vouch for attendance at Dixie State men's soccer games, it would seem seating will be readily available thanks to the 10,000-plus capacity.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Both Westminster and Dixie State are relatively new to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. However, the depth of the all-time series between the two is very different. Friday marks the 14th time Mines and Westminster will face off. The Orediggers lead that all-time series 9-4. Last season's showdown resulted in a 1-0 victory for Mines at Stermole Stadium. The Orediggers' last trip to Dumke Field was in 2017 – a match Mines also won by a score of 2-0. On Sunday, Mines and Dixie State will meet for only the third time in program history. The series began in 2016 with a 3-0, Oredigger victory. Mines also won the matchup last season, 1-0, at Stermole Stadium.
 
GONE SO SOON?
Many fans around the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Oredigger nation have asked, "What's going on with Dixie State?" So, here are the facts. The Trailblazers entered the RMAC as full members in the 2018-19 season – last year. The 2019-20 season marks DSU's last year as a member of the conference and as a NCAA Division II institution. As of 2020, Dixie State will move to NCAA Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). In summary, the Trailblazers have gone from junior college to NCAA Division I in just 14 years.
 
RMAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday, Lucas King and Jason Zobott were named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. It marks the first weekly award of King's career and the fifth for Zobott. It's also Zobott's second of the season. King claimed his honor thanks to four assists in two games including his previously-referenced, record-tying effort at Colorado Christian. King now ranks #1 in the RMAC in total assists and assists per game while sitting #3 in the nation in total assists. Zobott's distinction came courtesy of one goal and a phenomenal defensive effort over two matches. The senior's performance against CCU limited the Cougars to no shots on goal, no shots in the second half and three attempts in the entire match. Against MSU Denver, Zobott helped hold the Roadrunners to two first-half shots, four in the second half and only one goal in 110 minutes of action.
 
WINNING STREAKS
Thanks to its unbeaten weekend, Mines extended its streak without a loss in conference play to 30 games. That is the longest, active streak in all of NCAA Division II and ranks #6 all-time. The Orediggers' last loss in RMAC action came on Oct. 1, 2017 against MSU Denver. It was a 1-0 decision at Stermole Stadium.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines returns to Stermole Stadium Oct. 18 and 20 for Homecoming 2019 and matches against MSU Denver and Colorado Christian. Friday's kickoff versus the Roadrunners is slated for 7:30 p.m. with Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Live stats and video of both matches will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics. Men's soccer is also on Twitter under the handle @MinesMSOC.