#16 Mines (9-2-3, 5-1-2 RMAC) vs. New Mexico Highlands (0-9-2, 0-6-1 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#16 Mines (9-2-3, 5-1-2 RMAC) vs. Adams State (2-5-5, 1-3-3 RMAC) – Sunday, 1 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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THE STRETCH RUN
Just four matches remain for the #16 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team as they continue their pursuit of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title as they'll play their final regular season home contests this weekend against New Mexico Highlands and Adams State on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
 
FAN INFORMATION
Tickets are available for pre-purchase at minesathletics.com/tickets as well as on the day of the event at the gate. Parking in Lot K is free after 5 p.m. during the week and on weekends. Additional parking is available in Lot Q located at Elm and West Campus Drive, the parking garage located at 14th and Maple Streets, and in City of Golden municipal parking along 11th Street. Visit mines.edu/parking for a parking map.
 
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 14th season leading the Mines women's soccer program, already the program's all-time leader in wins at 218-39-38. His .803 career win percentage is currently among the top-10 active NCAA Division II coaches, and on October 6 of last season against Colorado Christian, he became just the second RMAC coach to reach 200 career victories, joining current UCCS boss J.B. Belzer. Entering the 2023 season, Fickes has overseen 27 All-American selections, 13 Academic All-Americans, 69 all-conference honorees, and 21 RMAC major award winners while guiding Mines to six RMAC regular-season titles and nine RMAC Tournament trophies, with 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

WEARING THE ARMBAND
The Orediggers have selected a new group of captains for the 2023 season, as Ava Harman, Katie Koehler and Reese McDermott will be wearing the armband this fall. Harman is entering her third season as a starter and scored the first goal of her career in 2022. McDermott was named Third Team All-American to cap off a decorated breakout season in which she was one of the most prolific goal scorers in in the conference, finding the net 15 times as only one of two players with double-digit goals. Koehler, also entering her third season as a starter, was a key piece of a defensive backline last fall that allowed just 0.74 goals and 9.7 shots per match while also scoring four times herself.
 
WEEK 7 REVIEW
It was two shutout wins and six points on the board for the Orediggers as they spent last weekend traversing the Denver metro area. Thursday morning they took on Colorado Christian in Lakewood and picked up a 1-0 win over the Cougars with a Landry Corbett goal while on Sunday's trip downtown, Afton Rasco scored twice while Natalie Rouse and Bella Campos each added a goal of their own as Mines raced past the Roadrunners 4-0.
 
IN THE POLLS
The latest United Soccer Coaches Poll was released Tuesday and saw Mines back up to #16 this week. RMAC rival Colorado Mesa dropped a spot to #6 while UCCS cracked the Top 25 at #24. Week two opponent Dallas Baptist dropped all the way to #25 this week while Seattle Pacific moved up two spots to #22. The RMAC Preseason Poll, announced August 16 also had the Orediggers leading the way, as the RMAC coaches picked Mines to repeat as champions with nine first place votes, followed by UCCS, Regis, Westminster and MSU Denver in the top five.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Entering her third season as an Oredigger, Reese McDermott has already penned her name into the record books when it comes to career marks in several places; after this weekend, she now stands alone in fourth all-time in both scoring with 30 career goals and points with 70 to her name, passing Nicole LaTourette (2016-19) in the process while also moving into a tie for fourth with the Jennifer Kendall (2015-18) in game-winning goals with 10. She's also fourth all-time in single-season goals with 15, two behind Anna Evans' 17 in 2012. Landry Corbett is knocking on the door for the top five in career assists, as her 15 are three behind Kayla Mitchell (2006-09). When it comes to shutouts, Sadie Wolf now has 13 in her young career and has now passed Sierra Roth (2018-21) for fifth all-time in program history and is now just four behind Sam Zumbro (2013-16) for fourth.
 
WHERE WE STAND
The top of the RMAC standings entering play this weekend sees four teams separated by only two points with three of them tied for the top spot in the league. Currently, Colorado Mesa, UCCS and Regis are all tied for first with 19 points. Mines is right behind that group with 17 points and is +4 back to MSU Denver in fifth place at 13 while Westminster is the only other team in double figure points with 10 in sixth.
 
CMU has five matches remaining, including three against UCCS, Mines and Regis and finishes with three of their final five matches on the road. Likewise the Mountain Lions have five matches left, but four of their final five opponents are behind them in the standings and none of those four are higher than sixth in the standings.
 
