Mines (1-2-4, 0-0-0) at #RV UCCS (4-2-2, 0-0-0) – Thursday, 7 p.m. – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (1-2-4) at #7 CSU Pueblo (6-1-1, 0-0-0) – Sunday, 1 p.m. – Pueblo, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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THE TITLE DEFENSE GETS UNDERWAY
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play gets underway this week, and following in the footsteps of the women's team, the Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team begins their RMAC title defense this week, first heading to Colorado Springs for a Thursday night bout with #RV UCCS before taking on #7 CSU Pueblo for the second time in a span of 11 days Sunday afternoon in Pueblo.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will be streamed free of charge on the RMAC Network and will have live stats through SIDEARM at UCCS and StatBroadcast at CSU Pueblo.
 
WEEK 4 RECAP
It was a mixed bag last weekend at home for the Orediggers, as they broke through for their first win of the season Thursday night against then #3 CSU Pueblo courtesy of an Ian Kugler goal in the second half to knock of last year's national runners-up by a score of 1-0. Sunday though was a different story against Westminster, as despite having a healthy advantage on the shot chart, the Orediggers were unable to find a way to finish any of those looks while the Griffins cashed in a penalty kick with 14 minutes to play to earn the win 1-0.
 
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 five years at the helm, Mulholland 85-21-16 overall with a mark of 57-3-6 in RMAC play. His overall winning percentage through the 2022 season ranks #3 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.
 
KOOL UNDER PRESSURE
Ian Kugler is no stranger to big moments. The fifth-year senior from Littleton has appeared in 56 career matches in the silver and blue and helped lead Mines to a combined seven RMAC regular season and tournament titles, so it should come as no surprise that he was right at home against the ThunderWolves last Thursday. His game-winning goal was the second such score of his career and now gives him at least one goal in every season he has played in Golden. When asked about his game-winning goal, Kugler said, "I was honestly looking to pass the ball. Then their entire defense just sagged back and I wasn't going to let that opportunity slip by." Slip by, the opportunity did not as Kugler will look for more of the same this weekend.
 
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 to seventh, while Colorado Mesa and UCCS swapped spots with just about with the Mavericks debuting at #24 while the Mountain Lions dropped out this week but still earned votes. Early season opponents Cal Poly Pomona and Can State San Bernardino remain ranked at #13 and #21 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.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Ian Kugler became the fourth different goal scorer for Mines this season Thursday night, as he joins Nathan Dreher and Chris Seery with one apiece while Marc Zimmerman remains the clubhouse leader with three. Freshman Alex Gonzalez was credited with his team-leading second assist of the year on the Kugler goal, while John Burnett and Quin Collins each have one.
 
Caden Allaire recorded his first career shutout in the win over Pueblo and logged six saves in doing so, his second highest total of the season. He's started every match and played all 630 minutes to date, making 26 saves, good for third in the RMAC, while allowing nine goals for a GAA of 1.29 and a .743 save rate.
 
This year, the Orediggers have been outscored 9-6 and outshot by opponents 13.7-11.9 per match. They have four assists on their six goals and have 26 saves in goals while attempting 31 corner kicks and are 1-1 from the penalty spot on the season.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
The Mountain Lions went 1-1 last weekend, taking a 2-1 decision on the road last Wednesday against Westminster before being bested on their homecoming weekend by CSU Pueblo 1-0 on Sunday afternoon. UCCS started the season with three-straight wins followed by back-to-back draws before falling to then #13 Rogers State for what was at the time their lone loss of the season.
 
Five players have accounted for 10 of the Mountain Lions 11 goals in 2023 (the 11th was an own goal against Westminster), as Alex Andersson leads the way with five goals and has been one of the top scorers in the RMAC this season. The only other player with multiple goals is Cole Van Holland with two, while three others have a single tally. Five players account the balance of assists logged by the Mountain Lions this season, as Marvin Putu leads with three while Rory Scott, Ben Ashfield and Kolby Raineri, one of the most lethal goal scorers in the RMAC in 2022, all have two each with Bogdan Vedernikov adding one.
 
In goal this season, 2022 All-Region selection Declan Domyan has been usurped by Russell Soren, who has started seven of eight matches for 630 minutes and gone 3-2-2 with a 1.00 GAA and .811 save percentage, making 30 stops against seven goals allowed with two shutouts. Domyan started his only action of the season against Westminster, picking up with win after allowing one goal and making one save against seven shots faced.
 
Collectively, UCCS has outscored teams 11-8 and is averaging 11.9 shots per match and allowing 12.6. They have collected 10 assists on their goals and keepers have made 31 saves while taking 41 corner kicks. Two items to note, the Mountain Lions are 0-2 from the penalty spot on the season and have been issued 18 cards in eight matches.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
After being dealt their first loss of the season, CSU Pueblo didn't take long to get back in the win column as they knocked off #25 UCCS Sunday by a score of 1-0 in Colorado Springs courtesy of the RMAC's leading scorer Gabriel Campora who now has eight goals to his credit in 2023.
 
He's one of eight different players who have scored this year and is one of four with two more goals joined by Ricardo Schroeder, Jr. with three while Shjon Andrews and Dyland Zavatini have two. Another four ThunderWolves each have one goal on the season. It's no surprise that the team with the leading scorer in the league also commands the league leaders in assists too, as Caio Oliviera recorded his seventh of the season Sunday, just two less than the rest of the team combined. Campora and Ignatius DeMark each have two while five others have one apiece.
 
In goal, Mines will likely stare down Tristan Whitlock once more, as the sophomore keeper has started six of eight matches for CSUP this season, logging 486 minutes and making 10 saves with just two goals allowed for a 0.37 GAA and .833 save rate while going 5-1-1 with two shutouts. His backup has been the freshman import from Germany Ruben Volkert, who has started twice in four outings with 234 minutes to his credit and three saves against five goals allowed with a 1.92 GAA and .375 save percentage while going 1-0-1.
 
As a unit, the ThunderWolves have outscored teams 19-7 and average 14 shots per night while allowing only six. They have 16 assists on their 19 goals and their goalies have combined for 13 saves. They have recorded 42 corner kicks while allowing just 22 to opponents and have yet to have a PK opportunity this season. Once more, an item to watch is the card count; 22 total cards have been issued to Pueblo this season in eight matches, as they picked up another two in each match last weekend.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday night will be the 69th all-time meeting between the Orediggers and Mountain Lions with Mines leading 50-15-3 and having won 10 in a row and 14 of the last 16 matches overall. The last time the teams met in Colorado Springs with in 2021 which saw the Orediggers win 5-1 to improve to 22-9 away from home in the series. Mines won both meetings last year at home in the regular season and the RMAC tournament by scores of 1-0. Last week's win over Pueblo snapped seven-match winless streak in the series for Mines as they moved to 42-13-7 against the ThunderWolves all-time. On the road, the Orediggers are 18-7-5 and last won in Pueblo in 2018 in overtime by a final score of 3-2. Last season's match in Pueblo went the way of the home team by a score of 4-0.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will be back at home next weekend to continue Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play when the host Colorado Mesa Thursday September 5 at 4:30 p.m. before once more welcoming Westminster to town Sunday October 8 at 12 p.m. Both dates will be played as doubleheaders with the Mines women's team.
 
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.