(3) Mines (13-3-3, 8-2-2) vs. (2) UCCS (14-3-2, 9-2-1) – Wednesday, 4 p.m. – Denver, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network] [Tickets] [Tournament Central]

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WE'VE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE
For the third time in as many seasons with a berth in the title match at stake, the Colorado School of Mines women's soccer team will square off against UCCS in the semifinals of the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship Wednesday afternoon from the campus of Regis University.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This week's matches will be available to watch with a subscription to the RMAC Network. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK 
The RMAC Network continues to have a pay-per-view model for all events. 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. Championship Day Passes are available in the postseason for $15 and allow 24 hour access to all championship broadcasts. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
FAN INFORMATION
Fans are reminded that there is no passlist for the postseason. Fans are encouraged to purchase advance tickets through Hudl Tickets prior to the event. Single-match general admission tickets are $16 while tickets for children ages 6-17, adults over 65 and military personnel are $11. A two-day pass for both semifinal and championship matches are available for $25 and $19 plus fees respectively. Additional information for the 2026 RMAC Women's Soccer Championship can be found here.
 
THIS WEEK'S FORECAST
Wednesday's forecast will be cool with a high around 58 and partly cloudy skies with northeast winds at nine miles per hour.
 
AT THE HELM
2026 marks the 17th season leading Mines for Kevin Fickes, the program's winningest head coach. With a career mark of 268-46-48 (.806), he ranks eighth in all of the NCAA and fourth in Division II among head coaches with at least five years of experience when it comes to winning percentage. One of two RMAC coaches with 200 career victories, under his direction Mines has overseen 41 All-America selections, 21 Academic All-America selections, 93 all-conference honorees and 34 RMAC major award winners. Fickes has also guided Mines to seven RMAC regular season titles and 10 RMAC Tournament crowns and made 16 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
QUARTERFINAL RECAP
Mines began their 2026 postseason with a 2-1 win in their quarterfinal match with Black Hills State. After ceding an early goal to the Yellow Jackets, Bella Campos tied the match in the 25th minute off a pass in from Jordan Bowermaster that saw her break the Mines career scoring record with her 77th career goal. Caelan DeBolt scored the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute when she played home a cross from Lindsay Jeans. The Mines defense turned in a classic second half performance to compliment a strong effort on the afternoon, as they allowed just eight total shots while the offense put up 25 shots and 14 on goal. Additionally, Mines took 15 corner kicks in the match compared to just two by BHSU.
 
THE CAPTAINS
A seasoned group of veterans will be wearing the "C" this fall for the Orediggers. Bella Campos and Natalie Rouse enter their second seasons as captains, while Gaby Guerrero rounds out the on-field leadership group. Campos is coming off her second consecutive RMAC Player of the Year award after scoring 20 goals with four assists for 44 points. Rouse, who missed most of 2024 with injury, returned in 2025 to earn her second RMAC Defensive Player of the Year award after scoring five times from her center back position and anchoring a defense that posted nine shutouts. Guerrero was named Honorable Mention All-RMAC last fall as a standout midfielder who scored twice with an assist.
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines topped August's RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll followed closely by Colorado Mesa and UCCS. Fort Lewis and Regis rounded out the top five followed by Westminster, MSU Denver, Colorado Christian, CSU Pueblo and Western Colorado in the top 10. Adams State, Black Hills State and New Mexico Highlands rounded out the 13-team rankings.
 
In the latest NPI Rankings updated Tuesday, Mines remained in sixth in the South Central region with just about one point of separation back to Colorado Mesa in seventh. Dallas Baptist remained first followed Texas Woman's in second. Regis held up in third while Midwestern State maintained in fourth. UCCS is fifth ahead of Mines while Oklahoma Christian is eighth behind CMU. OCU was defeated Monday night in the LSC quarterfinals by UT Tyler as they fell 6-5 on PKs, likely ending their season. Texas Woman's was upset in their quarterfinal as they fell 3-1 on PKs to UT Dallas.
 
