#10 Mines (9-1-3, 6-0-2) vs. Fort Lewis (4-8-1, 3-4-0) – Friday, 6 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#10 Mines (9-1-3, 6-0-2) vs. Western Colorado (5-7-1, 3-4-0) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
Only two weeks remain in the regular season as the #10 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team will play three of their next four matches at Stermole Stadium before postseason action kicks off, beginning Friday evening October 14 at 6 p.m. when they take on Fort Lewis before hosting Western Colorado Sunday October 16 at 12 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will be streamed free of charge on the RMAC Network and will have live stats through SIDEARM.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Kevin Fickes is in his 13th season leading the Mines women's soccer program, already the program's all-time leader in wins at 200-36-35. His .803 career win percentage is currently among the top-10 active NCAA Division II coaches, and Friday at CCU he became just the second RMAC coach to reach 200 career victories, joining current UCCS boss J.B. Belzer. Through 2021, Fickes has overseen 24 All-American selections, 12 Academic All-Americans, 63 all-conference honorees, and 19 RMAC major award winners while guiding Mines to five RMAC regular-season titles and eight RMAC Tournament trophies, with 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
WELCOME TO THE 200 CLUB
As previously mentioned, head coach Kevin Fickes collected his 200th career win last Thursday when Mines defeated Colorado Christian in Lakewood 3-0 behind goals from Colleen Tyrrell and Reese McDermott. Fickes, who took over as head coach ahead of the 2010 season, has won no fewer than 11 games in a season during his tenure at Mines, notwithstanding the 2020-21 season played in the spring on account of CoVID-19. The Orediggers are poised for another double-digit win season again in 2022, currently having won nine times this season and sit just two points back of Regis for the top spot in the league as they pursue a sixth RMAC regular season crown.

WEARING THE ARMBAND
The Orediggers have selected Jordan Barnhart and Meg Zimmerman as their captains for the 2022 season. Barnhart is entering her third season as a starter at centerback and played more minutes than any other Oredigger last season in guiding a defense that had a 0.73 GAA. Zimmerman, a forward, is a fifth-year senior returning from an injury-shortened 2021 season that saw her score a goal in the season opener; she has five career goals and three assists.
 
WEEK SEVEN REVIEW
Mines remained unbeaten in RMAC play to keep pace with Regis following a 1-0-1 weekend on the pitch. The Orediggers made quick work of Colorado Christian on Thursday, outshooting the Cougars 26-5 on their way to a 3-0 win. Sunday down in Colorado Springs was a different story, as Mines went down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes of play and had to rally to earn a 2-2 draw. Jordan Barnhart spearheaded that effort, scoring both goals in the match, first converting a PK in the 22nd minute to get the Orediggers on the board before netting the equalizer in the 59th minute for the first multi-goal match of her career.
 
IN THE POLLS
The Orediggers were chosen atop the RMAC preseason coaches' poll announced earlier this month and maintained their standing at #10 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top-25 poll this week. It was a close race in the RMAC poll with Mines, UCCS, and Colorado Mesa all splitting the bulk of the first-place votes and just three points overall separating the three teams. One of Mines' previous opponents, Dallas Baptist, continues to remain in sole possession of first place in the poll, while early season foe Seattle Pacific is receiving votes in this week's rankings.
 
ON TRACK
This year's roster boasts not one, but two dual-sport athletes as both senior Amena Nelson and freshman Callie Fuhr will spend their winters and springs competing for the Mines track & field program. Nelson can rightly claim to be the RMAC's fastest woman on the track or the pitch, coming off a superb outdoor season that saw her win the RMAC 400m dash title and claim RMAC 4x400 gold both indoors and out. Fuhr is also a 400m runner as a four-time Colorado 5A state qualifier and two-time top-10 placer in the event.  

