GOLDEN, Colo. – For the fifth time in the last six seasons, the #9 Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team clinched the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament title by way of a 9-8 shootout victory of #9 CSU Pueblo Friday night at Stermole Stadium.
 
A trio of Orediggers (13-4-3) all scored in the first half of the match and after a wild start to a wind-blown evening, that looked like it might be enough to win, but a late equalizer by the ThunderWolves (15-3-2) sent the action to overtime. After two scoreless extra frames, the match went to penalties to decide the winner and it was Mines who was able to come through under pressure to claim the title in a 10-round shootout.
 
Tristan Semelsberger got the night stated off right for Mines early on. An attempt to play the ball down field by CSUP keeper Nils Roth was held up in the air by gale force winds which dropped the ball back in Mines' offensive third, where Quin Collins was able to corral it and play it ahead to Semelsberger, who beat three defenders along with Roth for the first tally of the night just five minutes in.
 
The ThunderWolves didn't take long to answer, as Aden O'Hara netted the first equalizer of the night in the 10th minute on a ball from Gustavo Murtha to knot things back up at 1-1.
 
Caio Oliveira and Azad Iliozer both put up shots looking to put their respective teams ahead as both sides continued to battle each other as well as the elements, with temperatures near freezing and winds gusting close to 30 miles per hour.
 
In the 24th minute, it was Collins for the second time this postseason putting the ball in the net to put the Orediggers back on top. A corner kick from Lucas King from the near side of the field was played deep into the box where Michael Sprauer was able to get a head on it to settle the ball to the ground, where a waiting Collins was able to sneak a shot past Roth just inside the far post to make it a 2-1 contest.
 
Again, CSU Pueblo was able to answer almost immediately by way of a set piece of their own, as a corner kick from Kenshin Uneo was headed home by Lamar Bynum to draw even for a second time at 2-2.
 
A hard-hitting first half continued on as both sides battled for control in an opening period that saw a total of four cautions issued, two to each team. Opportunities were hard to come by for both the Orediggers and ThunderWolves in the final 20 minutes of action, as both defenses dug their heels in with a title on the line.
 
The fifth goal of the night came right before the intermission, as Sprauer was able to net a shot from close range on a ball ahead from Ian Kugler to again put Mines on top 3-2 as a back-and-forth contest raged on with both sides taking a moment to collect their breath during halftime.
 
Azad Iliozer started the second half fast for the Orediggers, testing Roth twice in the first six minutes of the period as he looked to extend the advantage, but both tries were saved as it remained a one-goal lead. The ThunderWolves again looked to even things for a third time, and had several near misses. A shot from Reggie Nicolas in the 57th minute banged off the crossbar before Kenneth Symmes saved a try from Uneo moments later to maintain the lead.
 
Both keepers were kept hard at work as the half went on, with both Roth and Symmes making some spectacular saves to thwart any chances of scoring. The Mines defense played a hand in keeping CSUP off-balance in the half after making adjustments at the intermission. Those adjustments worked out until the 80th minute, as after Symmes punched away a shot from Shjon Andrews, the ensuing corner kick by Uneo found Murtha on the back end as he snuck one past the save attempt to even things at 3-3.
 
As regulation time wound down, the sides scrambled to try and find a way to win before the final buzzer, but again both Symmes and Roth buckled down and turned back any chances for the night's seventh goal as the match headed to overtime.
 
In the first 10-minute extra stanza, CSUP managed the lone shot on goal as Nicolas looked to go top shelf but was turned away by the Washington state native Symmes. Gabriel Rodriguez had a look to put Mines back ahead in the closing moments of the period, but he just missed wide of the near post as the match remained tied at 3-3.
 
In the second overtime period, Nicolas again tested Symmes and again Symmes was up to the task as he made the save. Chris Seery and Sprauer each had tries to find the net on a potential game-winner, but again near-misses were the result instead of goals. A red card issued to CSUP's Fernando Herrera in the final three minutes of overtime meant Mines had a man advantage for the closing moments or the period, but it wasn't quite enough time as two more shots on goal were saved by Roth as the match moved to a penalty shootout.
 
Both teams made the moves to send out their shootout keepers, with Will Whitworth taking over for CSU Pueblo and Derek Ligouri stepping in for Mines. The first five shots for each side were true and found the net, as the shootout moved to sudden death. Ricardo Schroeder missed high on the sixth attempt for the ThunderWolves as Rodriguez stepped up and looked to win it for Mines, but Whitworth made the save to keep the shootout going. The next three penalty takers for each team converted their next three tries as the shootout was tied at 8-8 heading to the 10th round. Mahir Bingoel's shot caromed off the crossbar, setting the stage for Marc Levin to clinch the shootout, which he did by beating Whitworth to his left to close out a title bout that had all one could ask for and then some as the Orediggers outlasted the ThunderWolves to take the 2022 RMAC Tournament crown.
 
2022 RMAC Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player – Quin Collins, Mines
Tristan Semelsberger, Mines
Lamar Bynum, CSU Pueblo
Michael Sprauer, Mines
Kenshin Uneo, CSU Pueblo
Lucas King, Mines
Nils Roth, CSU Pueblo
Kenneth Symmes, Mines
Gabriel Campora, CSU Pueblo
Azad Iliozer, Mines
Luke Merril, Westminster
Alex Andersson, UCCS
 
NOTABLES
-Semelsberger's goal was his 14 of the season, and is now just two shy of being tied for eighth all-time for most in a season
-Collins' goal was his second in as many matches in the postseason for Mines and also his second of the season
-Sprauer's goal was his sixth of the season and snapped a five-match scoreless streak
-The Orediggers outshot the ThunderWolves 22-19 in the match but the sides were even at 10 on shots on goal
-Mines advanced on penalties for the for the first time since 2019, when the defeated Regis for the RMAC Tournament title 7-6
-Symmes recorded a season-high seven saves in goal
-Iliozer led all players with six shots in the match, four of which were on goal
-Four different Orediggers recorded an assist in the match, the most since September 28 at Colorado Christian
-The title is the fifth in the last six season for Mines and 11th in program history
 
UP NEXT
Following Friday night's match, the Orediggers will await hearing their name called in the 2022 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship Selection Show on November 7 at 4:30 p.m. MT.
 
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.