#17 Mines (5-1-1, 2-0-0) vs Black Hills State (1-3-2, 1-1-0) – Friday, 7:30 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#17 Mines (5-1-1, 2-0-0) at MSU Denver (5-1-2, 1-0-1) – Sunday, 1 p.m. – Denver, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOMEWARD BOUND
The #17 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team continues Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this week and will be back at Stermole Stadium Friday night for the first time since August 27 when they take on Black Hills State at 7:30 p.m., before hitting the road again for another, albeit much shorter trip, Sunday when they head to MSU Denver for a 1 p.m. contest.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will be streamed free of charge on the RMAC Network and will have live stats through SIDEARM.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Kevin Fickes is in his 13th season leading the Mines women's soccer program, already the program's all-time leader in wins at 196-36-33. His .802 career win percentage is currently among the top-10 active NCAA Division II coaches, and he could become just the second RMAC coach to reach 200 career victories this season joining current UCCS boss J.B. Belzer. Through 2021, Fickes has overseen 24 All-American selections, 12 Academic All-Americans, 63 all-conference honorees, and 19 RMAC major award winners while guiding Mines to five RMAC regular-season titles and eight RMAC Tournament trophies, with 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

WEARING THE ARMBAND
The Orediggers have selected Jordan Barnhart and Meg Zimmerman as their captains for the 2022 season. Barnhart is entering her third season as a starter at centerback and played more minutes than any other Oredigger last season in guiding a defense that had a 0.73 GAA. Zimmerman, a forward, is a fifth-year senior returning from an injury-shortened 2021 season that saw her score a goal in the season opener; she has five career goals and three assists.
 
WEEK FOUR REVIEW
The Orediggers made quick work of their first two opponents to open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play over the weekend, dispatching Adams State 3-0 on Friday and New Mexico Highlands 2-0 Sunday. Mines has now won three-straight matches heading into this weekend and was one of just three teams to go 2-0 to open conference play and saw five different players find the net over the course of the weekend. Afton Rasco tallied an assist on Friday before scoring the game-winner Sunday, while Jordan Barnhart scored the game-winner against ASU while helping spearhead a defensive effort that didn't allow a shot to the Grizzlies before holding New Mexico Highlands to just three in that game as the Orediggers now have five shutouts on the season.
 
IN THE POLLS
The Orediggers were chosen atop the RMAC preseason coaches' poll announced earlier this month and climbed to #17 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top-25 poll this week. It was a close race in the RMAC poll with Mines, UCCS, and Colorado Mesa all splitting the bulk of the first-place votes and just three points overall separating the three teams.  One of Mines' previous opponents, Dallas Baptist, remains in sole possession of first place in the poll while Angelo State returned to the rankings at #25.
 
ON TRACK
This year's roster boasts not one, but two dual-sport athletes as both senior Amena Nelson and freshman Callie Fuhr will spend their winters and springs competing for the Mines track & field program. Nelson can rightly claim to be the RMAC's fastest woman on the track or the pitch, coming off a superb outdoor season that saw her win the RMAC 400m dash title and claim RMAC 4x400 gold both indoors and out. Fuhr is also a 400m runner as a four-time Colorado 5A state qualifier and two-time top-10 placer in the event.  

THEM'S THE 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.
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
The Yellow Jackets went 1-1 on the opening weekend of RMAC play, picking up their first win of 2022 via 1-0 win over Colorado Christian Friday before dropping a 6-0 contest Sunday to Colorado Mesa. Friday night's game with Mines will be the first true road game of the season for Black Hills State, who opened the year with four of their first six matches at home. Three players have scored this season for BHSU in the persons of Emma Avery, the team leader in shots with 14, Sophie Brassard and Darby Whitely. Prior to being shutout by the Mavericks Sunday, Black Hills State had scored in three-straight matches after being blanked twice to open the season. In goal, Makayla Dannelly has started all six games and played 495 minutes while recording 39 saves to lead the RMAC and recording a shutout against CCU. Backup Morgan Wood made her season debut against CMU Sunday, playing 45 minutes and allowing four goals and making four saves.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
The Roadrunners have been on a good run of late, going 5-0-2 after dropping a 1-0 contest to Simon Fraser to open the 2022 season. In the first weekend of RMAC play, MSU played Westminster to a 1-1 draw Thursday night before knocking off Colorado Christian 2-0 Sunday afternoon.  The Roadrunners' defense has been stout this year, as all five wins this season have been shutouts while the only goals they've allowed have been in their two draws and singular loss thus far. Jalmy Sawaged leads the club with three goals and is followed by Luna Garcia with two. Katy Coates leads the team with two assists is one of three players with one goal, alongside Natalie Boragine and Elisa Dean. Seven other players have recorded an assist this season for the Roadrunners. In goal, MSU has utilized two keepers with Kylie Bach starting four times in five appearances for 382 minutes and allowing just one goal and making 14 saves with three solo shutouts. Kayla Caballero has also started four times and played 338 minutes and allowing two goals while making nine saves and posting one solo shutout.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday night will be just the seventh meeting all-time between Black Hills State and Mines, with the Orediggers taking all six of the previous matchups. Mines is averaging 4.67 goals per game and allowed just one goal to the Yellow Jackets, which came in a 4-1 win in 2017. Against MSU Denver, the Orediggers lead the series 16-7-7 and have taken nine-straight in the series dating back to 2015. Mines has also posted three-straight shutouts in the series and hasn't allowed the Roadrunners to score more than one goal in a game since a 3-1 loss in 2013.
 
LOOKING AT THE STAT SHEET
Seven matches are in the books in 2022 for Colorado Mines and eight different players have found the net this season, with now five scoring multiple goals. Reese McDermott's six goals lead the team and ranks among the national leaders while checking in second in the RMAC. Laura Butler, who scored her fourth goal of the season against New Mexico Highlands, leads the team with four assists, the third-best mark in the RMAC. McDermott trails only Colorado Mesa's Lila Dere in goals (10), while Butler is behind Westminster's Alexa Maple and UCCS's Sydney Lasater when it comes to assists (6). Afton Rasco scored her third goal of the campaign over the weekend, while Amena Nelson and Paola Rubi have two goals apiece, while Brooke Pennington, Jordan Barnhart and Jolie Jiricek have one each. In goal, Emma Carstens has played all 630 minutes this season and has 18 saves while posting a GAA of 0.71 to go with five shutouts, all of which rank in the top-10 of the league in the early going.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following this weekend's contests, Mines will return home to Stermole Stadium for two more matches, beginning Friday September 30 at 6 p.m. against Colorado Mesa followed by a 12 p.m. Sunday contest with Westminster.
 
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.