GOLDEN, Colo. – It had been since 2019 when the Colorado School of Mines women's last won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament, but that all changed Saturday at Stermole Stadium as pair fo second half goals were the difference in a 2-0 win over Regis to claim the 2022 tournament title.
 
A pair of second half goals from Afton Rasco and Michelle Easley proved to be the difference for the Orediggers (16-1-3), as the defense held the Rangers (12-7-2) to just nine shots over the course of 90 minutes to claim the ninth tournament title in program history.
 
Mines set the tone of the match early on, as Rasco and Paola Rubi uncorked a trio of shots in the opening six minutes of action but none found the mark. Rubi's third shot of the day in the 11th minute was on target, but Katelyn Martin was there to make the first of 11 saves in her afternoon in goal.
 
The Orediggers continued to pepper Regis with shot after shot as the half progressed, with Reese McDermott and Rubi again putting Martin to the test midway through the period, but had no luck getting anything by her in the early going.
 
Most of the tries for the Rangers in the first 45 minutes missed their mark or were blocked by the defense, but they did have a pair of opportunities in near succession to get on the board first. A 35th minute shot from Sarah Wynn to the far post curved just wide and ricocheted off the woodwork before Madison Cullinan put Sadie Wolf to the test for the first time with a shot from the top of the box that the freshman was able to secure to keep things scoreless.
 
The Orediggers managed to put up four more shots in the final eight minutes before the half, as Easley, Colleen Tyrrell and Meg Zimmerman all took aim at goal, but had nothing to show for it as the half ended with no score as Mines outshot Regis 14-5 in the opening half.
 
Mines kept up their offensive attack to begin the second half in a very well-played match by both teams. Each defense along with both keepers continued to make plays to keep the score even as it looked more and more like one goal might be the deciding factor, as was the case the last time the teams met in the postseason in 2013.
 
Ultimately, Mines broke through in the 66th minute when Landry Corbett played a short cross to a wide open Rasco, who tucked a shot inside the far post from point-blank range, leaving Martin no chance to save it to make it a 1-0 game.
 
Not content with just one goal on the board, the Orediggers kept putting up volley after volley as the saves continued to stack up for Regis as they tried to keep it a one-goal contest with time winding down, but just about 10 minutes later, Mines found the net again to double their lead. Tyrrell played a ball across the field to the far corner where Easley was able to chase it down and despite running out of room heading toward the endline, was able to pull the trigger on a hard-angle shot that grazed the fingertips of Martin and found its way into the upper right corner to make it 2-0 Orediggers.
 
As play resumed for the final 15 minutes, Mines kept up their offensive attack as McDermott had a pair of shots in succession in the 77th minute that were both saved by Martin kept it a two-goal game, but despite a hard-fought effort, Regis was unable to rally in the closing minutes as time expired and the celebration began for the Orediggers, taking the tournament title by a final of 2-0.
 
2022 RMAC Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player – Reese McDermott, Mines
Afton Rasco, Mines
Kelby Kuo, Regis
Laura Butler, Mines
Audrey Teague, Regis
Sadie Wolf, Mines
Jillian Skurcenski, Regis
Jordan Barnhart, Mines
Katelyn Martin, Regis
Landry Corbett, Mines
Kaitlyn Hinkle, UCCS
Katy Coats, MSU Denver
 
NOTABLES
-Rasco's goal was her sixth of the year and first in the postseason, snapping a four-match scoreless streak
-Easley's goal was her first of the season and second of her career and first since the spring 2021 season; she is now the 13th different player to score this season
-Wolf recorded three saves in her second shutout of the season and now has 30 saves and seven shutouts on the season
-Mines outshot Regis 30-9 in the match, including 13-3 in SOG
-McDermott and Rubi each had seven shots in the match, with four and three on goal respectively
 
UP NEXT
Mines will await hearing their name in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Selection Show on November 7 at 5 p.m. MT.
 
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.