#9 Mines vs. #10 Western Washington, Wednesday, 7 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
#9 Mines vs. CSU-Pueblo, Friday, 5 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
#9 Mines vs. New Mexico Highlands, Sunday, 12 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
 

---

A BUSY WEEK
Mines plays the back-end of a string of five home matches in 10 days, hosting a mid-week test against #10 Western Washington before returning to RMAC play against CSU-Pueblo on Friday and New Mexico Highlands on Sunday.

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 remains the same as 2018 at $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. For Wednesday and Friday's game, fans are reminded to pay the parking lot meter if arriving before 5 p.m. (parking is free after 5 and on Sunday).

LAST WEEKEND
Mines scored early an often in a wild 11-0 win over Western Colorado (more on that performance below) to start the RMAC season on the right foot. Sunday's game was more challenging as the Orediggers had to come from behind to beat Colorado Mesa 2-1; Jordan Barnhart and Giselle Sawaged provided first-half goals to earn the three points.

IN THE POLLS
Mines moved up one spot in this week's national top-25 to #9 in the United Soccer Coaches' poll. The Orediggers have been nationally ranked in 67 of a possible 75 polls, and they earn their 51st top-10 ranking all-time.

HOME, SWEET HOME
With Sunday's win over Colorado Mesa, Mines set a new record for consecutive home wins without a loss at 21. Mines has not lost at Stermole Stadium since mid-October 2017, going 20-0-1 since then, including 11-0-1 last year. The previous record of 20 was set during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

BARNHART EARNS RMAC RECOGNITION
Freshman center back Jordan Barnhart was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after a record-setting weekend. Barnhart dished out three assists against Western Colorado – all off corners – to tie the Mines single-game record, then scored on a free kick against Colorado Mesa. She led a backline that allowed only 5.0 shots and 0.5 goals per game.

TURN IT UP TO 11
Mines' 11-0 win over Western Colorado was historic in more ways than one. The 11 goals were a program record (eclipsing two nine-goal performances in 2005 and 2009), but it also tied the RMAC record for most goals in a conference match, a record that has stood since 2008. It was the fifth double-digit scoring output of the year in NCAA Division II.

HAT'S OFF
Hannah Rowan's hat trick in the Western Colorado game was the 16th in Mines history as she became the seventh different Oredigger to achieve the feat (including teammate Nicole LaTourette). Rowan's hat trick was rare for a more remarkable reason, however – she is only the second player in program history, along with Jessica Stark in 2007, to score her first collegiate goal as part of the hat trick.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Mines has scored 18 goals in six games, and so far eight of them have been scored by true freshmen. Emi Higgins (3) and Jordan Barnhart (2) lead the bunch, but last weekend also saw AK Ford and Colleen Tyrell score their first career markers.

SCOUTING #10 WESTERN WASHINGTON [SERIES: WWU, 2-0-0]
Western Washington is 4-1-0 with wins over MSU Denver, St. Edward's, Sonoma State, and Texas Woman's; their lone loss was 1-0 in overtime to Cal State Los Angeles. The Vikings don't score a huge amount – 1.0 goals per game led by Liv Larson's two goals – but their defense has been almost unsolvable, with that CSLA goal the only one they have conceded this year. Natalie Dierickx sports a 0.20 GAA and .933 save percentage. Mines and Western Washington have met once in the regular season, a 2-1 Vikings win in Bellingham last year; Emma Peterson scored for Mines with Gabriela Pelogi and Dayana Diaz scoring for WWU. Their only other meeting was in the 2016 NCAA Elite Eight at Stermole Stadium, when the Vikings won 5-1.

SCOUTING CSU-PUEBLO [SERIES: Mines, 14-8-2]
CSU-Pueblo is 2-4-0 overall and 1-1 in RMAC play so far this season, with wins against MSU Denver and Lubbock Christian, and they played #2 UCCS close in a 2-1 loss last Friday. Justine Martinez leads the team with two goals; the Thunderwolves score 0.67 per game but concede 1.33. The Orediggers have won three in a row and are 7-2-1 in the last 10 match-ups against the Thunderwolves; last year, Jennifer Kendall and Acacia Ortiz scored in the second half in a 2-1 win in Pueblo.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS [SERIES: Mines, 15-4-3]
The Cowgirls have had a tough start to the season at 0-4-0 with RMAC losses to MSU Denver and UCCS. Janis Martinez has scored two goals and Aly Loidolt has their other; NMHU has conceded 22 goals in four games. Mines has won six straight in the series and is 9-0-1 in the last ten; last year, Emily Townsend and Hannah Stoner scored in a 2-0 win in Las Vegas as Mines outshot the Cowgirls 29-4.

BITS AND PIECES
Mines is 22-13-9 all-time against teams in the national top-25 ... Head coach Kevin Fickes won is now 158-29-22 overall and 97-14-9 in RMAC play in his 10th season … Sawaged's winner against CMU was the eighth goal of her career and first of the season … Four Orediggers have multiple goals this season: Hannah Rowan (3), Nicole LaTourette (3), Emi Higgins (3), and Jordan Barnhart (2) … Ten different Orediggers have scored in six games; in 2018, a dozen different players scored in the full 22-match season … LaTourette's brace against Western Colorado was her third career multi-goal game … LaTourette is now sixth all-time at Mines in goals (20) and seventh in points (47) … Shannon Mooney is now third all-time in saves (120), second in shutouts (27), and second in career GAA (0.46) … Mooney won her 40th career game with the CMU victory.

LOOKING AHEAD
After a long stretch at home, Mines hits the road for four straight matches starting with trips to Fort Lewis and Adams State on Oct. 4 and 6.