GOLDEN, Colo. – On a crisp and cool fall evening, the #9 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team took to the pitch at Stermole Stadium for the final time in the 2022 regular season, lining up against Regis in a battle of the top two teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. A pair of first half goals in the span of just over three minutes was the difference, as the Orediggers (13-1-3, 10-0-2) kept the Rangers (10-6-2, 9-2-1) off the scoreboard to record a 2-0 win on Senior Night and secure the RMAC regular season title.
 
The first two shots of the night went the way of the Rangers in in the fifth and sixth minutes, but both missed their mark as the visitors looked to try and set the tone early in a showdown for the title. In the ninth minute, a header from Katie Koehler off a free kick was on target but didn't have enough on it as Katelyn Martin was able to make the easy save in the night's first shot on goal.
 
In the 31st minute, an errant pass by the Rangers in their own end was intercepted by Afton Rasco, who dribbled past a pair of defenders before pulling up for a shot from about 18 yards out that was saved by Martin who was unable to secure to ball. The deflection off the save ricocheted off the cross bar and legs of Martin and slowly rolled back into the field of play by the far post, where a hard-charging Reese McDermott was there to cash in for the night's first goal to make it 1-0 Mines.
 
Just three minutes and three seconds later, the Orediggers struck again. A ball played into the box by Lauren Clingman caromed off a Regis defender and back out to the top of the box to a waiting Paola Rubi, who fired a left-footed strike into the upper left corner of the goal past a diving Martin to make it a 2-0 contest.
 
Following the two goals, the action slowed in the final minutes of the half, as both teams started going to the benches to bring in fresh legs and try to gain the upper hand. The final shot of the period was from Regis' Natalie Bunch in the 43rd minute, but it missed its mark as the first 45 minutes came and went with the Orediggers up by a pair.
 
As the second half opened, it was Mines who came out the aggressors, looking to set the tone and out things out of reach. A shot by Ava Harman in the 53rd minute was saved by Martin just moments before another try from Koehler hit flush on the woodwork of the upper left corner of goal as it remained a two-goal contest.
 
As the back-and-forth action continued, both sides exchanged more shots, as a pair from Laura Butler missed and were saved while Regis put Sadie Wolf to the test in the 61st minute, as she saved a shot by Jillian Skurcenski from the top of the box to maintain the advantage.
 
Mines had a pair of quick looks in succession from Colleen Tyrrell and Ava Harman in the 70th minute of action, but both missed their mark, unable to extend the lead. Kelby Kuo of Regis again put wolf to the test in the 74th minute, the Wildwood native again held firm and made the save to preserve the shutout.
 
Rubi added two more tries in the final 15 minutes as she looked for her second goal of the evening but neither found their mark. Wolf made two more saves in the final 10 minutes as the Rangers desperately tried to rally against a resilient Orediggers defense, as Sarah Wynn and Ella Palmer tried to get Regis on the board but to no avail.
 
Some final substitutions by Mines to get some fresh legs on the field for the final minutes were intermingled with some final shot attempts from seniors Lauren Sherburne and Amena Nelson, looking to extend the lead, but in the end two goals would be all the Orediggers would need, as they recorded shutout number 12 of the season and claimed the 2022 RMAC regular season title.
 
NOTABLES
-McDermott's goal gives her 12 on the season, one away from tying Kayla Mitchell (2007) and Anna Evans (2011) for fifth-most in a season all-time; she has now scored in back-to-back matches for the third time this season
-Rubi's goal was her fifth of the season and second in as many matches for the Orediggers
-Wolf recorded her fifth shutout of the season and third in a row, recording a career-best four saves against nine shots
-Mines finished the night with a 16-9 advantage on the shot chart, including 7-4 in SOG
-This is the sixth time in program history Mines has won the RMAC regular season crown and first since 2018; by virtue of the win, the Orediggers have secured the #1 seed in the upcoming RMAC Women's Soccer Tournament
 
UP NEXT
The postseason begins for the Orediggers on Sunday, October 30 at Stermole Stadium with the quarterfinals of the 2022 RMAC Women's Soccer Tournament, with their first-round match getting underway at 12 p.m. against #8 CSU Pueblo.
 
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.