GOLDEN, Colo. – Back at Stermole Stadium Friday night against a ranked opponent for the second time in as many weeks, the eighth-ranked Colorado School of Mines women's soccer teams and #20 Colorado Mesa played to a scoreless draw. As the top two teams in the standings entering the night, the Orediggers (9-2-2, 6-1-1) and Mavericks (10-2-1, 6-0-1) found it tough going offensively all night as while the teams combined for 35 shots over the course of the night, 90 minutes of action saw no change on the scoreboard.
 
From the opening whistle, CMU looked to set the tone with physical play and plenty of shots on goal. Allie Lundgren was put to work for the first time just 61 seconds into the evening and made a pair of saves in the opening 10 minutes.
 
Lindsay Jeans and Sam Forde looked to get the Orediggers attacking the other way and they took aim against Keely Wieczorek in the 14th and 18th minutes but had no luck getting past the reigning RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
As the half wore on, shots continued to stack in favor of Colorado Mesa but not many ever threatened to get past Lundgren as many missed their mark high, wide or both. Perhaps the best look of the night for Mines came in the 31st minute when Natalie Rouse looked to head home a corner kick to the near post, but instead of tucking inside the frame she struck the post on a near-miss as the match remained scoreless.
 
Another offensive flurry in the final 10 minutes by the Mavericks saw four shots to end the half with Lundgren saving the only one on goal as halftime arrived with no score.
 
After the near-miss by Mines in the first half, CMU had one of their own in the first minute of the second as the second of two shots by Olivia Bariao-Arce deflected off the crossbar. Lundgren continued to stand tall in goal, stacking four more saves between the 54th and 59th minutes.
 
Both sides made use of their benches in the final 30 minutes, looking for any advantage to try and net a go-ahead score in such a close game. While the Mines offense found themselves stymied in the second half by the CMU defense, their own defense flexed their long-established muscle to contest opportunities and force long shots that resulted in easy saves from the Mavericks. It wasn't often down the stretch that Colorado Mesa managed a shot inside 20 yards, with most of their opportunities coming from 25 yards out or more and allowing Lundgren ample time to make plays defensively.
 
In the end, 90 minutes came and went with neither side finding the back of the net in a Top 25 battle with a final tally of 0-0.
 
NOTABLES
-Forde and Jeans led the attack on the night with two shots apiece and each putting one on frame
-Six different players attempted a shot for Mines
-Lundgren recorded a season-high nine saves against 27 total shots in the match
-Friday is the first scoreless draw for the Orediggers since October 5, 2023 at home against Fort Lewis
-The Orediggers are now 20-6-3 all-time against Colorado Mesa and 10-4-2 at home
-With the draw and other results from around the league, Mines is now third in the RMAC standings with 2.38 points per match; Colorado Mesa continues to lead at 2.71 PPM while UCCS, who officially clinched a postseason bid with their Thursday night win over New Mexico Highlands, takes over third with 2.44 PPM
-Mines will make a return to the postseason as well as they have officially clinched a spot with four matches remaining in the regular season
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers host Westminster on October 26 at 1 p.m.
 
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.