PUEBLO, Colo. – The #22-ranked Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team remained unbeaten in RMAC play and earned a point in the conference standings on Thursday after a 0-0 draw at CSU Pueblo.
 
Without any scoring, Azad Iliozer was the game leader in offense thanks to five shots including four shots on goal which led all players in the match. Four other Orediggers made single attempts at the net including Tristan Semelsberger, Chris Seery, Quin Collins and Baptiste Debuire. Mines' goalkeeper Brian Doherty (7-1-1) made three saves to earn the shutout and maintain the draw.
 
Mines (11-3-1, 6-0-1 RMAC) claimed its point in the standings by surviving 19 attempts by CSU Pueblo (10-4-1, 3-3-1 RMAC). However, the Orediggers proved more accurate as they placed six of their eight shots on goal compared to three accurate attempts by the ThunderWolves. Physicality proved key on Thursday night with 29 fouls whistled between the two teams and combined 10 yellow cards issued. Mines was responsible for 18 fouls and seven of the cautions.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
As preparations for Saturday's RMAC Cross Country Championships began in Golden, the Orediggers rolled in to Pueblo, Colo., seeking redemption after a 2-1 loss to the ThunderWolves at Stermole Stadium in September. However, the early going saw CSU Pueblo as the aggressors with three shots compared to zero from Mines.
 
After 10 minutes of action, Iliozer brought the offense for Mines with two different shots on target. Both attempts required diving saves from ThunderWolves' goalkeeper Garret Wild. The Orediggers also mixed in a corner kick that just missed the head of Greyson Adams in the 15th minute. In the final five minutes, Mines put together a dangerous counter attack, but the result was no shot, no goal and no score for either team after 45 minutes of action.
 
Offense came fast and furious early in the second half as the visitors dodged an early free kick before nearly striking on a breakaway led by Iliozer and nearly finished by Semelsberger. That push resulted in a corner kick, but no goal for the Orediggers. CSU Pueblo's next best chance was a shot by Vinzent Zingel in the 68th minute that ended up being off target. What followed was middling back-and-forth action before the ThunderWolves' send a penalty kick off the cross bar in the 76th minute, and the Orediggers sent a free kick of the cross bar in the 86th minute. After 90 minutes, neither team had found the back of the net.
 
In extra time, CSU Pueblo put together an extremely dangerous shot on a counterattack that missed just wide of the right post. The Orediggers had their own moment in the 99th minute as Mines' Collins made Pueblo's Wild dive again the in 99th minute. The home team earned a free kick with eight seconds remaining but could not convert. Similar to Mines' match on Sunday against Regis, 100 minutes was not enough on Thursday night either.
 
The final period of the game saw CSU Pueblo find the frame for the first time since halftime, but Doherty was there to make the save. Otherwise, no action of true consequence took place in the last 10 minutes as both teams barely held off their exhaustion in what turned out a 0-0 draw.
 
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers moved to 36-10-6 in the series against CSU Pueblo during Mines' NCAA Division II era.
- Thursday marked the second time Mines has been shutout this fall. The last shutout was a 1-0 loss at Western Washington in September.
- Since 2018, the Orediggers and ThunderWolves have tied twice with Mines claiming two one-goal decisions and CSU Pueblo winning one match of their own by one goal.
- Mines extended its active unbeaten streak to eight straight matches.
- Head Coach Greg Mulholland now holds a career record of 68-13-8 at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines' next match is Sunday against UCCS at 1 p.m. in Colorado Springs. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines men's soccer on Twitter at @MinesMSOC. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.