Mines (0-0-0) at Menlo (0-0-0) – Thursday, 4 p.m. PT – Atherton, Calif. [Live Stats] [FloCollege] [Tickets]
Mines (0-0-0) vs. Cal Poly Humboldt (0-0-0) – Saturday, 1:30 p.m. PT – Atherton, Calif. [Live Stats] [FloCollege] [Tickets]

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NEW-LOOK OREDIGGERS OPEN 2026 IN CALIFORNIA
A new-look Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team kicks off their 2026 season this weekend with a trip to California and a pair of first-time matchups at the Menlo Kickoff Classic. The Orediggers will open action Thursday afternoon against the host Oaks before wrapping action Saturday afternoon against Cal Poly Humboldt.
 
FAN INFORMATION
This weekend's matches will be available for purchase with a subscription to FloCollege. Tickets can be purchased online through the Menlo Athletics Box Office. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video, tickets and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
WEEKEND FORECAST
One couldn't ask for better weather in Atherton to start the season. Thursday's forecast calls for mixed clouds and sun with a high of 80 and northwest winds at 10-15 miles per hour. Saturday will be even cooler, with a high of 72 with partly cloudy skies and northwest winds again at 10-15 miles per hour.
 
2025 RECAP
Mines went 3-10-4 overall and 2-8-0 in the RMAC last season to finish 10th in the standings. Offensively the Orediggers scored 23 goals and registered 25 assists. Charlie Newberry led the team with four goals, while Lucas Taitt led with eight assists. 12 different players scored a goal for Mines last season, including first-year players Leo Santana (3), J McGill (3), Avi Levin (1) and Hudson Waddell (1). Santana and Levin also recorded two assists each on the season. In goal, Kiernan DiBella started 16 times in 17 matches and played 1,485:22 out of a possible 1,530 minutes last fall. He led the RMAC with 75 saves and earned Goalkeeper of the Week honors after a shutout in his collegiate debut.
 
IN THE POLLS
In August's RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Mines was tabbed to finish eighth in the league this season. UCCS claimed the top spot followed by Regis, Fort Lewis, MSU Denver and CSU Pueblo in the top five. Westminster and Colorado Mesa were directly ahead of the Orediggers, while behind them South Dakota Mines, Colorado Christian and Adams State rounded out the final three spots in the 11-team rankings.
 
NEW MAN IN CHARGE
After joining the Orediggers as the program's top assistant in 2025, Ben Fredrickson was elevated to Interim Head Coach following the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year. Prior to joining the Orediggers, Fredrickson served as Real Colorado's Assistant Academy Director and head coach of the U16 MLS Next Academy Team. Prior to his return to Colorado, he spent time in numerous roles with Tennessee Soccer Club from 2022 to mid-2024 as the Video Analysis Director, ECNL Head Coach and Assistant ECNL Director. Fredrickson also spent three seasons with Albion SC Las Vegas, where he was an MLS Next Assistant Coach, U14 Elite Academy Coach and club-wide Video Analysis Director. Prior to coaching at the club and professional levels, Fredrickson logged six years of experience at the collegiate level, getting his start in 2014 as an assistant with Division I Buffalo where he worked with eight All-MAC selections and one MLS draft pick. The following season he moved to Mobile, Alabama for two stints with Spring Hill College, the first from 2015-17 and the second from 2018-19. In between his time at Spring Hill, Fredrickson spent a season with Division I Duquesne University.
 
JOINING THE STAFF
Some new faces will be helping coach the Orediggers this season. Longtime Regis head coach and one of the most successful coaches in RMAC history, Tony McCall returns the bench this season to work alongside Ben Fredrickson, who played under McCall from 2010-13. No stranger to the RMAC, McCall led Regis to the program's first #1 overall ranking and posted an overall record of 132-64-17 (.659) and a mark of 99-39-13 (.698) in conference play. Ryszard Gorski joins the staff to work with the goalkeepers, and comes from the Colorado Storm organization where he serves as the Director of Goalkeeping.
 
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.
 
NOW INTRODUCING
17 newcomers have joined the Orediggers for the 2026 campaign. Daniel Bruno, Andrew DeBerardinis, Pol Garcia Oliveras, Noah Hildreth, Kaoru Kato, Carlo Kobelt, Djaz Less, Luke Marcus, Davyan Martinez, Murray Peart, Mason Robledo, Max Robertson, Marcus Saa, Timothé Strout, Zeus Tabora, Marco Vecchini and Aidan Wells are the first recruiting class assembled under interim head coach Ben Fredrickson. They'll join a group of 10 returners from last year's club as Mines looks to return to prominence in the RMAC. Read more about the newcomers here.
 
AROUND THE WORLD
Eight different countries or territories are represented on the roster for the Orediggers in 2026. With 20 players hailing from the United States, seven others hail from all corners of the globe. Carlo Kobelt (Germany), Murray Peart (Australia), Djaz Less (Jamaica), Pol Garcia Oliveras (Spain), Marco Vecchini (Puerto Rico), Kaoru Kato (Japan) and Timothé Strout (Canada) bring an international flair to the program, the likes of which hasn't been seen in some time. Additionally, Zeus Tabora, Max Robertson and Luke Marcus all have international ties as well. Tabora has played for the U17 and U20 Honduran National Teams, while Robertson and Marcus both spent a year in Spain competing for CDJ Manisense after graduating high school.
 
THE RETURNERS
Of the group of 10 returners for the Orediggers this fall, six saw action last season. The other four, Zach MacDonald, Braedan Wallace, Ashish Gurung and Noah Bills eagerly await their collegiate debuts as they'll look to make an impact in 2026. Meanwhile, Kiernan DiBella, Hudson Waddell, Leo Santana, Cody O'Brien, Avi Levin and J McGill will look to build off their experience as freshmen and lead the way heading into the new season.
 
