(4) #18 Colorado Mesa (16-3-1, 8-3-1 RMAC) vs. (6) Texas Woman's (11-3-4, 6-2-3 LSC) – Friday, 1 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
(2) #4 Mines (15-3-3, 9-1-2 RMAC) vs. Winner of CMU/TWU – Sunday, 1 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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WELCOME TO THE SHOW
The next wave of postseason play gets underway this weekend as the chase for the national championship is on as one of the South Central Regional takes place at Stermole Stadium starting Friday afternoon with first round action between RMAC Tournament champions Colorado Mesa and Texas Woman's from the Lone Star Conference while the Colorado School of Mines awaits the winner of that match on Sunday.
 
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 224-40-38. His .807 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Sunday certainly wasn't the outcome Mines was hoping for in the RMAC Tournament title match against Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks scored first in the opening 125 seconds and added another goal about 20 minutes later before using another quick strike to open the second half to all but put things out of reach, winning by a score of 3-0 as the Orediggers were shutout of any RMAC championships (regular season or tournament) for only the third time since 2011.
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines was on the move in the polls in last week's polls, climbing back into the top five at #4 following their quarterfinal win over Fort Lewis. Early season-foes DBU and Seattle Pacific checked in at #10 and #16 respectively, while Colorado Mesa remained #18 with UCCS and Regis again both earning votes along with Western Washington.
 
RULES REFRESHER
With the 2023 postseason being the second time through on the new overtime rules, let's review the changes that went into effect last year. To bring college soccer more in line with the FIFA Laws of the Game, 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.
 
HOME SWEET HOST
For the second year in a row, Mines earned hosting rights for the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament following an impressive performance during the regular season. The Orediggers' regular season campaign saw them go 9-1-2 at Stermole Stadium in 2023 and 4-1-1 on the road with a record of 3-0-1 against team either in the Top 25 or receiving votes, including earning some vindication with a 2-0 win over defending national champion Western Washington back on September 14. Entering the NCAA Tournament for the 15th consecutive season with a record of 16-9-8 over the first 14 trips, Mines will look to repeat and surpass last season's run, which also started at Stermole Stadium and culminated in an appearance in the national quarterfinals. By earning host rights and a first round bye, the Orediggers will begin their run in the second round, where they have an all-time record of 6-3-3.

RECORD SETTERS
Despite having a history that only goes back to 2005, the Mines women's soccer record book is littered with names who put up significant numbers during their time in Golden. Several current Orediggers have already added their names to the list of all-time greats in numerous single-season and career categories. Starting with Bella Campos, she's the highest scoring freshman in program history and has passed Reese McDermott for fourth on the single-season scoring list with 16 and now trails Anna Evans' 2012 campaign for third all-time by one. She's also now tied for fifth all-time with Megan Woodworth for single-season points at 35 while also recording the 18th hat trick in program history and just the second in the postseason. Speaking of McDermott, her 2022 season with 15 goals now ranks fifth all-time while her 34 career goals have her just four back of Woodworth for third all-time. Her 80 points cement her hold on fourth on that list as she now trails Woodworth in that department by 40 while her 11 game-winning goals also rank fourth all-time. Ellise Putnam needs just one more assist to tie for the fourth-most in a season in program history while Landry Corbett is just outside the top five in career assists with 16. Between the pipes, Sadie Wolf is now third all-time in shutouts with 18, passing Sam Zumbro and is one shy of fifth for most shutouts in a season at 11.
 
THEY'RE THE BEST AROUND
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced its major award winners and All-Conference teams before the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals, the Orediggers had quite the haul. Three of the five major awards came to Golden this year, with Bella Campos being named Freshman of the Year, Natalie Rouse earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and Reese McDermott taking home Player of the Year accolades. Ellise Putnam, the RMAC assists leader this year, landed a spot on the First Team while Katie Koehler was a Second Team selection for the second consecutive season with Ava Harman rounding out the contingent with an Honorable Mention selection. Mines has now won the last three Freshman of the Year awards (McDermott Fall 2021, Afton Rasco 2022) and gone back-to-back with Defensive Player of the Year honors (Jordan Barnhart 2022) while the Player of the Year honor is the fourth in program history. Read more about the Orediggers' All-RMAC selections here.
 
