PREVIEW: #1 Mines Travels to Black Hills State, Regis – Colorado School of Mines Athletics

By: Patrick Murphy

#1 Mines (8-0-0, 2-0-0) at Black Hills State (0-5-3, 0-2-0) – Friday, 4 p.m. – Spearfish, S.D. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

#1 Mines (8-0-0, 2-0-0) at Regis (2-5-1, 1-1-0) – Sunday, 3 p.m. – Denver, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

 
SEE YOU IN A FEW WEEKS
After defending Stermole Stadium over homecoming weekend with a pair of wins to open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action, the #1 Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team hits the road for their next four contests starting with a trip north to South Dakota and Black Hills State on Friday at 4 p.m. before returning to the Denver metro area Sunday afternoon for a bout with Regis at 3 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will be streamed free of charge on the RMAC Network. Free live stats will be available through Sidearm for both matches. Links for video and stats for both matches can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
WEEK 4 RECAP
The Orediggers kept their hot start to 2024 going last weekend at home, playing host to defending league champions UCCS and CSU Pueblo and handily dispatching both teams by scores of 4-1 and 2-0.
 
Friday night Ellise Putnam recorded her first multi-goal game as an Oredigger, bookending a 15-minute sequence that saw four goals go on the board including an own goal by the Mountain Lions and a score for the fourth match in a row by Reese McDermott from the 55th to the 70th minute to put things out of reach. Despite allowing a scramble drill goal off a throw in with 20 seconds left, Allie Lundgren and the defense held UCCS to just four shots on the night and only one in the opening 45 minutes.
 
Sunday against the ThunderWolves, Bella Campos teamed up with Laura Butler for the go-ahead goal just before the intermission while Afton Rasco scored on a short corner from Lauren Clingman in the second half as Lundgren and the defense were nails again, saving all four shots on goal and allowing only seven on the afternoon in the sixth shutout of the season.
 
RULES RESET
It wasn’t too long ago that the NCAA implemented new changes to the soccer rules with the last set of changes coming in 2022. Now in 2024, there’s been more tweaks to the rulebook, including at least a partial revision of one of the 2022 changes. First up is an adjustment to the substitution rules in the second half and overtime, when applicable. To avoid clock manipulation by teams that are ahead or teams that are tied late in a match, all substitutions within the final 15 minutes of regulation and any made during overtime will result in the clock being stopped. The second change affects overtime during the postseason, as sudden victory (otherwise known as the “Golden Goal”) has been reinstated. In addition, video review has been expanded to review all penalty kick situations, all straight red cards events, denial of obvious goal-scoring opportunity situations and any potential offside violations in goal-scoring situations.
 
AT THE HELM
2024 marks the 15th season leading Mines for boss Kevin Fickes, the program’s winningest head coach. With a career mark of 232-41-38 (.807), he ranks sixth in all of the NCAA and third 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 36 All-America selections, 17 Academic All-America selections, 75 all-conference honorees and 25 RMAC major award winners. Fickes has also guided Mines to six RMAC regular season titles and nine RMAC Tournament crowns and made 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
THE CAPTAINS
The three Orediggers who wore the captain’s ‘C’ in 2023 will do so again in 2024 as Ava Harman, Katie Koehler and Reese McDermott will all reprise their roles this fall.
 
Harman, a fifth-year player, started all 22 matches last season, logging a career-best marks with two goals and seven assists with both goals being game winners. Going back to her freshman season in the spring of 2020, Harman has started 68 of 72 matches in her career entering this fall.
 
Koehler, another fifth-year player, tied her career high with four goals last fall while also registering the first two assists of her career from her center back spot after starting 21 of 22 matches. Like Harman, she brings a wealth of experience and has started 69 times in her 72 matches played for over 6,000 minutes through four seasons.
 

McDermott enters her fourth and final season at Mines as one of the greatest to ever don the Silver & Blue with her named dotted across the program’s record book. The reigning RMAC Player of the Year, former Freshman of the Year and three-time First Team All-RMAC selection, she scored 11 times with a career-high eight assists in 2023 with four game-winners while starting 21 times in 22 matches. Another experienced veteran, the striker started 59 times in 63 matches over the course of her first three seasons.
 
