Mines (1-1-3, 0-0-0 RMAC) vs. MSU Denver (1-2-3, 0-0-0 RMAC) – Thursday, 7 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV] [Tickets]
Mines (1-1-3, 0-0-0 RMAC) at Westminster (2-4-0, 0-0-0 RMAC) – Sunday, 11 a.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]

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NON-CONFERENCE FINALE
The final weekend of non-conference action awaits the Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team this weekend and features a pair of familiar opponents as MSU Denver makes the trip from downtown to Stermole Stadium Thursday night before the Orediggers catch a flight out to Salt Lake City for a Sunday showdown with Westminster.
 
FAN INFORMATION
Tickets can be purchased online in advance at minesathletics.com/tickets or at the gate on the day of the match. Mines students, faculty and staff will be admitted for free with their BlasterCard. Fans are encouraged to park in Lot K immediately to the north of Stermole Stadium. Fans as are not allowed to park in the neighborhood surrounding the Clear Creek Athletic Complex, as the City of Golden's street parking requires a permit seven days a week.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This weekend's matches will be available for purchase on the RMAC Network. Play-by-play commentary returns this fall as Alex Becker will have the call Thursday night. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
As was announced on June 30, this fall the RMAC Network is moving to a pay-per-view model for all events beginning with the 2025-26 season.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans may submit a support ticket with Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
WEEK THREE RECAP
Mines earned their second and third consecutive 2-2 draws at home last weekend against #5 Cal State Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona.
 
After jumping out to an early 1-0 lead Friday night over the Golden Eagles thanks to Charlie Newberry, LA scored twice in the first half to take the lead. It was a long ball from Newberry to Lucas Taitt late in the opening period that resulted in the equalizer for the Orediggers, who posted a second half shutout of the fifth-ranked team in Division II and ending the night with more chances to win in the second half and claimed the possession battle in the match as well.
 
Sunday against the Broncos, Mines managed to overcame an early PK for the visitors as great defensive pressure deep in the opposing end of the field resulted in a turnover and an unassisted goal for Kian Mueller to tie the match at one. Mueller scored a second unassisted goal in the second half to take the lead near the midway point of the period, but a win was not to be as CPP was awarded and converted a second penalty kick to stave off defeat and force another draw.
 
THE SKIPPER
With a record of 97-36-23 (.696) overall and 67-9-10 in RMAC action at the helm in Golden, skipper Greg Mulholland has established himself as one of the top head coaches not just in Division II, but the NCAA as a whole. His career winning percentage is good for eighth among active Division II coaches with a minimum of five years of experience, and places him in the top 40 nationally across all divisions of the NCAA. An assistant with the Orediggers from 2007-2016 who served as interim head coach in 2017 before having the interim tag dropped in 2018, Mulholland ranks among the top 10 active Division II coaches with a minimum of five years on the job in winning percentage and is 15th across the entirety of NCAA Soccer. Under his direction, Mines has claimed a combined 11 regular season and postseason championships, running off six consecutive regular season crowns from 2017-22 and four tournament titles from 2017-20. Mulholland is also a four-time RMAC Coach of the Year and has twice headed up the United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year.
 
THE CAPTAINS
Prior to opening night against Azusa Pacific, the Orediggers announced their 2025 captains with two newcomers to the role and one returner. Caden Allaire returns for his second run wearing the armband as he's joined by Luka Hanna and Carter Jansen.
 
Allaire, a transfer from Casper College, heads into his senior season as the most experienced goalkeeper on the Mines roster. Over his first two seasons, he started 24 of 26 games he appeared in and registered 89 saves against 41 goals allowed in 2,135:58 between the pipes. For his career, he's netted six wins, four shutouts and has a .685 save rate to go with a 1.73 GAA.
 
Hanna, now in his third season with Mines after playing 2022 at Tulsa, appeared in 30 matches with 11 starts in his first two seasons, scoring a goal and taking seven shots in 1,272 minutes of action and enters this fall as a key figure in the Mines midfield.
 
Jansen, a third-year player who has been a fixture on the Mines backline since his arrival in Golden in 2023, appeared in 28 matches with 22 starts heading into his junior season and logged 1,828 minutes as an outside and center back.
 
IN THE POLLS
For the second season running, Mines was tabbed to finish fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's soccer preseason coaches poll.
 
UCCS was voted the preseason favorite this fall with five of 11 first place votes followed by Fort Lewis in second with three and defending champion CSU Pueblo in third with two. Regis was just ahead of Mines in fourth while MSU Denver was picked to finish sixth to round out the projected playoff field.
 