HELLUVA ENGINEERS
RMAC academic honors for the 2023 season were announced last week and once again, Mines was well-represented as Reese McDermott was named Academic Player of the Year for her efforts in the classroom, becoming the third player in program history to earn the award. Katie Koehler earned First Team All-Academic honors for the third consecutive season, while 16 other Orediggers were named to the league's Academic Honor Roll. Read more about the latest round of awards here.
 
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. After scoring on a free kick on the road at Colorado Mesa back on October 26, the Orediggers have now put the ball in cage off set pieces 16 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.
 
DISHING IT OUT
Speaking of assists, there are few better in the country at it than Mines, who currently ranks seventh in all of NCAA Division II with 2.48 assists per game and fifth in total assists with 52. Saint Rose leads the way with 70 assists while Belmont Abbey has 58 with Charleston and UCS Beaufort logging 57 and 55 each. Ellise Putnam, the team leader with nine assists on the season, now ranks tied for 14th 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, a trend they will look to continue as postseason play begins.
 
LOOKING AT THE STATS
Few players anywhere have been as good or better late in the season than Bella Campos, who has scored in seven of the last eight games and eight of the previous 10 going back to October 8. The freshman has 16 goals on the season along with four assists for 36 points and has three game-winners. Reese McDermott splashed her 11th goal and eighth assist of the year in the RMAC semifinals and is up to 30 points. Cloey Seltzer has also been a roll late in the season and is tied for third on the team with seven assists, recording three in the last three games and six in the last seven while also scoring twice for 15 points. Natalie Rouse (6G, 1A) and Katie Koehler (4G, 2A) are threats to score in the set piece game and lead a stellar defensive unit while Ava Harman (2G, 7A) and Ellise Putnam (2G, 9A) have also been major contributors in the offensive zone this season.
 
In goal, Sadie Wolf's scoreless streak came to an end in the RMAC championship match, but the sophomore has still put up solid numbers this season, posting 10 solo shutouts and clocking 1,495 minutes in 20 matches with 18 starts, making 28 saves against nine goals allowed for a 0.54 GAA and .757 save percentage. Backing her up this year primarily has been Keira Garcia, who has started twice in four matches for 225 minutes with five saves against one goal allowed. Emma Carstens and Allie Lundgren also saw time and combined for 149 minutes and five saves with one goal allowed between them.
 
Collectively, the Orediggers have outscored teams 59-11 this season and are averaging 2.81 goals per game while taking 22.3 shots per contest and have limited teams to just 0.52 goals 7.4 shots per game. They have 52 assists on their 59 goals and have combined for 38 saves in goal. They've taken 122 corner kicks while allowing just 51 and are 2-2 on penalties this season while not yet allowing an attempt to the opposition.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS WOMAN'S
The Pioneers will be making just their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend when they come to Golden and will be hoping for a different result than their last showing in 2019, when they played Utah Tech (formerly known as Dixie State) to a 2-2 draw through overtime before being bested 4-3 in a shootout down in Colorado Springs.
 
TWU went 11-2-4 during the regular season and finished fourth in the Lone Star Conference standings with a mark of 6-2-3, earning hosting rights in the first round of the LSC Tournament but falling in overtime to Midwestern State by a final score of 2-1. Of the three total losses on the year for Texas Woman's, two of them have been at the hands of the Mustangs.
 
Freshman Alyssa Striker has been at the head of the offense for the Pioneers this season, leading the team in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11), earning Second Team All-LSC and All-Freshman Team honors for her efforts. Gisella Gutierrez scored three goals this season, including two game-winners, along with an assist in a mostly reserve role this season, coming off the bench 14 times in 18 matches. Erica Brelove, also an All-Freshman Team and Second Team All-LSC honoree this season, added three goals of her own from her spot on the defensive line and was one of just two players to start all 18 matches this season.
 