SENSATIONAL START
An 8-0-0 start to the season sure sets a tone for a team and a 2-0-0 start to league play with six points on the board never hurts either. The last 8-0-0 start came back in 2016, when the Orediggers ended up making a run to the NCAA Quarterfinals, sweeping the RMAC Championships, winning the NCAA South Central Region and posting a record of 20-3-1 overall and 10-2-0 in conference play. That season, the winningest in program history, is a good one to be mentioned in the same sentence with as the 2024 club looks to maintain their torrid start this fall.
 
IN THE POLLS
It was a close one, but in the RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll Mines was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the league in 2024, earning seven first place votes while reigning champions UCCS earned six. Colorado Mesa was picked to finish third with Regis and MSU Denver rounding out the top five.
 
For the first time in program history, Mines was ranked #1 in the nation this week in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings. The Orediggers usurped last week’s number one Grand Valley state for the top spot to open the month of October as rest of the top five played musical chairs. Cal Poly Pomona moved up to third from fifth, Columbus State held pat in fourth and Gannon dropped from second to fifth after working a 1-0-1 weekend. MSU Denver continued to earn votes again while Colorado Mesa failed to do so this week
 
CLIMBING THE RANKS
It’s no secret by now that Reese McDermott is one of the best players in the history of women’s soccer at Mines. Now up to eight goals in 2024, the senior now can claim sole possession of third place all-time in scoring with 42 goals and counting, passing Megan Woodworth (2009-12) and now stands at 99 career points, one shy of becoming the fourth 100-point player in program history. She’s still two game-winning goals behind Woodworth for third in that department and now is just three assists back of tying the great Kayla Mitchell (2006-09) for fifth in that department. Ellise Putnam also finds herself on the cusp of the record books as she too has 15 assists in her career.
 
Meanwhile, goalie Sadie Wolf’s opening day shutout raised her career total to 19 and now trails Briana Schulze (2007-10) by seven for third all-time. Someone else already penning their name into the record books is the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year Bella Campos. After registering 36 points and breaking the freshman single-season scoring record by five last season, Campos is up to 44 points in her career and is already 10th on the all-time list, trailing behind Haley Cole’s (2014-17) mark of 46 for ninth.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Though her scoring streak came to an end Sunday, Reese McDermott remains the team and RMAC leading in goals at eight this season while adding three assists for 19 points. Following her goal Sunday, Bella Campos has three scores and two assists on the season for eight points, as does Afton Raso. Ava Harman also has three goals, all of which have been game-winners, along with an assist for seven points while Ellise Putnam has two goals and two assists for six points. Laura Butler is the fifth of five players with two of more assists for Mines while Natalie Rouse and an own goal from UCCS round out the scoring output through the first eight matches.
 
On the assist chart, Kaitlyn Manalili has a pair to her credit while Jordan Bowermaster, Lauren Clingman and Cloey Seltzer each have one as well.
 
Allie Lundgren continues to shine in goal and though she final gave up her first goal of the season in the closing moments Friday night, stands at 6-0-0 with four solo shutouts and a 0.18 GAA with a .941 save rate against 33 shots faced with 16 saves. Sadie Wolf started the first three matches and is 2-0-0 with a shutout and has a GAA of 0.40 and an .857 save rate in 225 minutes with a shutout of her own.
 
On the season Mines is +20 in goal differential at 22-2 and is averaging 2.75 goal on 18.8 shots per match, while allowing 0.25 goals and 6.0 shots to opponents. They have been issued just one caution and committed 55 fouls and taken 52 corner kicks. 22 saves have been made defensively while as a team the Orediggers are 2-4 on penalties. Opponents meanwhile have yet to take a PK and attempted just 20 corner kicks.
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Still in search of their first win of 2024, Black Hills State enters the weekend coming off a pair of losses to Colorado Chrisitan and MSU Denver by scores of 2-1 and 3-0. Friday afternoon’s match against the Cougars looked like it might result in a point, but CCU netted the go-ahead goal with just over two minutes in regulation remaining for the win.
 
