GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Oredigger senior captain Jason Zobott lifted the #18-ranked Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team over Colorado Mesa in a 1-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at Walker Field.
 
Zobott was Mines' lone goal-scorer and finished the game with two attempts, placing one on frame. Ian Kugler and Ben Overholt were the Orediggers' top shot takers as the duo combined for eight in the match. Ryan Wilson and Ford Edwards both contributed multiple shots in the winning effort as well. Goalkeeper Drew Johnson notched two saves on the way to his ninth shutout of the season.
 
The shutout victory gives Mines (11-3-2, 9-1-2 RMAC) 10 total shutouts in 2019. The Orediggers owned a commanding 18-8 lead over the Mavericks (9-4-2, 7-3-2 RMAC) while both teams created four corner-kick opportunities apiece. Mines also keeps itself in the driver's seat in the RMAC standings, maintaining its spot at #1. Colorado Mesa remains in fourth place, but multiple postponed games due to Sunday's weather could affect that standing.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Overcast skies, sharp winds and dropping temperatures hung over Walker Field early Sunday afternoon as an omen of the weather in the mountains – awaiting Mines to make its trek home. The skies would not clear and the temperature would not rise, but the Orediggers proved motivated not to drive through snowy passes with a loss on their shoulders. However, it would take more than an hour for the visitors to strike despite both teams combining for 14 shots in the first half.
 
After the break, Mines came out firing again with plenty of chaos around the home team's goalmouth. Finally, in the 68th minute, the Orediggers struck gold. The opportunity came off a free kick thanks to a foul whistled against CMU near midfield. Talon Stanley struck the ball and sent it towards the 18-yard box where it struck the shoulder of Michael Sprauer. That ricochet found the head of Zobott who touched it to his right foot and finished to the bottom left corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead. Mesa's deficit forced the Mavericks to press in the final 20 minutes, but to no avail. In fact, CMU had zero shots on goal in the entire second half.   
 
NOTABLES
- Mines boasts an all-time record of 19-5-1 against Colorado Mesa.
- The Orediggers have not lost to CMU since Oct. 7, 2016 – more than three years ago.
- Friday marked the second straight match between Mines and Mesa in which the Mavericks have failed to score a goal.
- Zobott's goal ties him for the team lead in scoring with five goals and three assists for 13 points in 2019. He now has seven goals and six assists for a total of 20 points in his career at Mines.
- Johnson's two saves give the redshirt senior 47 on the season and 111 in his career.
- Additionally, Johnson's shutout at CMU marked his ninth of the season which is the second-most in a season in program history.
- Head coach Greg Mulholland is now 46-9-4 in three seasons at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers travel to Rapid City, S.D., for a match on Friday at South Dakota School of Mines before returning home to celebrate Senior Day on Sunday against Regis at Stermole Stadium in the regular-season finale. Live stats and video of both matches will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.