LAS VEGAS, N.M. – On the final leg of their longest road trip of the season, the #20 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team took the field Sunday for their second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match of the year against New Mexico Highlands. Another strong effort on both sides of the ball Sunday allowed the Orediggers (5-1-1, 2-0-0) to extend their winning streak to three matches, downing the Cowgirls (0-6-6, 0-2-0) by a score of 2-0.
Mines went on the attack right away to begin the action, firing three shots in the first 21 minutes of play, the first from
Landry Corbett in the sixth minute that missed wide right.
Afton Rasco had her first opportunity of the day in the 15th minute followed by another try of Corbett in the 21st minute, but both shots were saved by goalie Isabelle Ortiz to keep things scoreless for the moment.
In the 23rd minute, Rasco's second attempt of the day gave Mines the early lead. Following a free kick into the box that caromed around off several players, Rasco happened to be in the right place at the right time as she was able to get a head on the ball to play it over the reach of Ortiz to take a 1-0 advantage.
After the goal, the action slowed and turned into a back-and-forth battle for possession with shots hard to come by.
Colleen Tyrrell had a look shortly after the restart but that ended up being the Orediggers' last shot of the half, as the final 20 minutes of the half came and went with just one more attempt coming from the Cowgirls' Jackie Lagunas as the teams hit the intermission with Mines leading 1-0.
New Mexico Highlands looked to draw even right as the second half got underway, as a shot from Hailey Arviso in the 47th minute was on target but saved by
Emma Carstens with an easy effort.
In the 73rd minute, the Orediggers doubled their lead as
Laura Butler was able to gain possession of a loose ball and fire a strike from the top of the penalty area on the far side of the field over the reach of Ortiz to make it 2-0 with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Shortly after play resumed following the second goal of the day, New Mexico Highlands again tested Carstens but she again made the save against Janize Castillo to preserve the two goal advantage. As the half wound down, opportunities for both sides were tough to come by, though in the 82nd minute,
Amena Nelson looked to make it a three-goal day for the Orediggers, but a save by Ortiz kept it a 2-0 game.
A final shot from Butler in the 87th minute sailed high for the final shot of the afternoon as the clock ran down and Mines extended their winning streak to three with a 2-0 victory.
NOTABLES
-Rasco now has three goals this season, tied for second on the club, and snapped a three-match scoreless streak, having last scored against Angelo State on September 18, 2022
-Mines has now opened the RMAC schedule with back-to-back wins for the fifth-straight season
-Butler now has four goals this season and has scored in three of the Orediggers' last four matches
-Carstens tallied two saves and now has 18 on the season as she and the defense recorded the fifth clean sheet of the season
-The Orediggers outshot the Cowgirls 10-3 in the match and finished the first weekend of RMAC play with a 28-3 edge on the shot chart
UP NEXT
RMAC play continues for the Orediggers as they will return to Stermole Stadium Friday September 23 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Black Hills State before making the short trip to MSU Denver Sunday September 25 for a 1 p.m. contest.
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.
