GOLDEN, Colo. – Playing on their home pitch for just the third time this season, the #13 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team put on a show for the home faithful Friday night with a 2-1 win over #10 UCCS. After the Orediggers (8-2-1, 5-1-0) and Mountain Lions (9-2-2, 5-1-1) swapped early goals in the first nine minutes, a Natalie Rouse header off a set piece by Afton Rasco in the 61st minute ended up being the difference in a thrilling match.
 
Action abounded throughout the match starting with the opening whistle. Just 61 seconds into the action, Bella Campos collided with goalkeeper Nylah Mirshafiei trying to chase down a ball from Kaitlyn Manalili. Both players went down in a heap following the hit as the officials awarded a penalty kick to the Orediggers despite protests from the UCCS side looking for a free kick the other way. Callie Fuhr stepped up to take the shot and converted once again, lining her shot opposite of Mirshafiei's dive to the upper corner of the back post to get on the board first.
 
The Mountain Lions needed just 6:02 to mount a response as they leveled the score in the eighth minute of action. Following an attempted clear by the Orediggers, Elise Broberg kept things in play near midfield before getting it played back to her in the near corner by Emily Aguilar. Broberg, with plenty of space to work with, played a service to the top of the six to a waiting Abby Stassi who finished with a header to the near post to draw even at 1-1.
 
As the action resumed, each side had a chance to gain the edge in the following minutes. Rasco took aim in the 19th minute only to be turned away by Mirshafiei while Luka Johnson and Emily Aguilar each rattled the frame in the 17th and 25th minutes of action. Jessica Rockwell had a go against Allie Lundgren in the 36th minute off a free kick, but the long-range shot was handled with ease.
 
A key moment in the match came with just under seven minutes remaining in the opening half as UCCS looked to a promising buildup with a chance to take the lead. Casey Tadlock played a ball to Tay Levi who methodically worked through the Mines defense to the top of the penalty area before dishing to a cutting Stassi. With Lundgren charging out to meet the challenge, Allyson Townsend stepped up to make a risky challenge that saw both her and Stassi hit the deck without a whistle as Lundgren secured the ball while the decision not to award a penalty was met with ire by the Mountain Lions fans in attendance.
 
Stassi had one final look in the closing moments a half that saw the physicality consistently increase as the action went on, but another Lundgren save saw the first 45 minutes come and go with the score level at a goal apiece.
 
The start of the second half was about as uneventful as the start of the first half was eventful. Outside a pair of fouls and a pair of corner kicks for UCCS, not much transpired in the first 15 minutes of the period, but all that changed in the 61st minute. With Mines pressing their attack, Rasco played a long ball ahead up the far side to Linsday Jeans. Jeans looked to cross back inside but it was deflected out by a Mountain Lion defender to set up a corner kick.
 
Rasco headed over the far corner and after getting the ball set to her liking, played a beautiful ball to the center of the six that first glanced off the head of a UCCS defender before being squared up off the head of Rouse straight past Mirshafiei to put the Orediggers back ahead.
 
The Mountain Lions, now trailing for the second time, pushed the pace and looked to net another quick equalizer but found the going much tougher against a reinvigorated Mines defense. As the second half shot chart continued to stack in favor of UCCS, the Orediggers dug in their heels to make their stand. A volley by Aguilar in the 81st minute required Lundgren to make a spectacular save, punching the ball clear high over the crossbar, but it was a sequence in the 88th minute that truly determined the outcome of the evening.
 
Another patient buildup by UCCS saw a cross from the far side of the field by Broberg gathered up and shot through traffic by Brooke Pavlich. Pavlich's volley seemingly missed off the near post and came right back into play right at the feet of Viktoria Valdimarsdottir who appeared to level the match with the putback. However, after a conference between the officials, the goal was waved off after the initial shot was ruled to have gone out of bounds and come back in play off the transport wheel of the goal as Mines retained their 2-1 lead.
 
Following that chaotic sequence of events, play resumed with a goal kick as the Orediggers managed to stave off a final frenzied effort by the Mountain Lions to extend their winning streak to three and remain unbeaten at home with the result.
 
NOTABLES
-Fuhr's goal was her second of the season as she improves to 2-2 on PKs and now has three career goals
-After scoring the first goal of her career using her feet last Sunday, Rouse returned to her usual method of using her head to score her third goal of the season; two of her three goals this season have come by way of headers as, have nine of her 10 career goals
-Rasco collected her fifth assist of the season and second in as many matches as she continues to have a career year in that metric
-Lundgren carded three saves in the winning effort in goal
-Townsend made her first career start at Stermole Stadium Friday night, playing a career-high 82 minutes on the heels of her first career start Sunday at MSU Denver
-Natalie Mezarina made her first career start Friday night
-Mines improves to 20-8-2 in 30 all-time meetings with UCCS and is now 12-3-1 at home with wins of 2-1 in three of their last four wins in the series
 
UP NEXT
Mines closes the weekend at home Sunday at 2:30 p.m. against Western Colorado in the second game of a doubleheader following the men's match with Colorado Mesa. Senior Day festivities for the seven members of this year's class will be held following the conclusion of the match.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's soccer on X 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.