#16 Mines (6-2-2, 2-1-1 RMAC) vs. Fort Lewis (5-0-4,  1-0-2 RMAC) – Thursday, 7 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#16 Mines (6-2-2, 2-1-1 RMAC) vs. Western Colorado (1-6-2, 1-2-0 RMAC) – Sunday, 2:30 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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KEEPING GOOD GOING
After regaining their footing at home last weekend, the #16 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team will look to maintain their momentum as Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play continues, when they again take the pitch at Stermole Stadium this weekend to host Fort Lewis and Western Colorado.
 
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 215-39-37. His .802 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 5 REVIEW
Mines rebounded from an out of character start to RMAC play to notch two wins at home and earn six big points in the standings, knocking off Black Hills 8-0 Friday night before scoring three unanswered goals Sunday against Regis to win 3-1. Four different players put the ball in the net Friday night against the Yellow Jackets, including Reese McDermott who recorded her second career hat trick, Bella Campos who recorded her second multi-goal game of the season, Natalie Rouse and Kate Clady who scored for the first time in her career. Sunday against Regis, Mines spotted the Rangers an early lead, but Paola Rubi, McDermott and Laura Butler responded with a goal each as the Orediggers rallied for the win on Senior Day.
 
IN THE POLLS
The latest United Soccer Coaches Poll was released Tuesday and saw Mines climb four spots to #16 this week. RMAC rival Colorado Mesa rose to at #4 after rising to that spot last week while UCCS garnered votes once again in this week's edition. Week two opponent Dallas Baptist dropped to #17 following another draw this week. 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 67 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 Mithcell (2006-09). When it comes to shutouts, Sadie Wolf now has 10 in her young career and has now passed Penny Rogers (2008-11) for sixth all-time and now trails Sierra Roth (2018-21) by two.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS
Two weeks of conference play are in the books, and Mines as a unit along with several individuals can find their names atop the RMAC leaderboards. The Orediggers are the highest scoring team in the league with 29 goals, followed closely by Colorado Mesa with 27 and have attempted an eye-watering 213 shots on the season, 97 of which have been on goal, as again the Mavericks are the next closest team with 161 and 80 respectively. Mines is also atop the league with 28 assists with the next closest team being 12 behind and once again being CMU.
 
As far as individuals go, Reese McDermott leads the league in shots on goal (21), is second in total shots (39) and tied for the scoring lead with seven alongside Natalie Bunch of Regis and Mesa's Sauvelyne Randel. Bella Campos isn't far behind, as her six goals are fourth in the conference with Natalie Rouse also inside the top ten, as she's tied for sixth with four scores. Ellise Putnam valuted herself into second in the RMAC in assists with five following a three-assist night against BHSU Friday, while Campos is tied for three with three dimes with a host of others.
 
WANNA SEE A HAT TRICK?
For the second time in her Mines career, Reese McDermott showed why she is one of the most prolific scorers in program history, turning in the second hat trick of her career Friday night against Black Hills State, and needing a mere 36 minutes of on-field action to do so. The junior from Houston scored the night's first goal in the seventh minute on a through ball from Afton Rasco before adding another tally in the 27th minute, getting behind the defense and winning a one-on-one with the goalie before wrapping up her night with another goal in the 48th minute to start the second half before calling it a night. Last year, McDermott logged her first hat trick in the second match of the year against Midwestern State, scoring once in the first half and twice in the second and playing 54 minutes in that match.
 
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 10 matches for Mines and made three starts, and currently ranks second on the club with six goals and tied for second when it comes to assists with three, for a total of 15 points, second only to McDermott. She scored twice in her debut match and did so again Friday against Black Hills State, while dishing out two assists Sunday 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 six matches and is likely a leading candidate at this point for RMAC Freshman of the Year.
 
BANG YOUR HEAD
When it comes to finishing set pieces this season, few anywhere in the RMAC or in Division II have been as effective as Natalie Rouse, a UNLV transfer who arrived at Mines in January. The redshirt sophomore has been a mainstay on the Orediggers' back line all season, leading the team with 875 minutes but has also been a scoring threat on free kicks and corners. Friday night against BHSU, she headed home a corner from Landry Corbett in the upper left corner of goal for her fourth score of the season, all of which have been headers and all of which have come off of set pieces (the first two goals she scored came via free kicks and the third came on a corner). Just goes to show that headbanging, when done in the right context, can be very effective.
 
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 2.8 assists per game and tied for third with 28 on the year. Only Catawba (35) and Belmont Abbey (31) have more assists, but have also done so in one and two fewer matches than Mines respectively. Ellise Putnam, the team leader with five assists on the season, now ranks tied for 13th in the country in that category and is one of 15 different players with at least one assist, and one of six with at least two. Suffice to say, the Orediggers are really good at playing team soccer, and not having one person have to do all the work to put the ball in the back of the cage.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Reese McDermott and Natalie Rouse took home RMAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors respectively as was announced Tuesday. For McDermott, she lands the honor for the second time in her career and first time in nearly two calendar years while Rouse takes home her third weekly award in the first five weeks of the season. Read more about their weekend accomplishments here.
 
LOOKING AT THE STATS
Following a weekend that saw her score four goals, Reese McDermott is now the clubhouse leader with seven on the season while Bella Campos is close behind with six. Natalie Rouse is keeping pace and has four while Katie Koehler and Cloey Seltzer each have two to round out the group of five multi-goal scorers, while seven others have scored once each. After tying the single-game program record for assists Friday night, Ellise Putnam now leads the way with five on the season with McDermott, Campos, Ava Harman and Landry Corbett each adding three apiece with Afton Rasco tallying two and another nine players each with one.
 
