GOLDEN, Colo. – Back at Stermole Stadium for their final weekend of action in the 2024 regular season, the #1 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team got their long-awaited crack at the team that ended 2023 on their home field Friday night as they lined up opposite #18 Colorado Mesa. In a match that had all the feel of a postseason affair, it was the Orediggers (16-0-1, 10-0-1) who were able to atone for last season's shortcomings against the Mavericks (11-2-2, 9-1-0), led by two goals from Cloey Seltzer as part of a 3-0 victory.
 
Neither side wasted much time getting off their first shots of the night in the opening five minutes, but the first real scoring chance from Seltzer in the 14th minute as she ripped a shot at Keely Wieczorek that was batted away over the crossbar and resulting in a corner kick. Mines took three shots in the following minutes after things went back in play with the final of the set being a rip from Bella Campos that was smothered by Wieczorek in the 17th minute to keep things level.
 
The Orediggers continued to press their attack as the half went on, forcing the Mavericks to play on their heels and not being able to mount any counters of substance when they did have possession. The pressure applied by Mines finally broke through the CMU lines in the 31st minute, resulting in the first goal of the night. Jolie Jiricek played a long ball up the far sideline to Reese McDermott, who collected and raced ahead before cutting up the endline and crossing back to the center of the field from inside the far edge of the penalty area. With a little help on the pass from a deflection off a Mavs defender, Seltzer finished the play off with a volley high over Wieczorek to take the 1-0 lead.
 
Goal number two followed 11 minutes later in the 42nd as another long ball led to a score. Colorado Mesa threatened with a corner kick, but the Orediggers' defense cleared it back up field to McDermott in front of the Mines bench. McDermott dished to Kaitlyn Manalili who crossed midfield and chipped one ahead to Ellise Putnam, who had outrun a pair of defenders to set up a one-on-one with Wieczorek and winning that contest, sliding a shot to the back post to double the lead to 2-0.
 
Allie Lundgren made a pair of saves in the 42nd and 45th minutes, the second of which was saved high off a Sarah Dunn shot and setting up a CMU corner kick. The ensuing scramble in front of goal in the closing seconds of the half so Ally Wachtel rattle the frame off the near post but that was all as the half closed with Mines ahead by two.
 
 With the resumption of play in the second half, Mines continued to apply pressure in their attacking half and forcing a turnover by Colorado Mesa as they tried to advance the ball up field. Afton Rasco intercepted a pass on the near side and after spinning a Mavs player off her hip and juking another, she centered the ball before passing wide to the far side for Seltzer. The senior from Haslet, Texas gathered and continued to advance the attack, weighing her choices before pulling up with a left-footed strike from about 20 yards out and going left to right on goal, going top shelf to the near post as Wieczorek never had a chance on the play as the lead swelled to 3-0.
 
Finding themselves in unfamiliar territory, CMU attempted to mount some offense of their own after play resumed. Adessa Correa helped lead the charge, putting a shot on frame in the 59th minute to no avail before Maddie Thorsen took aim in the 69th minute but also came away empty-handed. Parker Mares gave everyone in attendance a post-halloween fright in the 73rd minute as she banged a shot off the near post for the final scoring threat of the night by the visitors.
 
The Mines defense did their part to take things home, as Colorado Mesa's final three chances of the night all missed high and wide. Bella Campos tried to tack on a fourth goal late, ripping a banger of a shot that saw Wieczorek go full-extension to make the leaping save but three proved to be enough as the Orediggers secured the victory and put themselves in the driver's seat of the RMAC standings with the 3-0 result.
 
NOTABLES
-Seltzer's two goals were her second and third of the season and the ninth and 10th of her career as she now has seven goals over the last two seasons; Seltzer also now has three career goals against the Mavericks
-Putnam netted her fourth goal of the season and also hit double figures in goals in her career, giving her 10 goals to go with 15 assists for 35 points in 76 matches
-McDermott ran her streak of consecutive matches with a point to eight thanks to her fifth assist of 2024 on the opening goal, tying her for the second-longest streak in program history with Emily Garnier (2014-17)
-Additionally, McDermott now finds herself on the cusp of the top five in all-time assists, one back of Kayla Mitchell's (2006-09) mark of 18 for fifth on that list
-Manalili added another tally to her assist total raising her season total to six, becoming the sixth different player in the last three seasons to hit that mark
-Lundgren carded shutout number eight on the season and closed with four saves, making up for the 1-0 decision she found herself on the wrong end of in the second round of last year's NCAA Championships and cementing herself in seventh all-time with nine career shutouts
-Mines outshot Colorado Mesa 16-14 overall in the match and 6-4 in shots on target
-Campos, Seltzer and Butler each finished the night with four shots apiece
-The Orediggers improve to 20-6-1 all-time against the Mavericks and 10-4-0 at home
-With other results around the league Friday night, remains atop the standings with 31 points, four ahead of Colorado Mesa and seven clear back to MSU Denver in third; Mines has just one match remaining while CMU and MSUD each have two as things will remain tight in the race for the regular season title
 
UP NEXT
Mines closes out the regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. against Westminster. Sunday will be Senior Day as members of this year's class will be recognized in a pre-match ceremony.
 
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.