#14 Mines (13-3-3, 10-1-3 RMAC) vs. Regis (11-6-2, 9-4-1 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. – Stermole Stadium – [Live Stats] [Live Video] [Tournament Central]
 

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GAME DAY INFO
New in 2019, fans can purchase digital tickets online in advance via Mines' new ticketing portal, or buy them at the gate on game day. Ticket pricing is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, and children. Mines students, faculty, and staff are free with their Blaster Card. No dogs (except service animals) are permitted at Stermole Stadium.
 
ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and all RMAC contests can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
FOR THE CUP
This Friday, the #14-ranked Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team hosts the 2019 RMAC Tournament Championship match at Stermole Stadium for the third consecutive year. Top-seeded Mines hosts second-seeded Regis in a rematch 2019 of the regular-season finale. The winner of Friday's match claims the RMAC Tournament title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Due to the current situation in the NCAA Regional rankings, the loser likely sees its season come to end. Needless to say, win-or-go-home is the name of the game and the excitement should be at a fever pitch.
 
WEATHER REPORT
The forecast for Friday projects a daytime high of 66 degrees with partly cloudy skies and a light breeze around five miles per hour. At kickoff, the temperature should be around 59 degrees and the humidity at 28 percent. Those familiar with Golden know that when the sun drops behind the mountains, the temperature drops precipitously. However, it appears the clouds will help keep some of the warmth in and the air should stay above 50 degrees for the entirety of the match. Nonetheless, layers, gloves and a warm hat would be the responsible move for fans in attendance.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
After winning the 2019 regular season conference title, Mines clinched the #1 seed in the RMAC Tournament a first-round bye. That led to a semifinal showdown with fourth-seeded Dixie State last Sunday at Stermole Stadium. The Orediggers absolutely dominated the match by a score of 6-0. Ben Overholt, Patrick Allan, Lucas King, Tristan Semelsberger, Jacob Eanes and Trevor Lattimer all scored goals while Ford Edwards, Allan and Adam Kindorf accounted for the assists. Defensively, goalkeeper Drew Johnson racked up four saves in the record-setting shutout as Mines out-shot the Trailblazers by a margin of 27-13. And now, here we are.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
After going 9-4-1 in RMAC play in the regular season, Regis claimed the #2 seed for the conference tournament. Like the Orediggers, the Rangers also earned a first round bye and then took down sixth-seeded Fort Lewis, 2-1, in an overtime thriller last Sunday in Denver. During the regular season, the Rangers earned five of their 11 total wins over teams that are currently at, or above, .500. Included in those wins are Fort Hays State, CSU-Pueblo, Colorado Mesa and Fort Lewis. Individually, Parker Klein leads RU in goals and points thanks to eight tallies and one assist for 17 points on the year. Ben Shepherd is the Rangers' assists leader, touting eight on the season along with four goals. He also scored the game-winner for Regis in the semifinal match last Sunday. In goal, it's Tim Dolan who has six shutouts on 43 saves while surrendering 18 goals through 16 matches. As a team, Regis ranks #4 in the nation in shots per game and #6 in shots on goal per game. Despite boasting two regular season titles in its history, Regis has never won a RMAC Tournament.
 
RANGERS IN EXILE – WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
In part, Regis University (formerly Regis College) was originally founded in Las Vegas, N.M. in 1877 by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits. The school later joined with Sacred Heart College in Morrison, Colo., to form what everyone now knows as Regis University in Denver. Who would've thought there was more than one RMAC school in Las Vegas, N.M.? Regis' athletic teams adopted the nickname Rangers which seems appropriate since they're defined as "a keeper of park, forest, or area of countryside," and Denver serves as a gateway to many such areas.
 
STERMOLE SOCCER STADIUM
Stermole Soccer Stadium, named in honor of Frank and Dot Stermole in the fall of 2014, is located in the heart of the Clear Creek Athletic Complex. Stermole Stadium has an artificial all-weather pitch and seating accommodations for 500 spectators with spectacular views of Golden, North Table Mountain, and the foothills. Hillside grass seating can accommodate hundreds more spectators. Stermole Stadium has hosted several major events, including numerous RMAC and NCAA Tournament games. The United States women's national team trained at Stermole Stadium in April 2014 ahead of their friendly against China at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines and Regis faced off at Stermole Stadium on Nov. 3 in the 2019 regular-season finale. The match lasted 110 minutes through two overtimes and ended in a 0-0 draw. That moved the Orediggers' all-time record against the Rangers to 27-21-5. Mines has not lost to RU in eight straight matches. Furthermore, the Orediggers have not surrendered a goal to Regis since Oct. 2, 2015. Mines' last loss to the Rangers came on Sept. 24, 2014 in a 2-1 defeat in Denver with the Rangers ranked #14 in the nation at the time. Additionally, Mines has not lost to Regis in Golden since Oct. 5, 2012 before Stermole Stadium had been dedicated or taken on its current form. The final score of that match was 1-0 with Regis ranked #3 in the nation.
 
