#11 Mines (4-0-1, 4-0-1 RMAC) vs. Fort Lewis (3-1-1, 2-1-1 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. – Stermole Stadium [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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BACK AT HOME
The #11-ranked Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team closes out the regular season on Friday as they host Fort Lewis at Stermole Stadium. It'll be the second meeting between the two teams in a span of eight days. The Orediggers look to clinch a top seed for the RMAC Tournament with a win while also celebrating their seniors who won't return in the fall. With three overtime thrillers already in the books this season, fans can plan for an action-packed finale on Friday under the lights.
 
FAN POLICY
Colorado School of Mines has a no-spectator policy in place for home matches until further notice. No fans will be admitted to Stermole Stadium this Friday.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Fans and teams alike are certainly disappointed that no spectators are allowed to attend home matches. However, everyone can catch all the action live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. Additionally, this Friday will feature the senior ceremony on the live stream starting about 10 minutes before kickoff. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
ROAD TRIP REVIEW
Mines maintained its unbeaten status last weekend with two matches on the road featuring Fort Lewis on Thursday and CSU Pueblo Saturday. Both contests required overtime but were very different overall. On Thursday, the Orediggers and Skyhawks battled to a 0-0 mark after 90 minutes of regulation. The first overtime period also resulted in no goals. However, in the 108th minute, Talon Stanley fed Azad Iliozer in the box and the forward delivered a scorpion-style back heel for the game-winning goal and a 1-0 victory. Saturday's match saw Mines fall behind 3-0, but the Orediggers put together a furious rally that included three goals in the span of three minutes and five seconds of game action. Tristan Semelsberger, Micahel Sprauer and Iliozer all delivered tallies to tie the game and salvage a point in the standings.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Last Thursday's match marked FLC's first loss of the season. The Skyhawks recovered with a 2-1 victory over Colorado Christian in Durango on Saturday. Not much has changed over the course of eight days as Loic Jean-Baptiste and Gabriel Legendre remain Fort Lewis' top threats on offense. Both boast one goal and one assist apiece to lead the team with three points. Peter Byrne also remains the man in net. He made two saves in the previous meeting but also allowed the critical goal. Jean-Baptiste came off the bench and took three shots, but only put one on frame. Legendre did not make an attempt to score.
 
MORE SKYHAWKS
Prior to last week's meeting, fans were reminded that a Skyhawk is not a real bird but many planes and automobiles carry the same name. Previous previews have also pointed out that "Skyhawk" is also slang for someone who doesn't allow fun, or a stick in the mud. But what other types of Skyhawks are there? The top answer when asking Google to "Define Skyhawk" is the name of one of the former mascots for the Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team in the NBA. He is an anthropomorphic hawk wearing basketball shorts, a nylon body suit and mask, and wrestling boots. So what it seems we have here is a mascot with an identity crisis. And we'll just leave it at that.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines is now 21-30-8 in the series against Fort Lewis since joining NCAA Division II in 1992. As referenced above, the Orediggers faced FLC last week in Durango and came away with a 1-0 victory in double overtime. That avenged an overtime loss in Durango in 2019. Last week's hero was Azad Iliozer on the goal and Talon Stanley on the assist. In the last 10 meetings between Mines and the Skyhawks, the Orediggers are 5-2-3 with five overtime results.
 
SENIOR DAY
While the COVID-19 pandemic and waivers provided by the NCAA have made eligibility status a bit confusion, this Friday the Orediggers will celebrate two seniors who plan to wrap up their eligibility and graduate from Mines this May. Ryan Wilson and Talon Stanley both arrived in Golden in 2017. Over the last four years, the duo has helped the Orediggers claim six total RMAC crowns including three straight tournament titles and three championships in the regular season. Wilson and Stanley also guided Mines to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2019 that featured a victory over #1-ranked Azusa Pacific on the Cougars home field. Individually, Stanley touts six goals and nine assists on 70 shots over the course of 67 matches and 35 starts in his career. Three of his goals were game-winners. The Alaskan also owns two RMAC Academic Honor Roll awards and D2ADA Academic Achievement distinction. Wilson is a two-time All-RMAC performer touting seven goals and four assists from his position on the back line. He's appeared in 69 matches with 68 starts and attempted 88 shots. As a duo, Wilson and Stanley have helped Mines post an overall record of 54-10-7 while going 40-2-5 in RMAC play since 2017.
 
RMAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Azad Iliozer was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday thanks to two goals and one assist over the weekend. Iliozer single-handedly kept Mines unbeaten as the Orediggers defeated Fort Lewis and drew with CSU Pueblo. Iliozer scored the golden goal and the only tally of the game in a 1-0, double-overtime thriller at FLC to give Mines the 1-0 win. The Frenchman then scored another goal and notched an assist as part of the Orediggers' furious comeback at CSU Pueblo. Iliozer's efforts helped Mines score three goals in a span of three minutes and five seconds of game action. The rally led to a 3-3 draw and the Orediggers salvaged a point while keeping a zero in the loss column.
 
HOW IT'S WORKING
After canceling the normal fall season, the RMAC is conducting a conference schedule this spring which will culminate with the RMAC Tournament starting April 23. Mines' men tout a six-game, regular-season schedule. Teams must complete at least 50 percent of their original RMAC slate to qualify for the tournament. The regular season champion and seeding for the tournament will be determined by "points per match" (total points divided by matches) with three points for a win and one for a draw.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following Friday's match, Mines will wait on the official bracket for the RMAC Tournament. Quarterfinals are slated to start on Tuesday, April 20 with the top two seeds receiving a bye in the first round. Full tournament information 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.