#18 Mines (11-3-2, 9-1-2 RMAC) at South Dakota Mines (3-11-1, 2-9-1 RMAC) – Friday, 2 p.m. – Rapid City, S.D. – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#18 Mines (11-3-2, 9-1-2 RMAC) vs. Regis (9-5-1, 8-3-0 RMAC) – Sunday, 1:30 p.m. – Stermole Stadium – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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GAME DAY INFO
New in 2019, fans can purchase digital tickets online in advance via Mines' new ticketing portal, or buy them at the gate on game day. Ticket pricing is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, and children. Mines students, faculty, and staff are free with their Blaster Card. No dogs (except service animals) are permitted at Stermole Stadium.
 
ON 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".
 
TITLE ON THE LINE
The Colorado School of Mines Men's soccer team enters the final weekend of the regular season vying for a RMAC title with two matches remaining. The Orediggers travel to South Dakota for a match on Friday at South Dakota Mines before returning home to host Regis on Senior Day at Stermole Stadium. While Mines sits #1 in the RMAC standings and #18 in the nation, its path to another conference crown could get treacherous with Regis and Westminster both making strong pushes to challenge the Orediggers for league supremacy.  However, two wins this Friday and Sunday would erase all doubt and grant Mines the #1 seed in the RMAC Tournament. All that being said, it should be an exciting weekend of RMAC action.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Friday's match up north in Rapid City could be a touch chilly – to say the least. The current forecast calls for partly cloudy skies through the afternoon and a high of 36 degrees. If that weren't chilly enough, winds are projected to gust upwards of 25 miles per hour. On the bright side, there is only at 15-percent chance of precipitation. So we'll take that as win. In summary, pack your layers and lots of them if you're planning to make this trip. As miserable as Friday could be, Sunday looks to be inversely pleasant. Game-time temperature should be around 53 degrees with mostly sunny skies, a light breeze and zero chance for precipitation. While you may be tempted to leave the heavier clothes at home, it couldn't hurt to bring a few layers and heavier jacket to this one as well. You never know with Clear Creek Canyon as the backdrop.
 
LOOKING BACK
Last weekend, Mines went 1-1 on a trip to Durango, Colo., and Grand Junction, Colo. where it faced Fort Lewis and Colorado Mesa. Friday brought the sting of defeat for the Orediggers in a 2-1, overtime loss to the Skyhawks at Dirks Field. It marked Mines' first loss to an RMAC opponent in over two years despite George Marchant scoring the first goal of his career. The Orediggers found redemption on Sunday by way of a 1-0 win over Colorado Mesa at Walker Field. Jason Zobott scored the lone goal which tied him for the team lead in scoring thanks to five goals and three assists (13 points) on the season. Additionally, Drew Johnson made two saves on the way to his ninth shutout of the season and the team's 10th shutout overall in 2019.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
At 3-11-1 overall and 2-9-1 in conference play, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has been mathematically eliminated from a shot at postseason play. However, that doesn't mean the Hardrockers can't play spoiler. Their two conference victories both came against Colorado Christian and they also tied Adams State 1-1 – a team the Orediggers only edged by two goals. On the other side of things, SDSMT enters the weekend riding a three-game losing streak with a combined deficit of 13-0. The Hardrockers have not found the back of the net since Oct. 18 in a 3-2 victory over CCU. Individually, Brenden Sherwin leads the offense with three goals and one assist for a total of seven points. Three different goalkeepers have notched time for SDSMT with Tyler Ring at the top of the list, boasting 72 saves versus 33 goals against in 11 matches. Ring ranks #8 in the nation in saves per game and #9 in total saves. As a team, SDSMT sits #10 in all of DII in total yellow cards.
 