Nationally, Lynn and Stanislaus State remained 1-2 in this week's poll followed by Southern New Hampshire, Anderson (S.C.) and Fort Lewis. CSU Pueblo dropped from third to eighth while Regis, who was in consideration last week, failed to earn votes this week.
 
HELLO, MY NAME IS…
Another 13 newcomers join the Orediggers for the 2025 season and make up more than one-third of this season's 36-man roster. 12 first-year players and a transfer make up the group which features a wide range of talent across the field. Learn more about the newcomers for this season here.
 
JOINING THE STAFF
A new face will be roaming the Mines bench in 2025 as Ben Fredrickson joined the program in May as the program's top assistant coach. Prior to joining the Orediggers, Fredrickson served as Real Colorado's Assistant Academy Director and head coach of the organization's U16 MLS Next program. A well-traveled coach with experience at a variety of levels, the New Zealander is no stranger to the RMAC as he played collegiately at Regis from 2010-13. He also played in the United Soccer League's second division as well as New Zealand First Division club Team Wellington. Learn more about Coach Fredrickson here.
 
Additionally, a former Oredigger All-American returns to the bench this season as Lucas King makes his coaching debut at the collegiate level. A six-year member of the Mines program thanks to the 2020 pandemic, King was a three-time All-RMAC and All-Region selection from the United Soccer Coaches and D2 CCA as well. He started 84 times in 91 matches in his five seasons of action and logged 62 points on 13 goals and 36 assists, the second-most in program history. 12 of King's assists came in the fall 2021 season, as that mark is the third-best in a season all-time.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Heading into his third season in Golden, Ayman Bushara was named Preseason All-RMAC heading into the 2025 season. A First Team All-RMAC honoree and All-Region selection by both D2 CCA and the United Soccer Coaches as well last fall, the Air Force transfer dazzled in his first season of action after sitting out the 2023 campaign on account of transfer regulations. Bushara's season included a seven-match scoring streak that included three game-winning scores as he ended the year with nine goals and three assists for 21 points. Heading into his final collegiate season, Bushara's veteran leadership will be relied upon heavily in 2025.
 
ART OF THE DRAW
Three matches, three results of the same score, three different paths to get there. After drawing twice last fall, Mines has already done so three times this season with all those results coming in their last three actions at Biola and at home against #5 Cal State Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona. Getting those results has seen the Orediggers navigate a different path in each contest.
 
Back on September 13 at Biola, Mines went down 1-0 right before halftime before leveling the score thanks to Charlie Newberry's header off a long throw in by Lucas Taitt just over 10 minutes into the second half. After missing a PK following an ejection of Biola's keeper around the 70th minute, the Eagles scored a short-handed goal almost immediately after before Brady Scheinfeld teamed up with Taitt on a long throw in the 73rd minute to earn the draw in a manic match that saw three yellows issued in the final four minutes.
 
Friday night against the Golden Eagles, Mines scored first on another Newberry header, this time off a Leo Santana corner kick in the fifth minute before LA scored in both the ninth and 23rd minutes to take the lead. It was only thanks to a late first half goal in which Taitt and Newberry teamed up with the Roles reversed that resulted in an equalizer before Kiernan DiBella and the defense pitched a second half shutout of the Golden Eagles in a match which saw the Orediggers dominate the final 45 minutes.
 
Sunday against the Broncos, Mines went down early as CPP converted a seventh-minute penalty kick to take the lead. Kian Mueller leveled the score in 35th minute with the first of two unassisted goals, capitalizing on a turnover deep in the Orediggers' attacking third to tie the match heading to halftime. Mueller struck again in the 62nd minute, essentially getting the assist on his own goal as a ball he played in to Jaden Igarta was deflected back out to him by a defender for a one-timer to take the 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, nine minutes later Cal Poly Pomona lucked out and was awarded a second penalty kick which they again converted to dash the hopes of a Mines win.
 
Three different matches and three different courses of action, all to arrive at the same destination. Just goes to show, the art of the draw is a varied and unpredictable thing.
 
MUELLER TIME
Kian Mueller had himself quite the outing last time out on Sunday against Cal Poly Pomona, scoring both goals for the Orediggers in their 2-2 draw for the first multi-goal performance of his career. Mueller, a sophomore, now has five points this season with an assist to go along with his two goals. In 20 matches played to this point, Mueller has three goals and two assists for eight points, doing most of his damage off the bench. As the season goes on, look for Mueller to make the most of his time on the pitch and continue to be a threat in the attacking third for the Orediggers.
 