THEM'S THE RULES
NCAA soccer has implemented a major rule change this season with the elimination of overtime in the regular season, bringing college soccer more in line with the FIFA Laws of the Game. Any match that is tied at the 90-minute mark will now end that way. In the postseason, there will be overtime but no more golden goal; teams will play two full 10-minute extra periods regardless of any goals and if it is still tied, the advancing team will be decided on penalty kicks.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Fort Lewis saw their three-match winning streak halted over the weekend as they dropped a 2-0 decision to CMU Friday before falling to Westminster Sunday 2-1. The Skyhawks are still searching for their first road win of 2022, as they enter Friday's match 0-7-0 in true road contests this season and having been outscored by the opposition 12-1 in those matches. Hannah Paschke enters the week as they team leader in goals with three followed by Madyson Barela with two while five other Skyhawks have one goal to their ledgers this season. McKennna Ford is the clubhouse leader with two assists in 2022 while five others have one assist each. It's been a revolving door in goal this season for FLC, having utilized three different keepers this season. Katie Dunbabin has started all 11 games in which she has appeared for 495 minutes and recorded 39 saves to lead the team and a 1.64 GAA. Katlyn Rosenbaum has started twice in six appearances and has 2 saves and a 1.50 GAA in 360 minutes, while Riley Bravin has seven relief appearances for 315 minutes and has two wins to lead the way with 15 saves and a GAA of 0.86.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
The Mountaineers are looking to bounce back after a weekend in which they dropped a pair of 3-0 contests to Westminster on the road and to Colorado Mesa at home. Before making the trip to Golden Sunday, CMU will take on Regis Friday evening at 4 p.m. in just their fifth true road match of the season. Two players are tied for the top spot in the scoring column, as Taylor Bottoms and Laura Pelino each have two goals this season while nine other players make up the balance of the team's 13 goals this season. One of those nine, Reece Mercer, leads the way with four assists while Natasha Kasozi and Kylee Smith each have two dimes this season. In goal, WCU has utilized two keepers with Aubree Orosco seeing the bulk of the action, logging 780 minutes in 10 appearances, recording 45 saves, the fourth-most in the RMAC, and logging a trio of clean sheets while posting a GAA of 1.62. Alex Peralta has logged 390 minutes in six appearances and has 22 saves and a shutout to go with a GAA of 2.31.
 
SERIES HISTORY
In 26 previous meetings with Fort Lewis, Mines holds a 17-7-2 overall record and has three in a row and seven of the previous eight meetings. The last time the teams played in Golden was back in 2019 and saw the Orediggers record a 3-0. The last loss for Mines in the series came back in 2015, as FLC won by a final of 2-1. When it comes to Western Colorado, the Orediggers are 10-1-0 all-time and have won the last seven meetings, outscoring the Pioneers 32-1 over that span. The last meeting in Golden was an 11-0 win back in 2019, the single-highest scoring game in program history. WCU's only win in the series came in 2016, a 3-2 decision in double overtime in Gunnison.
 
LOOKING AT THE STAT SHEET
With the regular season winding down, Mines boasts a few names near the top of the RMAC statistically. Reese McDermott's nine goals and 19 points both lead the team and are good for second in the conference behind CMU's Lila Dere. Laura Butler's five goals trail only McDermott this season and her four assists are tops on the club while both marks are good for top five in the league, while her three game-winners lead the RMAC. Jordan Barnhart's four goals also rank among the top 10 in the conference this season as Mines has scored 33 times in 2022, tied for the league lead with Colorado Mesa. In goal, freshman Sadie Wolf has gotten the call the previous three matches and has seven saves and two shutouts in 270 minutes with a GAA of 0.67 to begin her collegiate career. Emma Carstens still remains among the league leaders with 20 saves in 2022 and has five shutouts and a GAA of 0.91 in 791 minutes, while Allie Lundgren has seen 109 minutes of action and owns a shutout, four saves and has not allowed a goal in two appearances. As a team, Mines owns a GAA of 0.77, the second-lowest rate in the RMAC this season.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The final two regular season matches for Mines see them first head to CSU Pueblo Sunday October 23 for a 3 p.m. match before returning home to Stermole Stadium for Senior Night Wednesday October 26 at 6 p.m. against Regis.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's soccer on Twitter at @mineswsoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.