Mines (4-2-0) vs. CSU Pueblo (5-1-0) – Friday, 7:30 p.m. – Stermole Stadium [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (4-2-0) at MSU Denver (3-3-0) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Denver, Colo. [Live Stats] [Live Video]

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LAST OF THE NON-CONFERENCE
This weekend, the Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team closes out its slate of non-conference action with a pair of conference opponents. The Orediggers host a high-flying CSU Pueblo squad on Friday at 7:30 p.m. inside Stermole Stadium. Mines then makes the short trip to downtown Denver where it faces an always-dangerous MSU Denver program at 12 p.m. As a bonus, Friday's match is the second half of an Oredigger doubleheader at Stermole Stadium with Mines women's soccer opening RMAC play at 5 p.m. against Adams State.
 
FAN INFORMATION
Mines Athletics is excited to welcome fans back to home matches this fall. Masks are strongly encouraged for all guests at all on-campus events. Tickets for all matches are available at the gate (cash or credit) or online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets. Parking for Sunday's match at MSU Denver will require a validation code to receive FREE parking which can be found HERE.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The RMAC Network has relaunched for 2021-22, and fans used to watching on their smart TV or other device must download the new app by searching "RMAC" in your device's app store. The new watch portal is available at minesathletics.com/tv or rmacnetwork.com. All Mines home matches will stream live and for free on the RMAC Network this fall.
 
ROAD TRIP RECAP
The Orediggers traveled to the Pacific Northwest last week where they faced Western Washington on Thursday and #11 Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Mines fell victim to a late goal by WWU which resulted in a 1-0 loss. However, the Orediggers bounced back in dramatic fashion as they toppled SPU in overtime. Mines rallied from a 2-0 deficit by scoring three goals in just over 13 minutes to clinch the victory. John Burnett started the rally, Tristan Semelsberger tied the match and George Marchant capped it by scoring less than one minute into the extra period. Semelsberger, Marchant, Greyson Adams and Lucas King added the assists.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
The ThunderWolves of CSU Pueblo showed massive improvement last spring by going 5-2-2 and scoring a whole slew of goals. Friday's visitors have picked up where they left off as they roll into Golden boasting a record of 5-1-0 including an overtime win over Fort Hays State. Most recently "The Pack" took down MSU Denver by a score of 3-0 in Pueblo. Defending RMAC Player of the Year Vinzent Zingel is back and leading the charge with three goals and one assist thanks to 21 shots with 13 shots on goal. Josua Hall is not far behind with two goals of his own. In total, seven different ThunderWolves have found the back of the net this fall. In goal, Garret Wild has done most of the work with 15 saves and three shutouts versus two goals against while boasting a record of 4-1-0. Will Whitworth picked up the other win with a 90-minute shutout which required zero saves.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
Sunday's host is working under their third head coach in four seasons. That being said, head man Nick Kirchhof won a national title playing for Fort Lewis and claimed two more as an assistant coach at Stanford. It presents a pedigree and level of play of a 3-3-0 MSU Denver squad that should to be overlooked. The Roadrunners put their .500 record on the line Friday against Regis before welcoming Mines to the Assembly Athletic Complex. Thus far, MSU Denver has defeated Lubbock Christian, UT-Permian Basin and Newman all by one goal each. The losses include a 3-2, overtime defeat at the hands of then #24 St. Mary's as well as 1-0 and 3-0 decisions at Lubbock Christian and CSU Pueblo. Sophomore Sam Funnell is the leading scorer on the team with seven points off two goals and three assists. Aidan Bates' three goals on 10 shots are tops on the team in that category alone. Bryson Chiles boasts three assists as well. Goalkeeper Ross Miller is responsible for all 11 goals and boasts 31 saves with one shutout. Also notable are 13 freshmen or redshirt freshmen on a roster of 24.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Since 1992, Mines owns a 36-9-5 record against CSU Pueblo and a 33-20-6 mark versus MSU Denver. The Orediggers and ThunderWolves most recently met last spring. Mines worked a 3-3 draw after rallying from a 3-0 deficit thanks to three goals in a span of three minutes and five seconds. The Orediggers last win against CSU Pueblo came on Sept. 29, 2019 in a 1-0 decision at Stermole Stadium. Mines hasn't lost to "The Pack" since Oct. 14, 2007. Meanwhile, the Orediggers and Roadrunners haven't faced each other since Mines earned a 2-0 victory on Oct. 18, 2019, at Stermole Stadium. It avenged a 1-1 draw from earlier in the season at MSU Denver. The Orediggers' last loss to MSU Denver was on Oct. 1, 2017. It was the last time Mines dropped a decision to a RMAC opponent at Stermole Stadium.
 
SPREADING IT AROUND
The story early in the season has been Lucas King who boasts five assists in six matches while playing at outside back. That number gives King 21 assists in his career which ranks sixth on the program's all-time list. It also puts him halfway to #6 on the single-season list with 12 matches left to play. Additionally, King's acumen has helped nine different Orediggers find the back of the net, including himself. While Tristan Semelsberger leads the team with three goals, three different true freshmen also appear in the goals column including John Burnett, Quin Collins and Gabe Rodriguez. The later scored his first collegiate goal in his first collegiate game. The last Oredigger to do that was Ford Edwards in 2016. That 2016 roster featured four true freshmen scoring at least one goal.
 
FUN FACT OF THE WEEK
Saturday's 3-2 victory at then #11 Seattle Pacific marked Mines' second win over a nationally-ranked opponent this season. The first was a 3-1 victory at home against then #24 St. Mary's. Since Head Coach Greg Mulholland took the helm in 2017, the Orediggers boast a combined record of 8-4-2 against nationally-ranked opponents. Mulholland's teams only have one regular-season loss to a nationally-ranked opponent. That was a 3-0 decision at #9 St. Edward's in 2017. The other three losses to ranked foes all came in the NCAA Tournament. Mulholland's most notable win against a team in the nation's top-25 came in 2019 when the Orediggers took down #1-ranked and then undefeated Azusa Pacific by a score of 2-1 on their home field in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. And now you know.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines begins RMAC play on the road at Adams State on Oct. 1 and at Fort Lewis on Oct. 3. Kickoff at ASU is slated for 3:30 p.m. with the showdown in Durango starting at 1 p.m. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be linked 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.