ATTACKING WITH RENEWED VIGOR
Just five matches into the season, the Orediggers are nearly a third of the way to their scoring total from last fall (29) and already have half as many matches with at least two goals compared to the entirety of 2024 (six).  A refreshed offensive perspective has been demonstrated by the Orediggers and while they may not be stacking up double-digit shots per match, the attacks this season have been intentional and deliberate with 22 of the team's 35 shots this season being on target at a rate of .629, the highest rate in the RMAC so far this season. If Mines can keep that up over the course of the season, it might not be the flashiest way to get things done, but it will certainly keep them in the conversation among the top clubs in the conference.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Over the last two seasons, 22 first-year players have joined the Oredigger program and heading into 2025, make up nearly two-thirds of the 36-man roster. The expectation for new arrivals is high as the Silver and Navy look to reclaim their spot as one of the premier programs in the RMAC. Noah Roles, Kian Mueller, Smith Russell, Jaden Igarta and Josh Ary made good first impressions as they each contributed and tallied at least one point each in their debut seasons, while the rest of their class in Ethan Huet, Jake Macha, Brady Scheinfeld, Lucas Taitt and Dennis Polzin all eagerly await making their debuts after taking developmental years as freshmen. Meanwhile, this year's crop of newcomers looks to make a similar first year impact as two of the top prep goalkeepers in Colorado last year Kiernan DiBella and Zach MacDonald will seek to compete for playing time while the rest of the nine first-year field players will look to contribute as well.
 
WELL-TRAVELED VETERAN
It isn't any secret that the academic reputation of Mines brings folks from all points on the globe. Athletics just extends that reach farther as evidenced by Alaskan Simon Carricaburu. Carricaburu, a second-year Mines student, enters his first year with the varsity program after playing with the Orediggers' club program last year, is no stranger to playing at the collegiate level. After beginning his career in 2022 at Western Oregon and appearing in just three matches, he transferred to Santa Barbara City college and showed his potential, earning Second Team All-Region honors as part of a 10-7-5 season in which he tallied three points on a goal and an assist. Now back at the NCAA level, Carricaburu's experience will be something the Orediggers rely on to help bolster their defense.
 
THE BROTHERS LEVIN
Family ties are no stranger to the Mines community with multiple generations of families passing through the institution over the years. When looking at Mines athletics programs, family ties are regular occurrences. This season, a new family connection comes to Golden as Marc Levin and Avi Levin reunite in 2025. Natives of St. Louis and both graduates of Ladue Horton Watkins High School, the brothers never had an opportunity to play together at the varsity level as they'll have plenty of chances to do so over the next couple seasons.
 
Marc, a fourth-year junior, missed all of 2024 with injury but is a pivotal piece of Mines soccer history as he netted the game-winning penalty kick in the 2022 RMAC Men's Soccer Championship over CSU Pueblo. In 28 career matches, he's started 10 times and scored four times with two assists for 10 points in 722 minutes and will look to once again be a contributor as he eases his way back into the action.
 
Avi joins the program as a freshman this season after he earned a slew of high school accolades including a state championship.
 
They are the second pair of brothers to play concurrently for Mines along with Henry Saunders and Peter Saunders who joined the program 2023, and just the third pair of players with a shared last name since Baski Baker and Colin Baker (no relation) in 2013.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Kian Mueller and Charlie Newberry lead the Orediggers with two goals apiece in the early going this season, while Lucas Taitt, Abou Bakar Berthe, Ayman Bushara and Brady Scheinfeld have one goal each. Taitt, along with Leo Santana, are tied for the team lead in assist while Mueller, Newberry, Luke Hanna, Tommy Jernigan and Marc Levin have one each.
 
In goal, Kiernan DiBella has started all five matches and logged 429:20 between the pipes. He's 1-1-2 with a solo shutout and has made 17 saves while allowing nine goals against 75 shots faced for a 1.89 GAA and a .654 save percentage. Caden Allaire meanwhile saw his first action Sunday and in 20:40, allowed one goal against six shots faced.
 
