Mines (1-3-5, 0-1-1) vs. #RV Colorado Mesa (6-2-2, 1-0-1) – Thursday, 4:30 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (1-3-5, 0-1-1) vs. Westminster (5-3-2, 2-0-0) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOMEWARD BOUND
After opening Rocky Mountain Athletic conference play on the road last weekend, the Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team will be at home for their next four matches beginning Thursday evening when they take on #RV Colorado Mesa before squaring off with Westminster for the second time in two weeks on 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.
 
WEEK 5 RECAP
It wasn't the dream start to the Orediggers' RMAC title defense last weekend, although they did pick up a point Thursday night in a scoreless draw with UCCS before falling to #7 CSU Pueblo in the second meeting of the teams in a span of 10 days by a score of 3-0. Caden Allaire recorded his second career shutout against the Mountain Lions, while Quin Collins and Ian Kugler led the offense with three shots apiece in the two matches.
 
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 six-plus years at the helm, Mulholland 85-22-17 overall with a mark of 59-4-7 in RMAC play. His overall winning percentage through the 2022 season ranks in the top 10 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 four-time RMAC Coach of the Year and headed the 2019 and 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches South Central Region Staffs of the Year.
 
WEARING THE C
Grant Bell, Caelin David and Ian Kugler will be the three men wearing the armband this season as selected by the team and coaches. Bell was a key member of a back line unit that logged 10 shutouts last season started 11 times in 16 matches for 1,128 minutes with an assist to his ledger in 2022. David and Kugler made up a deadly duo in the midfield last season, with the former earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC laurels by starting all 21 matches and leading the team with 1,813 minutes and picking up an assist along the way, while Kugler, a fifth-year senior, started 15 times in 19 matches for 1,228 minutes and tallied a goal and two assists.
 
IN THE POLLS
In the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 announced Tuesday, Mines didn't earn in any votes this week, but several RMAC rivals remain in the national discussion as CSU Pueblo dropped down again this week to eighth, while Colorado Mesa dropped out of the polls but still earned votes while UCCS dropped out of the discussion this week. Early season opponents Cal Poly Pomona and Can State San Bernardino remain ranked at #9 and #25 respectively. As far as the RMAC goes, the ThunderWolves were picked to finish atop the conference while Mines, UCCS, Colorado Mesa and Regis rounded out the top five.
 
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
Playing at Stermole Stadium under head coach Greg Mulholland has seen the Orediggers compile a great deal of success, something they will look to continue starting this weekend. Since 2017, Mines is 46-10-6 when playing at home, scoring seven or more wins on home turf in five of those seasons. Looking to regain their footing this season, Mines has a prime chance to do so over the course of the next two weeks.
 
TOPSY TURVY START
If the start of RMAC play last weekend was any indication, the 2023 season could be a wild one as far as the standings are concerned. Some of the top teams from 2022 find themselves near the bottom while some of last year's mid-field or bottom of the standings programs have taken a jump this year. Currently CSU Pueblo and Westminster lead the RMAC with six points after finishing second and third last season. Currently third is Fort Lewis, who finished ninth last season and won just four matches all year, and has already surpassed that win total this season and is 5-2-2. Colorado Christian is fourth after being the last team in the tournament a year ago, while Colorado Mesa is fifth and three wins shy of their 2022 win total with still more than a month to go in the season. Meanwhile Regis, UCCS and Mines are off to slow starts in league play and if the season ended today, would be on the outside looking in as far the postseason goes.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Marc Zimmerman remains the leading man for the Orediggers in scoring with three goals to his credit on the year, while Nathan Dreher, Ian Kugler and Chris Seery each have one. Freshman Alex Gonzalez leads the club with two assists, with John Burnett and Quin Collins each adding one of their own.
 
In goal, Caden Allaire has played all 810 minutes this season in nine matches, making 32 saves, the fifth-most in the RMAC this season, while allowing 12 goals for a GAA of 1.33 and a .727 save rate to go with his 1-3-5 record and two shutouts.
 