MOHS SCALE OF MINERAL HARDNESS
When the Orediggers and South Dakota Mines met earlier this season, fans learned that the opponent's Hardrocker nickname refers to a miner who specializes in the extraction of harder minerals as opposed to coal or softer sediment. But, what exactly is considered a "harder mineral". For that answer we look to Mohs scale of mineral hardness which was developed by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. This scale provides one of many definitions of hardness by seeing which minerals can visibily scratch others. According to Mohs scale, talc is the softest mineral and would NOT be mined by a Hardrocker. In the middle of the scale is fluorite, apatite (the hungriest mineral) and orthoclase feldspar – possibly mined by a Hardrocker. Atop the mineral food chain are diamonds which most certainly fall under the definition of "hard rocks". And that's all there is to say about that.
 
SIOUX PARK STADIUM
South School of Mines soccer plays at a couple different home fields. This weekend's match will be competed at Sioux Park Stadium. The facility is nestled in 210 acres of lush grass surrounded by Rapid City's bike path system. It is surrounded by tennis, racquetball and basketball courts along with a swimming pool. The natural playing surface is encircled by a running track and seating for 1,500.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
After starting its 2019 slate 0-2-1, Regis has proceeded to go 9-3 over its last 12 games. That run has featured a three-game win streak and a four-game win streak. The only real hiccup for the Rangers after opening weekend was back-to-back losses at home against Dixie State and Westminster. Regis's conference has RU sitting third in the conference standings just five points back of Mines with three games left to play. As a team, the Rangers have scored five goals twice this season, both outbursts coming against Adams State. Additionally, Regis has been shut out twice while producing six shutouts of its own. Individually, Parker Klein serves as the Rangers' target, boasting seven goals on the season. Ben Shepherd is tops in the assists category with eight which ranks #1 in the RMAC. Tim Dolan is the man in goal, touting 35 saves compared to 13 goals against. Regis also ranks #7 in the nation in shots on goal per game and #8 in shots per game.
 
RANGERS IN COLORADO
For those who don't know, Regis's athletics nickname is the Rangers. Many have probably heard of the law enforcement/military branches such as the Texas Rangers or Army Rangers. However, in Colorado, Rangers are more like the National Guard. Specifically, the Colorado Rangers Law Enforcement Shared Reserve – or CLER. It is an all-volunteer law enforcement agency that provides state certified reserve peace officers to assist local law enforcement agencies upon their request. It is actually the successor to the Colorado Mounted Rangers which sounds more Canadian than Coloradoan, but both were and are, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. There's plenty more history on the CLER, but we'll save that for later. However, other Ranger connoisseurs may recall the Denver Rangers which were a professional hockey team that lasted exactly two seasons in the late 1980's. Not to be forgotten is the Colorado Ranger which is a horse breed from the Colorado High Plains. And now you know.
 
STERMOLE SOCCER STADIUM
Stermole Soccer Stadium, named in honor of Frank and Dot Stermole in the fall of 2014, is located in the heart of the Clear Creek Athletic Complex. Stermole Stadium has an artificial all-weather pitch and seating accommodations for 500 spectators with spectacular views of Golden, North Table Mountain, and the foothills. Hillside grass seating can accommodate hundreds more spectators. Stermole Stadium has hosted several major events, including numerous RMAC and NCAA Tournament games. The United States women's national team trained at Stermole Stadium in April 2014 ahead of their friendly against China at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Orediggers are already 1-0 against South Dakota Mines in 2019 and 6-0-0 in the all-time series with the Hardrockers. Earlier this season, Mines hosted SDSMT at Stermole Stadium and earned a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Jason Zobott and Ben Overholt. Since the series began in 2015, the Orediggers have outscored the Hardrockers 20-3 with three shutouts. Sunday's match against Regis marks the first meeting between the Rangers and Mines in 2019. The Orediggers are 27-21-4 in the all-time series against RU after most-recently winning last year's season finale, 2-0. In fact, Mines has won seven straight games against Regis and has not surrendered a goal to the Rangers since Oct. 2, 2015. The Orediggers last loss to RU came on Sept. 24, 2014 in a 2-1 defeat in Denver with the Rangers ranked #14 in the nation at the time. Additionally, Mines has not lost to Regis at home since Oct. 5, 2012 before Stermole Soccer Stadium had been dedicated or taken on its current form. The final score of that match was 1-0 with Regis ranked #3 in the nation.
 