In goal, Sadie Wolf remains the regular between the pipes, having started seven times in nine appearances for 585 minutes and making nine saves against six goals allowed for a GAA of 0.92 and a .600 save rate against 46 shots for a 5-2-1 record with two solo shutouts. Keira Garcia has been the main reserve, starting twice in four matches for 225 minutes and making five saves and allowing one goal for a GAA of 0.40 and a .833 save rate while going 1-0-1 with a solo shutout. Emma Carstens made her season debut for senior weekend at home and has started once in two matches for 90 minutes, making one save and allowing one goal while combining for a shutout.
 
On the year, mines has outscored teams 29-8 and is putting up close to three goals per match while allowing less than one and outshooting teams 21.3-6.8 per night. They have 28 assists on their 29 goals and have 15 combined saves defensively while attempting 45 corner kicks and allowing just 23.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Despite a rather unconventional looking record, the Skyhawks are yet unbeaten in 2023 and are just one win shy of matching their total from all of 2022, winning five times while coming away with a draw on another four occasions. Currently in seventh in the league standings with five points, the Skyhawks went 1-0-1 at home last weekend, handily dispatching New Mexico Highlands by a tally of 6-0 before playing Adams State to a scoreless draw Sunday in the second of two meetings between the teams this year (FLC beat ASU 2-1 in Alamosa in non-conference play on September 4). This weekend will be a major test for Fort Lewis, as their success has come against teams that have a combined record of 19-30-23, with two teams (Midwestern State and Chaminade) accounting for 10 of those opponent wins.
 
13 different players have put the ball in the cage for FLC in nine matches, with three players tallying multiple goals led by senior Aubrey Swindle with three while freshman Ashlyn Salas and junior Anika Scherer have two each with 10 others scoring once. Swindle and freshman Haley Stafford lead the team with three assists, while junior Sabrina Reyes and senior Ellizabeth David each have a pair, as that group accounts for 10 of the team's 12 assists.
 
In goal, Riley Bravin has been the leading lady, starting eight times in nine matches for 503 minutes, but has only played a full 90 minutes on two occasions. She's logged nine saves while allowing just two goals in that span against 35 shots faced for a 0.36 GAA and .818 save percentage with one solo shutout and four combined shutouts with a 4-0-2 record. Her tag team partner has been Katlyn Rosenbaum, who has started once in seven matches and logged 307 minutes and also allowed just two goals while making a team-best 10 saves for a 0.59 GAA and an .833 save rate against 27 shots faced while going 1-0-2.
 
Collectively, Fort Lewis has outscored teams 17-4 this season and is averaging close to two goals per games while allowing 0.44 to opponents and doing so while outshooting teams 15.4-6.9. They have 12 assists on their 17 goals and have combined for 19 saves in goal while attempting 43 corner kicks while limiting teams to just 22.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
2023 has not been kind to Western Colorado, but they did break through for their first win of the season at home last weekend over New Mexico Highlands 3-1 to rebound from a 1-0 setback to Adams State. The Mountaineers now sit tied for ninth in the RMAC standings with CSU Pueblo and Black Hills State with three points.
 
Caileen Sienknecht has been the leading scorer for WCU this season and is the only player with multiple goals to her ledger with three and has done so on 15 shots, seven of which have been on goal. Natsuki Murakami, Sarah Connolly, Luci Gulbransen, Reece Mercer and Tawney Roberts each have one goal apiece. Murakami is tied with two others for the team lead in assists with one alongside Natasha Kasozi and Laura Pelino.
 
In goal, Mei Hayashizaki has played all but 90 minutes this season and started all nine matches she has appeared in for 720 minutes, making 39 saves against 13 goals allowed while facing 106 shots for a GAA of 1.63 and a .750 save rate while going 1-6-2 with a shutout. Aubree Orosco, last year's everyday starter as a freshman, has come off the bench twice in a reserve role this season to play 90 minutes, including the second half of their win over ASU Sunday, and has made six saves against one goal allowed, facing 12 shots for a GAA of 1.00 and a save percentage of .857.
 
As a team, Western Colorado has been outscored 14-8 this season and is giving up more than 1.5 goals per match, but is putting up comparable numbers on the shot chart, only trailing 13.1-12.6 as they have attempted 113 shots with 48 on goal. They have combined for three assists on their eight goals and made 45 saves in goal while attempting 54 corners kicks and allowing 45 to the opposition.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Against the Skyhawks, the Orediggers are 18-7-2 all-time and have won four in a row and 13 of the last 15 meetings going back to 2013, going 13-1-1 over that span. Eight of those wins have come in Golden, where Mines is 11-1-0 all-time including a 3-1 victory last season. When it comes to Western Colorado, Mines has also enjoyed a great deal of success, leading the series 11-1-0 all-time and winners of the last eight meetings. Last season, the Orediggers picked up a 1-0 win at home to improve to 7-0-0 all-time when playing at home, and have not allowed a goal to the Mountaineers since 2016, recording seven consecutive shutouts.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will return to the road for their next two matches, but won't be travelling far for either of them, as they'll be heading over to Lakewood to faceoff with Colorado Christian Thursday morning October 12 at 11 a.m. before heading downtown to take on MSU Denver Sunday October 15 at 12 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.