#15 Mines vs. Chico State, Friday, 7 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
#15 Mines vs. San Francisco State, Sunday, 12 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
 

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A NEW SEASON
#15 Colorado School of Mines opens the 2019 season at home, hosting two California opponents in Chico State (Friday, 7 p.m.) and San Francisco State (Sunday, noon). The new-look Orediggers hope to pick up where they left off in 2018 after winning the RMAC regular-season and tournament crowns.

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.

A DOMINATING DECADE
Mines hopes to continue what has been a decade of dominance in the RMAC, coming off their fifth conference regular-season crown in six years and their fifth regular season-plus-tournament in that span. The Orediggers have accounted for 12 of a possible 18 combined regular-season and RMAC Tournament championships since 2010, and are tied with Regis for the second-most regular-season crowns all-time in RMAC history at five.

IN THE POLLS
Mines debuted at #15 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll. Since the start of the 2013 season, the Orediggers have been nationally ranked in 64 of a possible 72 polls, including every poll of 2018. Mines was also the strong favorite in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll, receiving 13 of 14 first-place votes to lead UCCS, Dixie State, and MSU Denver.

MINES EMERGES FROM PRESEASON TESTS
The Orediggers tested themselves in preseason with a pair of exhibitions against defending NCAA Division I conference champions, losing 1-0 to Denver and 3-0 to New Mexico. Mines closed preseason with an emphatic 6-0 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire courtesy of six different goalscorers and a defense that did not allow a shot.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Not since the 2014 season as Mines added double-digit freshmen to its roster, and with 10 arriving in Golden this preseason, expect to see new faces filling holes in the lineup. Head Coach Kevin Fickes drew from five states plus Sweden to build the freshman class; the last time Mines had 10 freshmen on the roster, the Orediggers advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

SCOUTING MINES
Mines graduated a big senior class in 2018 and lost five of last year's top six goalscorers to graduation, but has a weapon returning in Nicole LaTourette, who had a terrific 2018 scoring eight goals with two assists largely off the bench. The rising senior was named First-Team All-RMAC and D2CCA First-Team All-South Central, and has found the net 17 times over the last three years. Kaylee Kennedy had a breakout second half of the season to score two goals with an assist, while Eliot Edwards (2G, 1A) and Giselle Sawaged (2G, 1A) also found their way onto the scoresheet multiple times in 2018. In the midfield, veterans Chaney Brugman, Emma Peterson, and Sawaged will lead the way, while on defense, outside backs Lindsey Tornabene and Mickey Hostetler return along with experienced center back Samantha Scott. Mines scored 2.05 goals while allowing only 0.36 per game last year.

NONE SHALL PASS
Returning all-American Shannon Mooney has been a rock in goal over the last two seasons, and entering the 2019 season, she stands among the elite in NCAA Division II. Mooney is currently second among active D-II goalkeepers in career GAA (0.45), and ranks fourth in career shutouts (25). Mooney is coming off a career season going 18-1-2 with a 0.38 GAA and .860 save percentage in 2018.

HOME, SWEET HOME
Mines has not lost at Stermole Stadium since mid-October 2017, a span of 17 games unbeaten. The Orediggers are 16-0-1 since then, including 11-0-1 last year.

SCOUTING CHICO STATE [SERIES: Tied, 0-0-1]
Mines and Chico State meet for only the second time and the first time in Golden. Mines dominated last year's game, but Chico State's defense held the Orediggers to a scoreless draw;  Mines outshot the hosts 23-9 but Vic Graham made seven saves for the Wildcats while Shannon Mooney worked a three-save shutout Mines. After going 10-2-6 overall and coming a point short of the CCAA regular-season title, Chico State made the NCAA Tournament where it lost to Point Loma in the first round. This year it's a new-look Wildcat team with a whopping 16 freshmen and only two seniors; Chico State brings back leading scorer Susanna Garcia (6G, 2A) as well as Graham (0.62 GAA).

SCOUTING SAN FRANCISCO STATE [SERIES: Mines, 1-0-0]
Mines opened the 2018 season with a 3-0 blanking of SFSU in their first-ever meeting as Taylor McRae, Jennifer Kendall, and Hannah Stoner all scored. Shannon Mooney had two saves to record the shutout. The Gators ended up 10-6-3 overall and lost to eventual champion UC San Diego in the CCAA Tournament semifinals. New head coach Brittany Cameron will need to replace the bulk of SFSU's goalscoring as only Emily Kaleal and Karla Ramos return with multiple tallies in 2018.  

JACOBSEN GETS HALL CALL
Last week, Kayla (Mitchell) Jacobsen was announced as part of the 2019 Mines Athletic Hall of Fame class, making her the first player from the women's soccer program to be inducted. Mines' all-time leading scorer with 76 career goals, Jacobsen was the program's first all-American and RMAC Player of the Year after her 30-goal senior season in 2009. She still ranks second in RMAC history in scoring and holds the conference record for career game-winning goals (30).

BITS AND PIECES
Mines is 6-5-3 all-time in season openers and 15-8-5 on opening weekend … Mines completed a perfect RMAC season in 2018 (13-0) for only the second time in program history after their undefeated regular-season campaign in 2013 … Head coach Kevin Fickes won is now 153-28-22 overall and 95-14-9 in RMAC play in his 10th season … Mines is 5-0-3 all-time against teams from California … Nicole LaTourette is eighth all-time at Mines in goals (17); her next would tie her with Jackie Knott and Haley Cole for sixth ... LaTourette is also tied for ninth in career points (40) and seventh in game-winning goals (6) ... Shannon Mooney enters 2019 second in career GAA (0.45), third in career shutouts (25), and fifth in career saves (99) ... Her next stop will make her the fifth player in program history to reach the century mark in saves ... Mines has led the RMAC in goals-against average six times since 2011 (including in 2018), and not finished worse than second in that span.