#20 Mines (1-1-0) at #5 Cal Poly Pomona (2-0-0) – Thursday, 7 p.m. (PT) – Pomona, Calif. [Live Stats] [CCAA Network-PPV]
#20 Mines (1-1-0) at Cal State San Bernardino (0-0-0) – Sunday, 9:30 a.m. (PT) – San Bernardino, Calif. [Live Stats] [CCAA Network-PPV]

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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
The #20 Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team opens the away portion of its 2022 schedule this week as the Orediggers head to California. Thursday features a top-25 matchup at 7 p.m. (PT) between the Orediggers and #5 Cal Poly Pomona at Kellogg Stadium. Sunday presents a showdown with Cal State San Bernardino at Premier Field with kickoff currently scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (PT). However, Sunday's kickoff could move earlier due to high heat in the forecast.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches will stream live on the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Network, which is a subscription service costing $9.95 for a month-long pass. Both games will have free live stats through SIDEARM.
 
OPENING WEEKEND RECAP
Mines opened the 2022 season last Friday and Sunday at home. The Orediggers dropped their opener on Friday in a 2-1 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay before bouncing back and taking down San Francisco State on Sunday, 2-0. Azad Iliozer scored Mines' lone goal on Friday and added the second goal of the match on Sunday. Gabriel Rodriguez also scored for the Orediggers. Lucas King and John Burnett each had assists. Goalkeeper Brian Doherty notched the ninth shutout of his career behind a defense that allowed zero shots on goal. Also notable was a 40-minute lighting delay during Friday's match with less than five minutes to play.
 
SCOUTING CAL POLY POMONA
In 2021, Cal Poly Pomona advanced all the way to the NCAA Super Region 4 Final match in the NCAA tournament while going 14-5-4 for the year. That finish fueled a preseason ranking of #5 and the Broncos supported their standing on opening weekend with a 2-0-0 record. Thursday's opener at Point Loma produced a 1-0 victory for CPP. Saturday's result was a 2-0 win over Westminster out of the RMAC. Early leaders for the Broncos include Mike Moser who boasts two goals in two matches. Paul Henschke also owns a marker and Jerry Ramirez boasts an assist. Goalkeeper CJ Walker has played all 180 minutes in net and owns a 2-0 record with two shutouts and a 0.00 GAA on two saves while facing just nine shots. As a team, Cal Poly Pomona has produced 25 shots on offense with 11 going on goal.
 
SCOUTING CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO
The Coyotes of Cal State San Bernardino are now three seasons removed from a run to the NCAA Division II West Region Final. After a full year of not playing due to California policy surrounding the pandemic, CSUSB finished 2021 with a record of 10-5-3 and missed a return trip to the NCAA tournament.  In 2022, the Coyotes have started the season 1-0 thanks to a 1-0 victory at Point Loma last Saturday. Nicklaus Sullivan scored the game-winner while taking three shots with all three on target. Goalkeeper Aiden Hanes needed just one save on 10 shots to record the shutout. On Thursday, CSUSB will host Regis at 1 p.m. in San Bernardino.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Cal Poly Pomona established its men's soccer program in 1983 and Cal State San Bernardino did the same a year later in 1984. Since that time, Mines is 1-3 against the Broncos and 1-1 versus the Coyotes. The Orediggers last played CPP in the 2015 NCAA tournament, falling 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 22 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Mines' lone win over the Broncos was a 3-1 decision on Sept. 14, 1996 in Rohnert Park, Calif. The last time the Orediggers and Coyotes faced off was the third round of the NCAA tournament in 2019. Cal State San Bernardino scored two goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation to take the 2-1 win and end Mines' season. The other meeting between Mines and CSUSB was on Sept. 16, 1985, in Golden and the Orediggers won by a score of 5-1.
 
