#17 Mines at Black Hills State, Friday, 3:30 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
#17 Mines at Regis, Sunday, 1 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
 

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THE HOME STRETCH
With three games left in the regular season, #17 Colorado School of Mines heads out to visit Black Hills State and Regis this weekend. The Orediggers will look to sew up the RMAC's #2 seed before returning home for one final match.

THE POSTSEASON
Mines clinched an RMAC Tournament berth last weekend with their win over MSU Denver plus results around the RMAC. The Orediggers are currently in second place five points back of UCCS (30 points) with three games to play. The RMAC Tournament will have a new format this year with the #1 and #2 seeds hosting the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on Nov. 8 and 10, and then the two teams remaining meeting at the highest seed for the final on Nov. 16.

LAST WEEK
Mines lost a heartbreaker to #1 UCCS, 2-1 in double overtime, on Friday despite outshooting the Mountain Lions 15-9 and holding them to their lowest shot total of the season. Nicole LaTourette scored on a first-half penalty kick. Mines bounced back on Sunday with a 5-1 win over MSU Denver as five different goalscorers provided the offense. Shannon Mooney made a career-high eight saves in the win as LaTourette, Meg Zimmerman, Jordan Barnhart, Hannah Rowan, and Karolina Sidebaeck all scored.

IN THE POLLS
Mines dropped three spots to #17 in this week's United Soccer Coaches' national poll. The Orediggers have been nationally ranked in 71 of the last 79 polls.

ON A ROLL
Senior Nicole LaTourette has been on a tear, scoring in three straight games and holding a four-game point streak heading into this weekend. LaTourette had goals against Dixie State, UCCS, and MSU Denver plus an assist at Westminster. This season, she leads the team with seven goals and 16 points.

SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE [SERIES: Mines, 3-0-0]
The fourth-year program at Black Hills State is having their most successful season to date at 3-5-1 in RMAC play, owning wins over Western Colorado, New Mexico Highlands, and Adams State plus a scoreless draw with Fort Lewis. Katie Nielson leads the Yellow Jackets with five goals while Mikayla Hernandez has scored four. Last year, Mines won 7-0 in Golden with Nicole LaTourette scoring a hat trick; among active Orediggers, Kaylee Kennedy and Eliot Edwards also scored as Mines led 44-1 on shots.

SCOUTING REGIS [SERIES: Mines, 17-8-1]
The Rangers are having another excellent season at 8-3-2 overall and 6-2-1 in RMAC play, and are ranked 10th in the latest United Soccer Coaches' regional poll. Regis is in third place in the conference standings, six points back of Mines and two up on MSU Denver with a game in hand on both. Audrey Teague has been one of the RMAC's best scorers this year with eight goals while Carly Bych has six. Julia Coombs sports a 0.94 GAA and .776 save percentage. The Orediggers have dominated the series in recent years going 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings. Last year, Jennifer Kendall's 28th-minute PK sealed the deal as Mines held Regis to a single shot in a 1-0 victory.

BITS AND PIECES
Mines has qualified for the RMAC Tournament for the 13th consecutive season … Head coach Kevin Fickes won is now 165-30-23 overall and 103-15-10 in RMAC play in his 10th season … Fickes entered the season third on the NCAA Division II active coaching list for winning percentage (.811) … Mines has outscored opponents 39-7 overall and 32-4 in conference play this season … Prior to the Adams State win, Mines had not held an opponent without a shot since 2016 against Black Hills State … Sixteen different Orediggers have scored in 15 games; in 2018, a dozen different players scored in the full 22-match season … Mickey Hostetler's goal against CSU-Pueblo was the fastest into a game in program history (:50) … Nicole LaTourette continues to move up the Mines record book as she is now fourth all-time goals (24) surpassing former teammate Jennifer Kendall, fifth in game-winning goals (9), and now fourth in points (56) surpassing Emily Garnier … Shannon Mooney is now third all-time in saves (146), second in shutouts (31), and second in career GAA (0.47).

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will finish the regular season at home against Colorado Christian on Nov. 3.