GOLDEN, Colo. – The #14-ranked Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team exploded for six goals on Sunday afternoon and punched its ticket to the 2019 RMAC Tournament Championship match thanks to a 6-0 win over Dixie State at Stermole Stadium.
 
Six different Orediggers accounted for the goals including Ben Overholt, Patrick Allan, Lucas King, Tristan Semelsberger, Jacob Eanes and Trevor Lattimer. Adam Kindorf and Allan notched two assists each and Ford Edwards added a single dime of his own. King's five shots tied for the game high, and he led all players on the pitch with five shots on goal. Overholt chipped in three attempts as well while Eanes, Kindorf, Semelsberger, Stanley, Edwards and Zobott combined for 12 additional shots. Goalkeeper Drew Johnson made four saves in his 11th shutout of the season, which breaks his own record for clean sheets in one season.
 
Mines (13-3-3) finished the match with 27 shots and put 14 of those attempts on goal. On the other side, Dixie State (11-8-1) racked up 13 shots but only managed four on frame. With the victory, the Orediggers end the Trailblazers' season while also snapping DSU's five-game winning streak. Going into Sunday's game, Mines only averaged 1.89 goals per contest thanks to a season-high output of seven tallies at Colorado Christian. The Orediggers moved that average to 2.11 goals per game after their semifinal victory. Mines' win ears it the right to host second-seeded Regis on Friday in the tournament's title match.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Prior to the men's match on Sunday, Mines' women won their own semifinal match in 2-0 fashion over MSU Denver. That victory and comfortable temperatures with partly cloudy skies had the home fans primed for an Oredigger win. The home team did not disappoint. It took Overholt less than 14 minutes to put Mines on the board with the eventual game-winning goal. The score came off a quick throw-in that found Edwards near midfield. He proceeded to play a through pass down the middle of the pitch to a charging Overholt. Perfectly played, Edwards' ball came right to the feet of his teammate and required just one touch to the right of the Dixie State goalkeeper for a 1-0, Oredigger lead.
 
Mines increased its lead in the 38th minute. Allan set up for a throw-in on a virtual set piece for the Orediggers. As his throw soared towards the goalmouth, the Trailblazer goalkeeper misjudged the ball and it brushed off his hands and fellow defenders into the net. While throw-ins cannot go directly into the goal, even the lightest touch by an opposing defender eliminates the own-goal and grants the credit to the thrower. In this case, Allan benefited and Mines took a 2-0 lead.
 
However, the two goals in the first 45 minutes was just the tip of the iceberg. The second half featured four goals including three in a span of less than 10 minutes. Mines' third tally involved Allan carrying the ball briskly into the Dixie State penalty area in the 65th minute and crossing along the six-yard line to find King for the one-time finish. In the 78th minute, Semelsberger provided the Orediggers' a 4-0 advantage by finishing a touch from Allan just outside the 18-yard box. The melee continued just five minutes later on a Kindorf corner misplayed by the DSU goalkeeper. Eanes was reading and waiting to punch home the loose ball for a 5-0 lead. The final goal of the game was equally impressive. As described on the official Twitter account of Mines men's soccer (@MInesMSOC), Kindorf tiptoed the end line and sent a pass to the right post were Lattimer slammed it home for the final tally.
 
Dixie State's most notable opportunity was a free kick near the Orediggers' own end line. The Trailblazers' Moises Medina took the opportunity and sent a hard-struck, bending attempt towards the near post. However, Johnson was there to punch away the danger and maintain the clean sheet.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines touts an all-time record of 4-0 against Dixie State including a 2-0 mark in 2019. This season, the Orediggers outscored the Trailblazers by a margin of 8-1.
- The Orediggers' semifinal victory advances them to their third consecutive tournament final.
- Since 2017, Mines is 5-0 in RMAC Tournament play.
- The Orediggers' all-time record in the RMAC Tournament is 17-10-6 with 75 goals. In the semifinals, Mines is 10-6-4.
- Overholt's game-winning goal was his sixth of 2019, which ties him for #4 on the single-season list in the Oredigger record book and ranks top-10 in the nation this season.
- Overholt holds an even career mark of 13 goals and 13 assists over four seasons. He is Mines' active leading scorer.
- Overholt now has seven goals and two assists to lead Mines with 16 points in 2019.
- In addition to Johnson's individual shutouts record, the Orediggers also broke the team's single-season record as they notched their 13th clean sheet of the season.
- Johnson's record as a starting goalkeeper is 31-5-4 with 120 saves and 21 shutouts.
- Allan and Lattimer both scored the first goals of their careers on Sunday afternoon.
- Additionally, Allan's two assists gives the redshirt sophomore the first multi-assist game of his career. He now has five dimes in 2019 and seven total over two seasons.
- Kindorf also notched the first multi-assist game of his career as a true freshman.
- Semelsberger's tally was his third of the season and seventh of his tenure at Mines.
- King now has four goals in both of his seasons as an Oredigger.
- Edwards moved up to 12 assists in his career.
- The last time Mines scored six goals in a postseason match was in 2015 against Fort Lewis in the RMAC Tournament Semifinal.
- Sunday marked the last contest for Dixie State men's soccer as a member of the RMAC as the entire department heads to NCAA Division I in 2020. The men went 14-12-2 in conference play and finished 1-1 in a single conference tournament appearance.
- Mulholland boasts an overall record of 48-9-5 in three seasons as Mines' head coach. He is undefeated in the RMAC Tournament.
 
UP NEXT
Top-seeded Mines hosts second-seeded Regis on Friday at 6 p.m. at Stermole Stadium. Live stats and video of the match will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics. Fans can also follow Mines Men's Soccer on Twitter using the handle @MinesMSOC.