Three players are responsible for the three goals BHSU has scored this season in the persons of Paige Hill, Anacel Valenzuela-Acosta and Jayda Hammer, with Hill and Valenzuela-Acosta assisting on each other’s goals in a 2-2 draw back on September 22 against Nebraska-Kearney.
 
In goal, all three netminders on roster have seen action led by returner Makayla Dannelly, who has started the last six matches and logged 540 minutes, making 37 saves against 16 goals allowed for a 2.67 GAA and a .698 save percentage against 110 shots faced with a shutout. Transfer Zoe Wiggall has started twice for 135 minutes and made six saves against five goals allowed while facing 26 shots for a 3.33 GAA and a .545 save rate. Freshman Allanah Facio has one relief appearance for 45 minutes and saved the only shot she faced and combined for a shutout with Wiggall against Minnesota-Crookston on September 15.
 
Collectively, BHSU is -18 in goal differential, being outscored 21-3 this season. They averaged 0.38 goals and 8.4 shots per game, while opponents score 2.63 goals on 17.0 shots. They have been issued three cautions and committed 58 fouls while making 43 saves in goal and taking 12 corner kicks. Opposing teams have taken 55 corners and are 1-1 on penalties.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
It’s been an uncharacteristic start to 2024 for the Rangers as though they split their first weekend of RMAC play against MSU Denver (L, 2-0) and Colorado Christian (W, 3-0), they sit at 2-5-1 overall after going 14-4-1 last season.
 
Offensively Natalie Bunch leads RU with three goals on the season while Madeline Gardner has a pair along with an assist for five points coming off a stellar freshman season that saw her go toe-to-toe with Bella Campos for Freshman of the Year honors.
 
Six other Rangers have single goals to their credit through eight matches, with Elsa Nolen and Fernanda Rodriguez both also tallying an assist. Alex Baer, Madison Cullinan, Madison Moss and Sarah Wynn, along with an own goal by Chico State complete the balance of scoring for Regis.
 
A team with no issues distributing the ball offensively as well, Brooke Castillo, Paige Davis, Alyssa Granno, Malia Salema and Stella Straubing all have assists on Ranger goals heading into week two of RMAC action.
 
Finding consistency in goal has been a tricky task for Regis, although it seems they have settled on junior Grace Glover to be the starter after giving her the nod the past five matches, where she has made a team-high 20 saves against just three goals allowed for a 0.75 GAA and an .870 save rate. She’s posted a 2-1-1 record with two shutouts in 360 minutes of action. Freshman Maggie Payne started the first three matches of the season and made 15 saves against seven goals allowed while facing 39 shots in 270 minutes for a 2.33 GAA and a .682 save rate as she went 0-3-0 in those games. Kayla Arucan, who started eight times in 13 games last fall and led RU in minutes and saves after splitting time with Glover, has seemingly been relegated to the third spot on the depth chart, appearing twice in a reserve role for 90 minutes and making four saves while allowing four goals against 12 shots faced.
 
As a team, Regis is -2 in goal differential at 14-12 but still averages 1.50 goals while taking just 9.6 shots per game, while opponents average 1.75 and 12.8. They have already been issued an RMAC leading 14 yellow cards and committed 86 fouls, the second-most in the league. They have 40 saves in goal and have eight assists on their 12 goals, while taking 31 corner kicks and are 1-1 on PKs.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will be the ninth meeting all-time between the Orediggers and Yellow Jackets and the fourth meeting in Spearfish. Mines is 8-0-0 in the first eight meetings and 3-0-0 when playing on the road and has outscored BHSU 39-1 in the series. The last trip to Spearfish came in 2021 and resulted in a 4-0 win.
 
Sunday Mines and Regis will tangle for the fifth time since the 2022 season and the 34th time overall. The Orediggers lead the series 22-9-2 and are winners of four straight and seven of the last 10 going back to 2017 (7-1-2). The last time they went to Regis was back in 2021 where they suffered a 1-0 loss in overtime, dropping to 9-4-1 when playing on the road.
 
UP NEXT
Mines wraps up their four-match road trip next week when they’ll head west to take on Fort Lewis and Western Colorado on October 11 and 13.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women’s soccer on Twitter 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.