FIVE YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY PASSES
In early August, NCAA Division II passed a sweeping change to eligibility rules that now gives all student-athletes five seasons of eligibility in a five-year span, and eliminates redshirting. It will apply to this year's incoming freshmen, and returning players can either convert to the new rule or be grandfathered into continuing with the old four-year model, whichever is more beneficial. The new rules supersede the previous freshman rule that allowed them to play in up to four games while still redshirting. 
 
NCAA CHANGES POSTSEASON PROCESS
Another significant change coming to NCAA Division II is how they select the postseason championship field. Playoff selections will now be handled solely by the NCAA Power Index (NPI) instead of regional committees, removing the human element from the process; NPI takes into account winning percentage and strength of schedule, quality wins, and home/away weights, rewarding challenging schedules and road wins more so than in years past.
 
POSTSEASON HONORS
The RMAC announced its major award winners and All-Conference teams Tuesday, and once again Mines was well represented. Bella Campos was named Player of the Year for a third consecutive season, while Natalie Rouse was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row and third time in her career. Bella Torres earned a spot on the Second Team while Lindsay Jeans, Sam Forde and Gaby Guerrero were Honorable Mention picks. Read more about the Orediggers' postseason honors here.
 
REIGNING. DEFENDING. UNDISPUTED.
With the announcement of Tuesday's RMAC postseason honors, Bella Campos became the first player in conference history to be named Player of the Year three times. Long since established as one of the best players in the RMAC, Tuesday's coronation caps a four-year sweep of postseason awards from the conference. In 2023, Campos was named Freshman of the Year and followed that season up by splitting Player of the Year honors with Reese McDermott. She claimed the honor solo last year and with news Tuesday, repeated this season. She's the second player in league history to ever win an RMAC major award in three consecutive seasons, joining another Oredigger in doing so. Emily Garnier, who played from 2014-17, went back-to-back-to-back as Defensive Player of the Year from 2015-17.
 
ROUSE PARTY
Campos isn't the only Oredigger to become a three-time RMAC major award winner in 2026. Natalie Rouse was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row and third time in her career. A four-year member of the program after transferring from UNLV, Rouse has also cemented herself as one of the best two-way defensive players in the conference since her arrival, and when healthy has been a mainstay in the lineup for the Orediggers. She burst onto the scene in 2023 winning DPOTY honors for the first time and after missing just about all of 2024 with an injury, returned last season and didn't skip a beat on her way to winning the award again. Despite a slow start on the offensive side of the ball this fall, Rouse remained one of the elite defenders in the RMAC and got hot down the stretch, scoring five goals in the final four matches of the regular season for a new career-best mark on the offensive side. She too joins Campos and Garnier as the only three-time major award winners in program history, as the Defensive Player of the Year honor comes to Golden for the 11th time.
 
NCAA ACTIVE CAREER SCORING LEADER
As the postseason rolls on, Bella Campos continues to lead all levels of NCAA soccer in both goals scored and points. Campos is one of two players in the entire country with more than 50 career goals and the only one north of 70, as her 77 leads the nation by 16 over Eowyn Lapp of Division III Gordon with 60 goals. Notre Dame's Izzy Engle is the first Division I player on the list, checking in with 47 goals in ninth place.
 
Shifting to look at points, Campos is also the only active player with more than 150 points as she sits with 177. Again, Lapp is second on the list with 140 points while Ohio State's Amanda Schlueter is the first Division I player on the list in seventh with 116.
 
Campos also headlines an even smaller list of active players with 30 or more career goals and 20 or more career assists. Lapp is second once again and the latest addition to the list with 60 goals and 20 assists for 140 points. Schlueter is the first DI player on that list with 43 goals and 30 assists for 116 points and is tied for seventh. At the time of writing, just 25 players can find their name on this list.
 
THE GOAT
With her goal Sunday in the RMAC quarterfinals against Black Hills State, Bella Campos has now put the ball in the back of the net more than anyone in program history. Her 77th career goal puts her ahead of Mines Hall of Famer Kayla (Mitchell) Jacobsen. Having already usurped Jacobsen for the all-time points record with 177 and counting, Campos is now in first place in the record books for two offensive categories. Additionally, in setting a new career best with her eighth assist of the season last Wednesday against CSU Pueblo, Campos moved into a tie for third all-time with 23 alongside Anna Evans (2010-13). Her 342 shots meanwhile remain third all-time as do her 164 shots on goal. For those following along at home, Campos' scoring rate on shots on frame in her career is .480.
 