On the season, Mines has been outscored 12-6 and is being outshot by teams 13.3-10.9 per match. They have four assists on their six goals and have 32 saves in goal while attempting 48 corner kicks while opponents have attempted 51.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
The Mavericks went 1-0-1 on the first weekend of conference play, rallying to earn a point last Thursday against Regis in a 3-3 draw that wasn't without some controversy in the waning moments before cruising to a 4-1 win over South Dakota Mines Sunday for their fifth win in their last seven matches; CMU has not lost in nearly a month, their last setback coming at the hands of then #22 Northwest Nazarene by a score of 1-0. Thursday night's trip to Golden will be only the third true road match of the season for Colorado Mesa, going 1-0-1 in their previous two contests (0-0 draw at Simon Fraser and a 3-1 win at Regis in non-conference play).
 
Eight players have been responsible for CMU's 20 actively scored goals (the 21st goal they scored was an own goal against Eastern New Mexico), and at the head of that group is Fernando Morales, whose six goals rank tied for second in the RMAC this season. Alec Fronapfel follows with four goals while behind him are Manuel Ponce Casas (3), Joey Joiner (2) and Dimitrios Leonoglou (2) with three others each with one goal apiece. Ponce Casas also happens to be the main distributor on offense too, as his five assists lead the team and are second in the conference. Joao Pedro Moraes, Raymond Jackson, Moises Martinez and David Peters all have two assists to their tallies on the year with another three Mavericks credited with one each.
 
In goal, it has been all Diego Chavez this season, as he has started all 10 matches and played all 900 minutes to date this year, logging 49 saves against 11 goals allowed while facing 134 shots for a GAA of 1.10 and an .817 save rate to go 6-2-2 with a pair of shutouts.
 
As a unit, CMU has outscored teams 21-11 for an average of 2.1-1.1 goals per match and has outshot times an average of 15.6-13.4 per night. They have 16 assists on their 21 goals and 49 saves in goal while taking 45 corner kicks and allowing just 39 to opponents.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
The Griffins are riding high entering this week on a three-match winning streak after having opened RMAC play with a 2-0 win over South Dakota Mines and a 1-0 win over Regis. They'll be downtown Thursday night taking on MSU Denver before heading up the road to Golden Sunday. Including their non-conference win over Mines back on September 24, Westminster has pitched three consecutive shutouts and has now done so five times this season.
 
Jack Cardwell now leads the team with four goals on the season and ranks inside the top 10 in the RMAC in scoring, as he's currently tied for seventh with a host of others. Armin Hasanovic, who had the game-winning PK in the first matchup with Mines, has three goals on the season as those two are responsible for seven of the team's 11 goals, with four others each scoring once. Hasanovic also leads the team with two assists, the only player with multiple this season as an additional four Griffins have one each.
 
In goal, Roark Looney and Noah Larkin continue to split time as each one started and played the duration of one match last weekend. Looney has seen the majority of the action, starting six times and playing all 540 minutes in those matches, making 17 saves against eight goals allowed while facing 48 shots for a GAA of 1.33 and a .680 save percentage while going 2-3-1 with two shutouts. Larkin, who was in goal last time out against the Orediggers, has started four times and played all 360 minutes in those contests, making a team-best 24 saves and allowing just three goals against 62 shots faced (21 of which came against Mines) for a GAA of 0.75 and a save rate of .889 with a 3-0-1 record and three shutouts.
 
Collectively, Westminster is just +1 in scoring this season with as 12-11 edge over opponents and is about even in terms of shots per game, with the opposition holding a negligible advantage at 10.9-10.6. they have six assists on their 12 goals and have combined for 41 saves in goal while taking a league-leading 63 corner kicks and allowing just 34. One item to keep an eye on, Westminster has been issued 19 yellow cards this season, this sixth-most in the RMAC to date.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines leads the all-time series with Colorado Mesa 22-5-2 and has won seven of the last 10 matches, including a 3-0 win in Grand Junction last season. The last time the teams played in Golden, the Orediggers won 2-1 in double overtime back in 2021 to improve to 12-1-1 at home in the series. CMU's last win came all the back in 2016 in Grand Junction by a score of 2-0 while their only win in Golden came in 2014. Westminster's win last month was their first in the series since 2003 and first in Golden since 1994 and snapped a stretch of 11 matches in the series without a loss for the Orediggers, which included 10 wins. Overall, Mines still leads 15-7-3 in the series and is now 9-4-1 at home and will look to atone for the 1-0 loss just two weeks ago.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will be back at home once again next weekend when they host Regis on Thursday October 12 at 6 p.m. before welcoming South Dakota Mines to town Sunday October 15 for a noon kick. Thursday's match will be Global Oredigger Night, as well as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram at @MinesMSOC and @mines_msoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.