Rylee Avery and Ailyn Oliveros also earned All-Freshman honors from the LSC, while Alyssa Valdez took home Second Team honors. Avery and Valdez combined for three goals and three assists as defensive backs for TWU and were key lynchpins in a defense that allowed just six goals in 1,640 minutes this season while Oliveros scored one goal from her midfield spot, but it was a critical one as it was a game-winner against West Texas A&M.
 
Between the pipes, Second Team All-LSC selection Amanda Farris has been the headliner, playing all but 41 minutes this season and starting in all 18 matches, allowing only six goals while registering 49 saves for a 0.34 GAA and an .891 save rate with a record of 11-3-4 with 11 solo shutouts while combining for two more. Backing her up has been Sydney Kurtz, who has appeared in two matches and made three saves while not allowing a goal.
 
On the season, Texas Woman's is +16 in scoring margin, outscoring teams 22-6. They average 1.22 goals and 14.2 shots per match while allowing 0.33 goals and 9.6 shots. They have 14 assists on their 22 goals and have combined for 52 saves and attempted 82 corner kicks while allowing just 47. The Pioneers have yet to attempt a penalty kick this season while the opposition is 1-2 from the spot in 2023.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
The Mavericks are riding high entering the NCAA Tournament following a clean sweep in the RMAC Tournament that included back-to-back shutouts over Westminster and Mines in the semifinals and championship to earn the silver cup this season.
 
Sauvelyne Randel has been a big part of CMU's success all season and especially in the postseason, as she scored a goal and recorded an assist in two of three RMAC Tournament games and going back to the regular season finale, has scored four times with three assists for 11 points. On the year, she leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and is tied for the team lead in assists with six. She's the only player for the Mavericks with double-digit goals and her 32 points are almost double the next person on the team. That next person is Kylie Wells, who has now scored in CMU's last four games including Sunday's title match and now has found the net eight times with three assists for 19 points. RMAC Tournament MVP Mikayla Eccher scored twice on Sunday and now has six goals and an assist for 13 points this season. Abby Fotheringham (5A, 4A) and Adessa Correa (4G, 3A) have also been involved this postseason and are ones to keep an eye on, as is Haley Klasner, who is tied with Randel atop the leaderboard with six assists. Overall, 14 different players have scored for CMU this year while an even dozen have at least one assist.
 
In goal, freshman Keely Wieczorek has been the everyday starter between the pipes for Colorado Mesa, logging 1,724 minutes in their 20 matches and making 54 saves against 14 goals allowed for a 0.73 GAA and a .794 save rate while posting a 16-3-1 record with eight solo shutouts. She's been backed up by Chloe Dody who has appeared in just three matches for 76 minutes and has two saves while not allowing a goal.
 
On the year, the Mavericks have outscored teams 51-14 and averaged 2.55 goals and 19.6 shots per match while allowing 0.70 goals and 8.4 shots. They have 33 assists on their 51 goals with 56 combined saves in goal and attempted 101 corner kicks while allowing only 69. When it comes to PKs, CMU is 4-7 on the year while opponents are 1-1.
 
SERIES HISTORY
With the first-round bye, Mines will await the winner of the match Friday between Texas Woman's and Colorado Mesa. Against the Pioneers, the Orediggers are 3-1-1 all time and 3-0-0 when playing at Stermole. The teams last met on opening weekend in the 2022 season, which resulted in a 4-0 win for Mines. Following Sunday's loss to the Mavericks, Mines is now 19-5-1 all-time in the series and 9-3-0 when playing at home. The win Sunday also marked the first win in Golden for CMU since October 21, 2007 and now gives them wins in two of the last four meetings overall after enduring a 17-match winless streak from 2008 to the spring 2021 season.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
With a win, the Orediggers will extend their season and advance to the third round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship and will await the winner of the other half of the South Central Region bracket, taking on either Dallas Baptist, UCCS or St. Mary's (TX). With a loss, Mines' 2023 campaign will come to a conclusion.
 
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.