SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team scored first Thursday night, but a trio of second half goals by Westminster saw them emerge with the 3-1 result at Dumke Field.
Avi Levin got the Orediggers (0-10-2, 0-4-0) on the board with a penalty kick in the 12th minute, but an offensive outburst by the Griffins (4-5-4, 2-2-1) in the second half saw them come away on top.
Westminster's Max Edwards had the first shot of the night, but it was Mines who struck first in the 12th minute courtesy of
Avi Levin. A ball of the foot of
Murray Peart was deflected by a Westminster defender and spun ahead toward the top of the six as Levin and Westminster goalkeeper Oliver Olsen both converged on the ball. Olsen took down Levin in his attempt to clear the ball away, and the Orediggers were awarded their first penalty of the season. Levin's approach led Olsen to guess the wrong direction, as he dove near post while the sophomore shot back post to make it 1-0 Mines.
That score held for the rest of the half, but not for a lack of trying.
Zach MacDonald made a save against Edwards in the 25th minute, while Olsen rebounded from the PK and denied
Marcus Saa in the 32nd. Owen Gallo hit the left post twice in a span of 25 seconds in the 37th before putting two shots on frame in the waning moments against MacDonald, as the redshirt freshman saved both to keep the Orediggers in front heading to the intermission.
Westminster tied the match and took the lead in a span of 2:57 not even 15 minutes into the second half. After receiving a long ball from the Griffins' own end following a free kick, Stellan Blomberg slipped a pass through a trio of Oredigger defenders to Gage Wood as he shot back post past a sliding attempt by MacDonald to knot the match at 1-1 in the 56th minute. WU took the lead shortly after as Parker Stebbing ran a give-and-go with Blomberg as his shot deflected off the hands of MacDonald and in to make it 2-1 in the 59th minute.
Despite their best efforts over the final half hour of action, an equalizer was not to be for the Orediggers.
Pol Garcia Oliveras provided the final shot on frame of the night for Mines in the 71st minute, while Westminster assured themselves of the result with an 85th minute goal. Following a clearance off a Mines throw deep in their attacking third, the Griffins got loose in transition with Wood finding Ashton Duran for the goal to close the action on a 3-1 result.
NOTABLES
-Levin's goal was his third of the season and moves him into a tie for the team lead in scoring with Garcia Oliveras
-Levin now has four career goals in a Mines uniform and is one shy of tying his brother Marc, who played from 2022-2025
-The penalty kick goal was the first such goal scored by the Orediggers since
Ayman Bushara did so nearly two years ago against the Griffins on October 13, 2024
-MacDonald made a season-high six saves in goal
-
Noah Bills played a season-high 77 minutes
-Following Thursday night, Mines has scored first in five of their 12 matches this season
UP NEXT
Mines heads to the western slope for a 1 p.m. Sunday bout against Colorado Mesa
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.
