Updated 4/26 - Orediggers' first goal credited to Ryan Wilson.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The #15-ranked Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team won its fourth consecutive RMAC Tournament on Sunday evening as the Orediggers toppled top-seeded and #10-ranked Colorado Mesa at Maverick Field.
 
Michael Sprauer played the hero for Mines with one goal off the bench which was the golden goal just 53 seconds into overtime. Lucas King came up big as well with three points on one goal and one assist. Ryan Wilson and Azad Iliozer rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece. Talon Stanley also registered an assist for the Orediggers. Goalkeeper Brian Doherty produced five saves over the course of 91 minutes to preserve the win and the title. For Colorado Mesa, Alec Fronapfel accounted for all three goals in a hat-trick effort while RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year Brendan Brown also made five saves while surrendering four goals.
 
With the win, Mines (7-0-1) sweeps the RMAC's regular-season and tournament championships for a fourth straight season after earning the title RMAC Co-Championships earlier this month. Colorado Mesa (6-1-1) was the other conference co-champion and earned hosting rights on goal differential. The Orediggers' victory also snapped CMU's six-match win streak. Overall, the Mavericks claimed a 14-13 advantage in shot attempts, but Mines edged Mesa by a margin of 9-8 in shots on goal. Sprauer earned RMAC Tournament MVP distinction while Baptiste Debuire, Doherty, Iliozer, King and Chris Seery were named all-tournament.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sunday's RMAC Tournament final lived up to its championship billing as #15-ranked Mines and #10-ranked Mesa slugged it out in Grand Junction. The Mavericks struck first off a goal in the 15th minute. That 1-0 lead stood until Sprauer tied the game at 1-1 off a corner kick from King in the 31st minute. Mines' equalizer sent the game into halftime with the match still knotted at 1-1 despite four shots on goal from CMU.
 
Iliozer needed less than two minutes in the second half to push the Orediggers to a 2-1 lead after sneaking a shot inside the near post at 46:27. However, CMU was not going anywhere. Just over three minutes later, Fronapfel struck again and tied the match at 2-2. For the next 24 minutes, Mines and Mesa traded blows but to no avail. Then, the Mavericks retook the lead at 73:10 on Fronapfel's third, and final, blow of the match.
 
The Orediggers shrugged off the go-ahead goal when King brought his team even off a free kick drawn by Ian Kugler in the 79th minute. King shot low and hard from nearly 25 yards out and found pay dirt. That strike would send the game into overtime, and Mines needed just 53 seconds to end it. After the kickoff, a CMU foul led to an Oredigger free kick. Stanley stepped to the ball and sent it sailing deep into the Mavericks' penalty area. Sprauer streaked on the proper vector to meet the ball and sent it into the net with a flying volley for the 4-3 game-winner.
 
NOTABLES (Some provided by CMU Athletics Communication)
- Mines has now won four straight five of the last six RMAC Tournament titles.
- The Orediggers are 4-0 against Colorado Mesa in RMAC Tournament finals and 20-5-1 in the all-time series against CMU. The three previous championship meetings had come in Golden.
- Mines is 5-0-1 against the Mavericks since the start of the 2017 season.
- The Orediggers scored three of its four championship goals off of set pieces.
- Mines finished the 2020-21 RMAC Tournament averaging 4.5 goals per game after scoring five against Fort Lewis on Friday.
- Prior to Sunday, CMU had allowed just two goals in seven matches.
- Sprauer's goal against the Mavericks was his third of the season and of his career at Mines.
- Iliozer's tally gave the junior his team-leading fifth goal of the season and of his Oredigger career.
- King finished the season with one goal and two assists – all coming in the RMAC Tournament.
- Wilson's marker gave him two goals on the season and nine for his career at Mines.
- Head Coach Greg Mulholland remains undefeated in the RMAC Tournament and is 57-10-7 after four seasons leading the Mines men's soccer team.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers are done with competition for the 2020-21 school year. They now look to the fall of 2021 for a more conventional collegiate season. All awards, schedules and news for Mines men's soccer will be released 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.