THE CAPTAIN
Andrew DeBerardinis was selected by the team to serve as captain following the conclusion of preseason camp. The Colorado native and graduate transfer from Stonehill will be making his Mines debut Thursday afternoon. A veteran player on the Oredigger roster this fall, DeBeradinis brings four seasons of Division I experience with him as Mines looks to make a statement in the RMAC this fall.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
If one were to look at the Mines roster this fall, one of the first things to jump out would be the distinct lack of upperclassmen. Of the 27 players comprising this year's team, fifth-year senior Andrew DeBerardinis is the lone upperclassman of the bunch. The remaining 26 players are comprised of seven sophomores, four second-year freshmen and 15 first-year freshmen. Without question, that breakdown makes the Orediggers the youngest team in the RMAC by far.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Mines returns four goal scorers from last year's club, including two of their top producers on offense in Leo Santana and J McGill. The duo each scored three times in their debut seasons, while Santana also recorded two assists. Avi Levin scored once with a pair of assists, while Hudson Waddell scored once as well. In goal, Kiernan DiBella returns and brings 1,485:22 of experience with him into the new year. Appearing in all 17 matches, DiBella started 16 times and recorded a shutout and three wins while leading the RMAC with 75 saves and posted a 1.88 GAA and a .708 save percentage.
 
As a team last fall, Mines was -12 in goal differential at 35-23 and averaged 1.35 goals per match against 2.06 by opponents. Opposing clubs outshot the Orediggers 267-149 and also held a 116-75 edge in shots on frame. Mines recorded 25 assists on their 23 goals and went 0-2 on penalties in 2025. 175 fouls were called against Mines last fall along with 34 cautions and one ejection. In goal, they allowed 35 goals and combined for 77 saves against 268 shots faced for a 2.06 GAA and .688 save rate in 1,530 minutes of action.
 
SCOUTING MENLO
Menlo went 11-4-2 overall and 5-3-2 on their way to a sixth-place finish in their final season as a member of the PacWest in 2025. They also posted a mark of 7-1-1 in nine home matches.
 
Menlo's top five goal scorers from a season ago have since left the program, leaving Roy Rosenberg as the leading returner offensively with two goals and four assists for eight points in 2025. Sam Archer and Tim Schwarz each scored twice with the latter also earning an assist. Hannes Herrstrom, Liam Elliott, Janne Spangenberg, Giuseppe Sigala and Manuel Portillo all return as well after scoring one goal each last fall. Sigala led Menlo in assists last fall with six.
 
Four goalkeepers saw time last year for the Oaks, but just one returns in the person of Jaxon Tonley. Tonley appeared just once in 17 matches last season for 21:40 in mid-October, combining for a shutout of Cal Maritime Academy and making a save on the only shot on target he faced.
 
As a unit, Menlo was +18 in goal differential last season outscoring teams 38-20 with 35 assists. They took 13.8 shots per match, and held teams to 9.5 chances while outshooting the opposition 234-162 overall and 105-77 in SOGs. The Oaks were issued 24 yellow cards in 2025 and whistled for 205 fouls. They took 96 corner kicks and went 4-4 from the spot. In goal, they posted a 1.18 GAA in 1,530 minutes with 58 saves, a collective .744 save percentage and four shutouts.
 
SCOUTING CAL POLY HUMBOLDT
Cal Poly Humboldt is coming off a challenging 2025 campaign in which they went 3-12-3 overall and 0-8-2 in the CCAA, finishing last in the 11-team league.
 
Leading scorer Seth Uson is back after scoring four times with an assist for nine points last season. Robert Somerville, Shota Lam and Luke Gomes each scored at least two goals last fall and return as well. Erwin Manibusan Jr. and Nic Moore each scored once last year as the Lumberjacks return six of nine goal scorers from 2025. Lam and Dominik Chipp led CPH with two assists each last year.
 
All three goalkeepers who saw time last year are back again this year. Edwin Monterrosa was the leading man, starting eight times in nine matches for 706:51. He led the team with 46 saves against 16 goals allowed for a 2.04 GAA and a .742 save percentage against 127 shots to go with a 2-5-1 record on two shutouts. Benjamin McDonald started seven times in nine matches for 643:09 in 2025 and tallied 34 saves against 18 goals allowed for a 2.52 GAA and a .654 save rate against 106 shots with a 1-5-1 record and one shutout. Alvaro Nieves rounded out the room with three starts in four outings for 270 minutes with nine saves against 10 goals allowed for a 3.33 GAA, .474 save rate and a record of 0-2-1.
 
Collectively, the Lumberjacks were -26 in goal differential last fall at 44-18 and averaged 1.00 goals per match while ceding 2.44. They were outshot 284-159 and managed just 8.8 shots per match and allowed almost double that number. CPH was assessed with 36 cautions and three red cards in 2025 while being whistled for 214 fouls. They took 49 corner kicks and went 1-2 on penalties. In goal, Cal Poly Humboldt made 89 saves against 44 goals allowed for a 2.44 GAA and a .669 save rate with three shutouts.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines will be playing both Menlo and Cal Poly Humboldt for the first time in program history. Looking back at matchups with first-time opponents over the last four seasons, Mines is 0-4-0.

UP NEXT
The Orediggers will make their 2026 home debut next weekend to open a two-week stint at Stermole Stadium again Biola and Concordia Irvine on September 3 and 5.
 
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.