BRAINS AND BRAWN
On Tuesday, Jason Zobott was named the RMAC Men's Soccer Academic Player of the Year. He was also joined by Ben Overholt and Lucas King as RMAC First-Team All-Academic while Patrick Allan, Ryan Wilson, George Marchant, Connor van Loveren, Baptiste Debuire, Joe George, Erik Siekkinen and Brian Doherty were named to the RMAC Academic Honor Roll. The first-team trio was voted on by the league's sports information directors thanks to their cumulative grade-point averages of 3.30, or better, and their performances on the field. Zobott claimed the top honor as the #1 vote-getter among more than 100 total honorees - the most in RMAC history. Mines' three first-team selections were the most across the league, and the 12-total honorees tied for the most in the conference.
 
OREDIGGER SENIOR CLASS
This Sunday, prior to the regular-season finale, Mines will honor its 2019 senior class made up of Drew Johnson, Jason Zobott, Ford Edwards, Ben Overholt and Ryan Mackey. As a group, the Orediggers' senior class has been a part of six conference titles including three in the regular season and three in the RMAC Tournament. That has led to three NCAA Tournament appearances with two trips to the Sweet 16 and one appearance in the Elite Eight. The seniors' overall record prior to the weekend is 74-16-10 including 49 shutouts with a mark of 53-5-6 in conference play. They have totaled 28 goals and 31 assists including 13 game-winning goals on 328 shots with 133 shots on goal while making 111 saves. Oh, and they aren't done yet.
 
ON THIS DAY
The last time Mines played a game on Nov. 1 was in 2015 in a 2-1 on the road at CSU-Pueblo. It also happened to be the 2015 regular-season finale prior to the Orediggers' run to the NCAA Elite Eight where it lost to Cal Poly Pomona in overtime. Mines also won both RMAC titles in 2015. The Orediggers' last game on Nov. 3 was more recent. It came in 2017 and was a 3-1 victory over MSU Denver in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals. Mines also claimed the RMAC regular-season and tournament titles that year before advancing all the way to the NCAA Sweet 16.
 
RMAC RUNDOWN
For a majority of teams in the RMAC, there are just two games remaining in the regular season. However, there are two squads that have three games remaining and that makes the RMAC Tournament picture a little blurry. As it stands now, Mines is the #1 seed, Westminster is #2, Regis sits #3, Colorado Mesa sits #4, Fort Lewis is #5 and Dixie State is #6. However, Mines and Westminster are the only teams who have fully clinched a berth in the conference tournament. The Orediggers can clinch the #1 seed and a third straight RMAC title outright with two wins or one win combined with losses to Westminster and Regis. Anything else makes things a bit murky and leaves the door open for WC or RU to claim the RMAC crown while also bringing tiebreakers into the picture. The top two tiebreakers have head-to-head at #1 followed by goal differential in conference play. In regard to the latter, Westminster currently holds the advantage at +15 compared to Mines' +14. Before this all gets too confusing, let's just summarize and say the easiest route to the post season is a 2-0 weekend for Mines.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orediggers next action after this weekend will be the 2019 RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament. While seeding is still up in the air, the schedule is known. Quarterfinal matches will be played on Friday, Nov. 8 featuring the #3 seed hosting the #6 seed and the #4 seed hosting the #5 seed. The top two teams receive a first-round bye before hosting the semifinal round on Sunday, Nov. 10. The RMAC Tournament Championship game will be played either Nov. 15, 16, or 17 at the highest remaining seed's home field. More information will be available following Sunday's match 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.