Regis has four matches remaining on their schedule and also likely face modest challenges on their way out against Western Colorado, Fort Lewis and Black Hills State while their October 29 showdown with the Mavericks looms large. The Orediggers also have four matches left on their slate, playing a pair of the RMAC bottom dwellers this weekend in New Mexico Highlands and Adams State before finishing at Colorado Mesa on October 26 and Westminster on October 29.
 
So we said all that basically to say this: The RMAC regular season title is by no means decided and it is still a wide-open race to see who will get to be called champion in 2023.
 
NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE…
For the fourth time in 2023, Mines center back Natalie Rouse has been named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week following a weekend in which she helped orchestrate a pair of defensive efforts that yielded a pair of shutouts and just 10 total shots while scoring her fifth goal of the season. Rouse leads all defensive players in scoring this season and has to be a leading candidate for the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Award at season's end.
 
THE SETUP
Set pieces always present prime scoring opportunities for teams, be it a free kick or a corner kick. But this season, Mines's set piece game has been one of the best in the country. With two more goals off set pieces of the free kick variety on Sunday against MSU Denver, the Orediggers have now put the ball in cage off set pieces 13 times in 2023. One would be hard pressed to find another team at any level in the rest of the country with a success rate like that.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS
Just a little over two weeks remain in the regular season, and Mines as a unit along with several individuals can find their names atop the RMAC leaderboards. The Orediggers are the second highest scoring team in the league with 38 goals and trail Regis by just two. The eight goals they have allowed are also second in the RMAC, this time to Colorado Mesa who has only allowed four goals in 12 matches. When it comes to assists, no one does it like the Orediggers who have a league-high 38 while Colorado Mesa is second, 17 behind with 21.
 
As far as individuals go, Reese McDermott leads the league in shots on goal (25) and is tied for the lead in total shots (53) and is three back for the scoring lead with seven behind Natalie Bunch of Regis with 10 while Mesa's Sauvelyne Randel has nine. Bella Campos is tied for third in the RMAC with fellow freshman Madeline Gardner of Regis while Natalie Rouse remains inside the top 10, as she's tied for seventh with five scores. Ellise Putnam picked up another assist over the weekend and now stands alone atop the conference with seven while Ava Harman and McDermott each have six to tie for second.
 
BALLIN' BELLA
To say Bella Campos is off to a good start in her first season of soccer at the collegiate level could be a candidate for understatement of the year. The freshman out of Highland Village, Texas has appeared in all 14 matches for Mines and made four starts, and after scoring Sunday against MSU Denver, now leads the team in goals with eight on the season to go along with three assists for 19 points, second only to Reese McDermott with 20 She scored twice in her debut match against San Francisco state and did so again on September 29 against Black Hills State, while dishing out two assists October 1 against Regis for her first career multi-assist game. So far, she has either scored or assisted on a goal to record a point in eight matches and is one of the leading candidates at this point for RMAC Freshman of the Year along with Regis' Madeline Gardner. Whoever wins that award might be the one who ends up scoring the most, finishing on the higher-placing team in the standings or both.
 
DISTRIBUTING THE WEALTH
Speaking of assists, there are few better in the country at it than Mines, who currently ranks fifth in all of NCAA Division II with 2.71 assists per game and third in total assists with 38 on the year. Only Catawba (43) and Belmont Abbey (39) have more assists, but have also done so in two and one fewer matches than Mines respectively. Ellise Putnam, the team leader with seven assists on the season, now ranks tied for ninth in the country in that category. Suffice to say, the Orediggers are really good at playing team soccer, and not having to rely one person have to do all the work to put the ball in the back of the cage.
 
LOOKING AT THE STATS
You'd be hard pressed to find a team with the scoring depth that Mines has showcased in 2023 as 13 different players have scored this season, just one shy of last season's total of 14. Of those 13 goal scorers for the Orediggers, eight of them have two or more goals to their ledger led by freshman Bella Campos with eight and followed closely by Reese McDermott with seven. Center back Natalie Rouse has five goals, all of which have been finished with headers off of set pieces, while Katie Koehler and Afton Rasco each have three goals. Landry Corbett, Cloey Seltzer and Laura Butler round out the group of eight with two goals apiece.
 
When it comes to assists, few have been as proficient as Ellise Putnam, the RMAC leader with seven dimes on the year while right behind her are McDermott and Ava Harman each with six. Campos and Corbett also have three apiece while Koehler, Rasco and Seltzer have a pair with seven others recording one assist.
 