BREAKING INTO THE TOP 10
For the first time in her career last Wednesday, Natalie Rouse scored twice in a match with two headers against CSU Pueblo. In doing so, Rouse scored the 18th and 19th goals of her career at Mines, vaulting her into the Top 10 all-time in goals scored in sole possession of ninth ahead of former teammate Afton Rasco (2022-25) as well as Jackie Knott (2013-16) and Haley Cole (2014-17). Next on the list is Brooke Stoermer (2014-17) in eighth with 21. For Rouse, she adds another feather to the cap from an already impressive career that includes three All-America selections and a trio of RMAC Defensive Player of the Year awards.
 
AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR
With the First Round and Quarterfinals in the book, four teams remain in the hunt for the 2026 RMAC Women's Soccer Championship crown. Those four teams are the top four seeds in the tournament, as #1 Regis makes their postseason debut in the first semifinal Wednesday against #4 Colorado Mesa. Meanwhile #2 UCCS and #3 Mines will tangle in the second semifinal in what has become a postseason fixture the past few seasons. View the complete bracket here.
 
HITTING REWIND
October 9 saw Mines and UCCS play to a 1-1 draw in Colorado Springs. UCCS scored first on a corner kick as Malia Groshong played home a ball from Elise Broberg in the 10th minute. Bella Campos tied the match right before halftime in the 43rd minute, playing home a ball in from Finley Ewald. The Mountain Lions outshot Mines 16-4 in the second half and 23-11 in the match, but put just four shots on goal. Natalie Mezarina and Tay Levi were each booked with a yellow card, while Lucy Kapranos and Keira Garcia each made two saves in goal.
 
NO PRESSURE
If one had the ability to pick when to make their season debut, they probably wouldn't pick the second half of a tied match in the conference quarterfinals to do so. That was the situation Emma Thomas stepped into Sunday, making her 2026 debut against Black Hills State. Fortunately, the third-year sophomore was able to ease into things, as after handling the second half kickoff, she needed to make just one save in the final 45 minutes while directing the Mines defense to an effort that allowed just four second half shots. It remains to be seen if that effort in the second half will result in Thomas seeing time in Wednesday's semifinal against UCCS, but its worth noting that in seven career appearances after Sunday Thomas has now made 11 saves and allowed one goal against 30 shots in 221:11 of action.
 
BREAKOUT SEASON
Lindsay Jeans has been perhaps the breakout star of the season for the Orediggers in 2026. After recording just one assist in the first 29 matches of her career entering this season, Jeans has stepped in right where Afton Rasco and Kaitlyn Manalili left off. The redshirt junior has dolled out nine assists this season to lead the RMAC and has five assists in the last five matches. She registered two assists in a 6-0 win over MSU Denver back on October 4 and more recently on October 23, became just the fifth player in program history to record three assists in a single match. Sunday against BHSU Jeans assisted on the go-ahead score in the second half and as the postseason continues, she figures to remain a major part of the Mines offense.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
RMAC Player of the Year Bella Campos leads the Orediggers on offense with 27 goals and eight assists for 62 points. Defensive Player of the Year Natalie Rouse is second in scoring with a career-high seven goals this fall. Bella Torres has four goals and five assists in her debut season, while Caelan DeBolt has four goals and three assists to her ledger. Allyson Townsend and Molly Elder have each scored three times, while Annelise Rojo has two goals. Finley Ewald, Gaby Guerrero, Sam Forde, Natalie Mezarina, Kate Hendrickson, Haliya Jabel and Madisen Powers round out the scoring with one goal each.
 
Lindsay Jeans leads Mines and the RMAC with nine assists ahead of Campos, while Guerrero and Jordan Bowermaster are tied for third on the team with six each. Next is Torres followed by Ewald with four. Forde has three along with DeBolt while Townsend, Mezarina, Ariana Ahumada, Taylor Johnson-Balding and Shyla Kalpathy each have one.
 
