GOLDEN, Colo. – Three goals in the second half on Wednesday evening pushed the Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team to a 4-1 victory over Colorado Christian at Stermole Stadium.
 
Eight different Orediggers collected points in the victory. Azad Iliozer, Patrick Allan, Gabe Rodriguez and John Burnett all scored goals. Allan's tally proved to be the game-winner. Tristan Semelsberger, Lucas King, Chris Seery and Eric Boone each collected an assist for Mines. Additionally, Rodriguez led all players with four shots including three attempts on goal. Connor van Loveren and Semelsberger also had multiple shots in the match. Defensively, Brian Doherty (5-1-0) played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded three saves to secure the victory.
 
With Wednesday's win, Mines (8-3-0, 3-0-0) extended its streak to four consecutive victories. Colorado Christian (7-2-0, 1-2-0 RMAC) suffered its second straight loss after a historic start to the season. The Orediggers totaled 17 shots and put seven of those on goal while the Cougars mustered 10 shots with four going on frame. Mines also won the corner-kick battle by a 6-3 margin, but collected three yellow cards as well. Colorado Christian ended with two yellow cards on 12 fouls whistled.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Overcast skies and comfortable temperatures in Golden saw the Orediggers kick off a rare midweek contest. With a backdrop of changing colors along Clear Creek and the sprawling Front Range to the north, Mines needed only three minutes and 36 seconds to take a 1-0 lead on CCU. The early strike came off the foot of Iliozer thanks to a pass from Semelsberger. Iliozer charged towards the goal and fired a shot that bounced off the hands of the diving Cougar goalkeeper and still slipped inside the far post.
 
However, the much-improved Cougars were not going away without a fight. In the 26th minute, CCU sent a long service from near mid ield into the 18-yard box. A leaping Adrian Diaz put his head on the ball at put it out of reach, but into the net to tie the match at 1-1. It marked the first Colorado Christian goal against Mines since 2013 – more than 1,000 minutes of scoreless action. As the first 45 minutes expired, the score remained 1-1.
 
The second half was all Orediggers. Less than two minutes into the period a Mines corner kick was punched out by the CCU goalkeeper. Allan collected the ball, wound up, and sent a rocket into the back of the net from 35 yards out, giving the Orediggers a 2-1 lead they would not surrender. Rodriguez padded the advantage with a sliding goal in the 79th minute off a double assist from King and Seery. Then, Burnett put the icing on the cake in the 88th minute thanks to a flawless seam pass from Boone. Burnett dribbled twice towards the net and finished convincingly at close range. The final seconds ticked off the clock and Mines clinched the 4-1 victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Since 1992, Mines is 42-10-2 against Colorado Christian with 13 straight wins.
- Despite losing the shutout streak against the Cougars, the Orediggers have still outscored CCU by a margin of 56-1 since 2012.
- Rodriguez now boasts five goals in seven matches and 172 minutes of action. He is first on the team in goals scored and tied for second in total points with 10.
- King's assist was his eighth of the season and 24th of his career. He leads Mines in assists and total points with 12 thanks to two goals on the year as well.
- Iliozer's goal was his first of the season while Allan scored his second and Burnett notched his third goal of the fall.
- The assists for Seery and Boone were their first of the season, respectively. It was also the first assist of Boone's career after he notched the first goal of his career last Friday at Adams State.
- Semelsberger's assist boosted his season resume to 10 total points on four goals and two assists. He's tied with Rodriguez for second on the team in scoring.
- The last 10 regular-season matches that the Orediggers have played in Durango have had a final scoring margin of one goal or less. That span dates back to 2010.
- Wednesday night marked Mines' 44th RMAC win since 2017.
- It also extended the Orediggers' home win streak in conference play to 23.
- Head Coach Greg Mulholland now holds a career record of 65-13-7 at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts MSU Denver on Friday in a RMAC showdown at Stermole Stadium with kickoff slated for 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets or at the gate on the day of the game. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will also 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.