As a team, Mines is -2 in scoring differential at 10-8, averaging 1.60 goals on 7.0 shots per match while allowing 2.00 goals on 16.2 shots to the opposition. They have nine assists on their eight goals and have combined for 18 saves defensively. The Orediggers are 0-1 on PKs this season and have taken 20 corner kicks. When it comes to conduct, Mines has been whistled for 43 fouls, the fewest in the RMAC, and assessed 11 yellow cards.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
The Roadrunners enter this weekend 1-2-3 on the year following a similar showing to the Orediggers against the same opponents, Cal Poly Pomona (L, 3-0) and Cal State Los Angeles (T, 1-1). MSUD's lone win this season came back on September 11 at home against Dominican (CA). Thursday night's trip to Golden will be just the second road match for the Roadrunners, who played five of six at home to open the season.
 
Adan Perez leads the team with two goals on the season and also has an assist for five points, all of which have come in the last four matches. Dallas Baer, James Doidge, Max Farnum, John Lucio and Colin McKenna round out the scoring with one goal each. Brendan O'Toole meanwhile has the other two assists for the Roadrunners through six matches.
 
In goal, Nick McNeil has been the leading man, starting all six matches and playing 520:27 with 21 saves and nine goals allowed against 52 shots faced. He enters the week with a 1.56 GAA and a .700 save rate with one solo shutout. Shawn Mantey made his season debut Friday night against CPP, coming on in relief and recording 19:33 of action and recording one save on the only shot on goal he faced.
 
For the season, MSU Denver is -2 in goal differential at 9-7 and averages 1.17 goals and 10.8 shots per match while opponents averaged 1.50 goals and 9.0 shots. They have three assists on their seven goals and have combined for 23 saves defensively. The Roadrunners are 1-1 on penalty kicks and have taken 28 corner kicks while being whistled for 68 fouls and issued 13 yellow cards.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
The Griffins snapped a four-match losing streak last time out with a 1-0 win over Western Washington on the road Saturday. Westminster had been shutout in three of their four losses (all 1-0 decisions) while dropping a 4-2 decision to Northwest Nazarene following an opening day 2-0 win over UT Dallas in Grand Junction. Sunday will be just the team's second home match this fall following a date with Colorado Christian Thursday.
 
Five players have each scored a single goal for WU this fall as George Acurero, Zac LeVin, Alejandro Puente, Broc Underhill and Cole Williams account for the team's offensive output. Acurero, along with Jack Cardwell, Chase Kluksdal, James Miles and Parker Stebbing all have a single assist on the season so far.
 
Between the pipes, Westminster has used two of three goalies on their rosters this season with Tommy Manwaring seeing the majority of the time, starting three of the first four matches of the season and logging 360 minutes. He's made 15 saves and allowed six goals against 42 shots faced and has a 1.50 GAA and a .714 save percentage with a 1-3-0 record and one solo shutout. Second-year freshman Oliver Olsen started matches against Western Oregon and most recently against Western Washington. He's made six saves and allowed just one goal against 18 shots faced in 180 minutes with a 0.50 GAA and an .857 save rate with a 1-1-0 record and a solo shutout of his own.
 
As a team, WU is -2 in goal differential at 7-5 and average 0.83 goals on 11.0 shots per match while the opposition averages 1.17 goals on 10.0 shots. They have five assists on their five goals and have 22 saves defensively. They are yet to take a penalty kick this season, but have taken 23 corner kicks. WU has been whistled for 54 fouls and issued 18 yellows, second amongst RMAC teams this fall, and has also been assessed a red card.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines leads the all-time series with MSU Denver 48-36-10 with Thursday night being the 94th matchup between the teams. Last year, the Orediggers and Roadrunners met twice with MSUD taking the non-conference match in September 3-1 before Mines claimed the regular season matchup in a frigid, snowy and thrilling 4-3 affair to end the regular season. The Orediggers are 24-19-2 all-time when playing at home and haven't dropped a match in Golden since 2017 and over the last 10 matches going back to 2018, have a record of 7-1-2.
 
Against the Griffins, the Orediggers lead the series 16-7-4 following a 1-1 draw in the lone meeting of 2024 in Salt Lake City. Mines is 5-3-3 all-time when playing as the road team with their last win in SLC coming in 2022 by a score of 2-1. Over the last 10 meetings going back to 2016, the Orediggers sport a record of 7-1-2 also.
 
UP NEXT
Mines is back home for homecoming weekend with a single match as they open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action Friday night October 3 at 7 p.m. when they host a new-look South Dakota Mines club at Stermole Stadium.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines men's soccer on X and Instagram at @minesmsoc and @mines_msoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.