In goal, Keira Garcia leads the way having started 12 times in 12 appearances. She's faced 105 shots in 990 minutes and made 30 saves while allowing nine goals for a 0.82 GAA and a .769 save rate with three shutouts. Brekyn Davenport-Murrish started the first seven matches and has made eight appearances for 675 minutes. She's seen 70 shots and made 13 saves against 10 goals allowed for a 1.33 GAA and .565 save rate. Emma Thomas debuted Sunday and in 45 minutes of relief, saved the only shot on goal of four she faced.
 
On the season, Mines has outscored teams 57-19 and averages 3.00 goals on 19.6 shots per match while allowing 1.00 goals and 9.4 shots to opponents. They have 49 assists on their 57 goals and are 2-5 on penalties. Mines has made 47 saves in goal and taken 117 corner kicks. They have been called for 93 fouls and issued six cautions.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
UCCS punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over Westminster, their second win over the Griffins in eight days. The Mountain Lions enter Wednesday's match winners of six in a row, with their last non-winning result a 1-1 draw with Mines on October 9. UCCS has not lost a match since October 4, when they fell 2-0 on the road to Regis.
 
An even dozen players have scored this fall for the Mountain Lions, led by Brooke Pavlich with 13 goals and Abby Stassi with 11. Tay Levi has scored eight times followed by Luka Johnson with five. Elise Broberg, Charlize Ellsworth, Sophia Broberg and Ally Henry have all scored three times, while Casey Tadlock and Malia Groshong have scored twice. Victoria Valdimarsdottir and Madison Groshong have each scored once, while an own goal by CCU rounds out the scoring for UCCS. Looking at assists, Stassi and Elise Broberg lead the way with eight each followed by Levi with seven. Ellsworth has five with Pavlich and Regan Dare each adding four. Sophia Broberg, Henry and Tadlock all have three followed by Johnson and Valdimarsdottir with two. Mattea Morris and Steffi Thomas round things out with one apiece.
 
In goal, UCCS has been led this fall by freshman Lucy Kapranos. She's started all 14 of her appearances for 1,260 minutes and against 151 shots, made 38 saves while allowing 13 goals for a 0.93 GAA and a .745 save percentage with six shutouts. Backup Lilliana Brinkmeier has also been more than capable between the pipes in her five starts. Against 26 shots, she's made 14 saves and allowed only one goal for a 0.20 GAA and a .933 save rate with four shutouts.
 
On the season, UCCS has outscored teams 56-14 and averages 2.95 goals on 18.2 shots per match while allowing just 0.74 goals and 9.3 shots to the opposition. They have 51 assists on their 56 goals and are 2-5 on penalties. They have made 55 saves in goal and taken 108 corner kicks. The Mountain Lions have been called for 172 fouls this season and issued 18 yellow cards.

SERIES HISTORY
The Orediggers lead the series with UCCS 20-8-5 overall. Wednesday will be the third time in the last three seasons Mines and UCCS have met in the RMAC semifinals. Last year, the teams played to a 1-1 draw before the Orediggers advanced 5-4 in a 10-round shootout in Grand Junction. Mines won the previous semifinal match in 2024 2-1 in Golden. In the regular season this fall, the Orediggers and Mountain Lions played to a 1-1 draw. In fact, the last three matches in the series, including both postseason matches in 2025, have resulted in 1-1 draws. Prior to that, Mines had won three in a row in the series. The last win for the Mountain Lions came in 2023 in Colorado Springs by a score of 2-0 in the regular season. In three neutral site matchups, UCCS has the advantage 2-0-1 including a 1-0 win the last time the teams played on Regis' campus in the 2017 RMAC semifinals.
 
UP NEXT
With a win, the Orediggers advance to the championship match of the 2026 RMAC Women's Soccer Championship where they would play the winner of the semifinal match between Regis and Colorado Mesa. With a loss, Mines will have to wait and see where they stack up in the NPI rankings come selection Sunday on November 8.
 
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, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.