GOLDEN, Colo. – For the 10th time in the program's 20-year history, the Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team laid claim to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship thanks to a 1-0 win over seventh-seeded Fort Lewis. The Orediggers (19-0-1) got an early first half goal from Reese McDermott and used another stellar defensive performance to make it stick, shutting out the Skyhawks (9-6-6) in front of a hearty crowd Saturday night at Stermole Stadium.
 
The Orediggers kicked off the contest and went right to work against a Skyhawks club who was playing their fourth match in the last eight days after advancing to the final all the way from the play-in match against Regis on November 9 in Durango. Four shots went up in the opening 10 minutes as McDermott, Ellise Putnam and Afton Rasco all delivered near-misses that set the tone for the match.
 
The fifth shot of the contest was the one that found its mark off the right boot of McDermott in the 13th minute. Kaitlyn Manalili played the ball ahead from just across midfield up the far side for the RMAC Co-Player of the Year, who gathered and raced ahead, turning inside just a bit and shaking a defender before pulling up for a shot from 20 yards out and going across the face of goal past Riley Bravin and inside the near post to take the 1-0 lead.
 
FLC looked to mount an answer following the kickoff but consecutive looks by Josie Coulter and Sabrina Reyes were blocked away by the defense in the 16th minute. Putnam looked to double the lead in the 22nd minute but Bravin responded from the early goal to make the save, while in the 32nd minute Allie Lundgren was put to the test for the first time by Rachel Peebles from long range but had no issues making the save.
 
Bella Campos and Paola Rubi each had a look at goal in the final minutes of the opening period for Mines while Amber Otts did so for Fort Lewis, but none of the three were successful in their endeavors as both Bravin and Lundgren recorded the saves heading into the intermission of a one-goal game.
 
As play resumed in the second half, the Orediggers redoubled their efforts and continued to pressure the Skyhawks in their attacking half. Campos rattled the frame with a shot off the left post in the 49th minute while Cloey Seltzer misfired twice in the moments that followed, going high over the crossbar each time.
 
Ashlyn Salas lined up a shot in the 69th minute that missed wide left before Afton Rasco tested Thursday's hero for the Skyhawks in goal Katlyn Rosenbaum in the 73rd minute as she had a crack at doubling the lead but to no avail.
 
Laura Butler brought a gasp from the crowd in the 82nd minute when her shot from the 18-yard line was just high and caromed off the crossbar and out of play as another near-miss kept it a one-score game as time began to wind down.
 
Digging deep to try and channel some more of their postseason magic, FLC made one final push in the final seven minutes in search of the equalizer. Shots by Haley Stafford and Reyes were on frame but never threatened to get past Lundgren while two further shots both missed their mark wide left.
 
A frenetic final minute of play saw the Mines defense dig their heels in one final time and following one final sequence of clears and the 10-second countdown, the Orediggers rushed the field to celebrate the 1-0 win and completing the RMAC double for the seventh time in program history.
 
NOTABLES
-McDermott's goal was her 18th of the season, seventh game-winner and 52nd of her career as she now trails Anna Evans (2010-13) for second all-time by three goals and just two goals for second in all-time game-winners
-The senior's 18 goals this season are now the third-most by an individual in program history, passing the previous mark of 17 set by Evans in 2012
-Lundgren finished with four saves and spun her ninth shutout of the season and 10th of her career as she now trails Sierra Roth (2018-21) by two for sixth all-time
-Putnam led the attack with four shots in the match while McDermott and Butler each ended with three
-Eight different players attempted a shot in the match for Mines
-The Orediggers outshot Fort Lewis 18-9 in the match and 5-4 in shots on frame
-Mines improves to 29-7-4 in the RMAC Tournament with the win Saturday and is now 9-1-1 all-time in RMAC Tournament finals
-The Orediggers now have 10 RMAC Tournament titles in the program's 20-year history and have made the postseason event 18 times, sweeping their way to the title on eight occasions
 
2024 RMAC All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player, Reese McDermott, Mines
Bella Campos, Mines
Sabrina Reyes, Fort Lewis
Allie Lundgren, Mines
Ashlyn Salas, Fort Lewis
Lauren Clingman, Mines
Amber Otts, Fort Lewis
Callie Fuhr, Mines
McKenna Ford, Fort Lewis
Cloey Seltzer, Mines
Monica Yoder, MSU Denver
Taylynn Levi, UCCS
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers will tune in the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Selection Show Monday November 18 at 5 p.m. MT to see where they'll be and who they'll play in the opening rounds of the national tournament set to begin the weekend of November 22-24.
 
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.