United Soccer Coaches Week 4 Top 25 Poll
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The fourth regular season rankings from the United Soccer Coaches Association were released on Tuesday and coming off a weekend sweep to open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action that included a celebration of the program's 20th anniversary, the Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team made history with their first appearance ranked #1 nationally.
 
Mines (8-0-0, 2-0-0) handled their business over homecoming weekend at Stermole Stadium, dispatching defending RMAC champions UCCS and CSU Pueblo by scores of 4-1 and 2-0 respectively.
 
With their ascension to #1 this week, women's soccer becomes the first women's team and seventh Mines team overall to be ranked #1 in a national poll, joining football, men's soccer, men's basketball, men's golf, men's cross country and men's track and field. Mines' previous best ranking was #2, which occurred most recently in week two of the 2023 season which was preceded a three-week stretch from weeks 8-10 in 2013.
 
Friday the Orediggers tamed the Mountain Lions behind a frenzied 15-minutes stretch in the second half that saw four goals go on the board and all but assure fans of the outcome with 20 minutes to play. Ellise Putnam bookended a sequence that started in the 55th minute and ended in the 70th with her first two goals of the season that also included an own goal by UCCS and the RMAC-leading eighth goal of the season from Reese McDermott. Despite allowing a scramble drill goal in the final 20 seconds, Allie Lundgren and the defense held UCCS to just four shots on the night and only one in the first half.
 
Sunday against the ThunderWolves, Bella Campos teamed up with Laura Butler for the go-ahead goal late in the first half off a turnover deep in Mines' attacking zone before Afton Rasco scored her third goal of the season on a short corner kick from Lauren Clingman. Again Lundgren and the defense were on their game, allowing just seven total shots for the afternoon and recording the team's sixth shutout in their first eight matches.
 
Mines usurped last week's number one Grand Valley state for the top spot to open the month of October as rest of the top five played musical chairs. Cal Poly Pomona moved up to third from fifth, Columbus State held pat in fourth and Gannon dropped from second to fifth after working a 1-0-1 weekend. MSU Denver continued to earn votes again while Colorado Mesa failed to do so this week
 
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference continues for the Orediggers this weekend as they open a four-match road trip starting Friday when the head north to take on Black Hills State before returning to the Denver metro area Sunday afternoon to take on Regis.
 
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.