In goal, Sadie Wolf has been the usual starter, appearing in all but one of the Orediggers' 14 matches with 11 starts for 911 minutes, making 15 saves against six goals for a 0.59 GAA and .714 save percentage against 64 shots faced while going 8-2-2 with five solo shutouts and combining for another three. Keira Garcia played in four matches with two starts early in the season and logged 225 minutes and made five saves while allowing one goal for a 0.40 GAA and .833 save rate against 19 shots and posting a mark of 1-0-1 with one solo shutout and combining for another. Emma Carstens has been the reserve with the most recent action, appearing in three matches with one start for 124 minutes, making three saves against one goal for a 0.73 GAA and .750 save percentage while assisting with a pair of shutouts.
 
On the year, Mines is +30 in scoring differential at 38-8 and is scoring 2.71 goals per game while allowing just 0.57. they have taken 298 shots while allowing just 89, an average of 21.3-6.4 per match and have recorded 38 assists on their 38 goals (with one goal being an own goal against BHSU and one being a PK). They have combined for 23 saves in goal and have taken 79 corner kicks while allowing just 33 to the opposition and are 1-1 on penalties on the season.
 
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
2023 has not been kind to the Cowgirls as they are still in search of their first win of the season and are coming off a tough week on the road, dropping their lone match last Thursday to MSU Denver by a score of 6-0 following a 9-2 loss to Regis back on October 8. Prior to that, NMHU did earn a draw against Black Hills State with a 2-2 result on October 6.
 
When it comes to scoring, six different players have put the ball in the back of the cage for the Cowgirls, with Kaylee Castano, Paige Gowen and Izzie Scott each scoring twice while Kaitlyn Noval, Kate Rayner and Acacia Rodriguez each scoring once. Mia Ortiz's two assists lead the club while Castano and Isa Glenn each have one to their credit.
 
In goal, Peyton Greener and Parker Frei have split the action this season. Greener has seen the majority of time, starting seven times in nine games for 637 minutes and recording a team-high 56 saves, second-most in the RMAC, while allowing 30 goals for a GAA of 4.24 and recording a .651 save rate against 155 shots faced. Frei has started four times in six matches for 353 minutes and has made 36 saves while allowing 19 goals for a 4.84 GAA and .655 save rate against 98 shots faced.
 
On the season, New Mexico Highlands has been outscored 49-9 and is giving up nearly 4.5 goals and 23 shots per match while managing less than a goal and barely over six shots per match themselves. They have four assists on their nine goals and have combined for 92 saves in goal. They have attempted just 15 corners kicks on the season while opponents have logged 84. One item of note, NMHU goalies have been good on penalties this year, as opponents are just 1-5 from the spot in 2023.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
It has been nearly a month since the Grizzlies last found the win column back on September 28 on the road against Western Colorado with a 1-0 result. They'll take on MSU Denver Friday night before heading to Golden Sunday with a mark of 0-1-3 over their last four matches, playing to draws with Fort Lewis (0-0), Black Hills State (0-0) and Colorado Christian (1-1) while dropping a 3-0 decision to Regis.
 
Five different players have accounted for Adams State's scoring output this season, led by Karlee Caballero with three while Colette Tena has a pair with Athena Huggins, Brissa Toribio and Nevaeh Clouse each scoring once. Huggins also leads the team with three assists while Toribio has a pair to her ledger with Tena and Angelica Figueroa each have one.
 
Between the pipes, Ashlyn Bartley has started all 11 matches in which she has played for 925 minutes and has 50 saves against 10 goals allowed for a 0.97 GAA and an .833 save percentage while posting a 2-4-5 record with five shutouts. Lianna Albert has played in three matches with one start in a reserve role for 149 minutes and has six saves against three goals allowed for a 1.83 GAA and a .667 save rate.
 
For the season, ASU is only -5 in scoring differential at 13-8 in favor of opponents and is allowing just 11.1 shots per match while only attempting 6.6 themselves. They have seven assists on their eight goals and have combined for 56 saves in goal while taking 34 corner kicks while allowing 58 to opponents. One item of note, the Grizzlies are 2-2 in penalties this year.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Against New Mexico Highlands, Mines is 18-4-3 all-time with a mark of 11-2-0 at home in the series. The Orediggers have won 12 of the last 13 meetings and are currently on a nine-match winning streak with their last loss in the series coming in Las Vegas back in 2011 while their previous losses in Golden came in 2010 and 2006. The Orediggers have also enjoyed a great deal of success against Adams State, leading that series 16-2-1 all-time and entering play on an 11-match winning streak and winners of 16 of the last 17. Their only losses in the series came in the first two meetings ever between the teams in 2005.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The regular season comes to a close next weekend when the Orediggers return to the road to take on #6 Colorado Mesa on October 26 before heading out to Salt Lake City to square off Westminster at 2:30 p.m.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's soccer on Twitter and Instagram 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.