GOLDEN, Colo. – On a clear and cool Colorado fall afternoon, the 2022 edition of the RMAC Women's Soccer Tournament got underway Sunday afternoon at Stermole Stadium with the top-seeded #9 Colorado School of Mines taking on eighth-seeded CSU Pueblo for the second time in eight days. A goal midway through the first half followed by an offensive outburst in the second propelled the Orediggers (14-1-3) past the ThunderWolves (5-12-2, 4-6-2) by a final score of 5-0 to advance to the next round.
 
CSU Pueblo opened the action with the first shot attempt of the day in the opening 92 seconds and played well for the opening minutes of action, but Mines flipped a switch from that point on, as they put up their first three shot attempts of the day in near succession from the fifth minute on. Lauren Clingman had the first try at getting on the board in the 14th minute, but Breanna Encinas made the first of many saves on the afternoon to keep things level for the moment.
 
The shots kept coming in the following minutes for the Orediggers, as Afton Rasco, Ava Harman and Landry Corbett all put boot to ball but couldn't find their mark as Encinas continued to work hard in goal as the action remained scoreless. Sadie Wolf saved a shot from Faith Meredith in the 24th minute, before Laura Butler broke the seal the opening goal in the 27th minute. The sophomore needed to beat just one defender on the near side of the field before pulling up with a shot from about 10 yards out to find the upper right corner to make it 1-0 Mines.
 
Following the restart, the Orediggers kept up the pressure in the offensive zone, as Paolo Rubi and Callie Fuhr each put a pair of shots on goal but were turned back by Encinas as the first 45 minutes came and went with a one-goal lead on the scoreboard and an 18-3 edge on the shot chart.
 
It didn't take long for Mines to get on the board in the second half, as just 68 seconds into the period, Reese McDermott scored for the fourth time in the last three matches. A ball ahead from Colleen Tyrrell was shades of last Sunday, but this time McDermott spun around the defender to the left, unleashing a volley into the upper right corner to make it 2-0.
 
In the 51st minute, Mines put their third goal of the afternoon on the board, this time by way of an own goal by CSU Pueblo as a Butler corner kick was mishandled by the defense to make it 3-0.
 
Looking to keep adding on in their postseason opener, the Orediggers continued to put up shot after shot against the ThunderWolves defense, breaking through again in the 69th minute when Jordan Barnhart converted her second penalty attempt of the season to make to make it a four-goal lead.
 
As the action wound down over the final 20 minutes, both sides went to their benches to rotate players in and get fresh legs on the pitch. Despite shuffling the lineup, Mines remained on the offensive and struck paydirt once again in the 89th minute, when Brooke Patterson played a ball ahead to Cloey Seltzer, who pulled up from more than 25 yards out and fired a high strike over a leaping Encinas to make it 5-0 Mines
 
One final save by Wolf in the closing seconds wrapped up the win for the Orediggers, who outshot the ThunderWolves 32-7 and 15-4 in SOG for the day as they advance to the semifinals for the 16th straight season.
 
NOTABLES
-Butler's goal now gives her six on the season and was her first goal since September 23 against Black Hills State
-McDermott scored for the 13th time in 2022 and is now tied with Kayla Mitchell (2007) and Anna Evans (2011) for fifth-most in a season; her 21 career goals are now tied for sixth all-time with Brooke Stoermer (2014-17) and her 45 career points are just one behind Haley Cole (2014-17) for eighth all-time
-Barnhart now has five goals this season and snapped five-match scoreless streak in the process
-Seltzer became the 12th different Oredigger to score this season, recording the third goal of her career and first since the spring 2021 season
-Wolf turned in a second-straight four save outing  as she posted the sixth shutout of her young career
-The Orediggers hit the five-goal mark Sunday for the second time this season; they previously scored five against Midwestern State back on August 27
-Mines remains unbeaten in the quarterfinals of the RMAC Tournament, a streak going back to 2007
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers will host fifth-seeded MSU Denver in the semifinals of the 2022 RMAC Women's Soccer Tournament at Stermole Stadium, beginning at 6 p.m.
 
Fans are reminded that there is no passlist for the postseason. All students with a valid ID card will be admitted free of charge to all matches. All matches will be streamed on the RMAC Network. Tickets and additional tournament information can be found here.
 
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.