THE SKIPPER
Head Coach Greg Mulholland joined the program in 2007 as an assistant coach before taking over as interim head coach in 2017 and full head coach in 2018, making the 2022 season his 16th with the Orediggers. Through five years at the helm, Mulholland 72-15-9 overall with a mark of 50-2-6 in RMAC play. His overall winning percentage through the 2021 season ranks #1 among all active coaches in NCAA Division II with a minimum of five years as a DII head coach. Last season, Mulholland became the first men's soccer coach in the history of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to win five straight RMAC regular-season championships. He is a three-time RMAC Coach of the Year and headed the 2019 and 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches South Central Region Staffs of the Year.
 
THEY ARE THE CAPTAINS NOW
One day prior to the season opener, Coach Mulholland announced that the 2022 team captains are Lucas King and Grant Bell. King is entering his sixth season with the program and fifth as a starter between outside back and the midfield. He led the team in assists in 2021 on his way to Second-Team All-America status. Bell, an outside back, is a true sophomore who started 13 of 20 matches in 2021 and appeared in 18 while scoring one goal with two assists and serving on a back line that helped post eight shutouts thanks to a combined 0.87 goals-against average.
 
OREDIGGER DEBUTS
Three different Orediggers made their Mines debut last weekend. Tommy Jernigan, Maxwell Stultz and Hilmir Arnarsson all donned the Orediggers' kit for the first time during regular-season play. Jernigan lined up at outside back in two starts and totaled 111 out of 180 minutes while taking one shot. Stultz also appeared on defense off the bench for nine minutes. Arnarsson put in 14 minutes of work in the midfield.
 
EARLY LEADERS
With two matches in the books, Azad Iliozer is Mines' leading scorer with two goals. Right behind him is Gabriel Rodriguez who owns one goal that also happens to be a game-winner. John Burnett and Lucas King each boasts one assist apiece. Tristan Semelsberger has taken seven shots and put three of those on goal. Goalkeeper Brian Doherty owns three saves, one win and on shutout after playing all 180 minutes to date.
 
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Two different Orediggers are currently making moves in the program record book. Lucas King's assist last Friday gave the graduate student sole possession of #5 on Mines' all-time assists list with 29. He's one helper away from tying Alex Nass at #4, three away from Jared Peacock at #3 and four away from Tesho Akindele at #2. King now needs 13 more assists to break Niki Grotz' (2014-17) all-time record of 41. Also making moves is goalkeeper Brian Doherty. His shutout on Sunday gave him sole possession of #5 on the Orediggers' all-time shutouts list. Doherty's nine clean sheets during his time at Mines put him ahead of OJ Bullard (2000-03) and sit six back of Kevin Galloway (2003-06) at #4.
 
CALIFORNIA HOMECOMING
For the first time in his collegiate career, Mines defender Josef Emge will be playing in his home state and less than an hour from home. Thursday's match in Pomona will put the Redlands, Calif., native just 40 minutes from his hometown – depending on traffic of course. Sunday's match in San Bernardino is just 15 minutes from Emge's stomping grounds. The junior is the Orediggers' only California native on the 2022 roster. The last Mines men's soccer player to claim the state of California was Tyler Mertens who was on the team from 2014-17.
 
NEW 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.
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines was picked #2 in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll announced earlier this month while appearing #20 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25. The Orediggers were edged on the conference list by Colorado Mesa which earned eight first-place votes and 97 points while Mines totaled three first-place votes and 92 points. On the national list, two RMAC counterparts joined the Orediggers with Colorado Mesa appearing #9 and CSU Pueblo slotting #23. Mines had another 2022 opponent earn national standing with Cal Poly Pomona ranked #5. The Orediggers are set to play Cal Poly Pomona and Colorado Mesa once during the regular season while facing CSU Pueblo twice.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines returns from California to host Western Washington on Thursday, Sept. 8, and Seattle Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 10. Thursday's kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Stermole Stadium with Saturday's showdown starting at 6 p.m. following the Mines football home opener next door at Marv Kay Stadium.
 
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.