IN THE POSTSEASON
Sunday marks the sixth time Mines and Regis will face off in the postseason, including the NCAA Tournament. The Orediggers and Rangers first met in the RMAC Tournament final in 1996. Mines was the #2 seed and defeated RU by a score of 3-2 to claim its first RMAC Tournament title. The Orediggers lost to the Rangers, 1-0, in the 2001 semifinal before winning two straight in 2012 and 2014. Mines and Regis also faced off in the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 11, 2010 in Golden. The home team won that match by a score of 5-1. Overall, the Orediggers are 4-1 against the Rangers in the post season and 2-0 in RMAC Tournament Championship matches. Mines has outscored Regis by a margin of 14-6 in postseason matches and shutout the Rangers twice. As previously referenced, Mines and RU last met in the 2014 semifinal where the Orediggers came away with a 4-0 victory and an eventual tournament title.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Mines is in the midst of it 21st RMAC Tournament appearance and 20th consecutive trip to the conference postseason. As of last Sunday, the Orediggers have played 33 matches in the league tournament for an overall record of 17-10-6. The 2019 tourney marks Mines' eighth #1 seed in program history. As the top seed, the Orediggers have won five of their eight crowns, going 10-2-2. To date, Mines has outscored its opponents 75-54 in RMAC Tournament play and gone to penalty kicks six times to decide which team advances. In tournament finals, the Orediggers are 6-3-2 and 2-0 in shootout situations. Mines' boasts 18 goals for and 16 goals against in the championship match. The last time the Orediggers lost in the conference tournament final was 2007 in a 3-0 defeat against Fort Lewis.
 
RECORD-SETTING SEASON
Sunday's semifinal win over Dixie State toppled two records in the program record book. It was Mines' 13th shutout of the season as a team and Drew Johnson's 11th shutout of the year as an individual. Both those numbers now rank #1 in program history. Johnson owned the previous mark of 10 shutouts in a single season after accomplishing the feat in 2018. He also touts 21 shutouts in his career which ranks #2 in program history. As a team, the Orediggers' previous shutouts record was 12 set in 2010. Since 2015, Mines has racked up 52 shutouts in just over 100 games. Earlier this season, Lucas King tied the single-match assists record by notching three at Colorado Christian.
 
RMAC ALL-EVERYTHING
Last week, the RMAC released its all-conference teams and individual awards. Jason Zobott was at the top of the list, claiming RMAC Player of the Year and RMAC Defensive Player of the Year. Those honors add to his senior-season accolades after Zobott was also named RMAC Academic Player of the Year earlier this season and collected a total of four RMAC Defensive Player of the Week awards. To top it all off, Zobott was named First-Team All-RMAC for the second straight year as well. Did we forget to mention that his academic success also led to CoSIDA Academic All-District honors which puts him on the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot for a second consecutive year? Needless to say, Zobott has put together a senior season for the books thanks to five goals and three assists which puts him second on the team in scoring. Additionally, Zobott anchors a Mines defensive line that has given up just 12 goals in 18 matches and earned 12 shutouts which is tied for the program record.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
In addition to Zobott's slew of awards, six other Orediggers brought home hardware as well. Ford Edwards and Ben Overholt joined their fellow senior as First-Team All-RMAC honorees making the duo two-time all-conference players. Drew Johnson, Lucas King and Ryan Wilson were named Second-Team All-RMAC while Head Coach Greg Mulholland claimed RMAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Mines' six-man contingency marked the most honorees on the top two teams and tied for the most including the honorable mention list. It also matches the Orediggers' All-RMAC representation from last season.
 
COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
On the same day that the All-RMAC teams were released, three Orediggers were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District teams. The trio of Ryan Wilson, Jason Zobott and Ben Overholt were named to the squad thanks to a vote by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The recognition came thanks to their achievements on the field and in the classroom. No other school had more representatives than Mines on the 11-man squad. Colorado Mesa did match the Orediggers with three representatives of its own. To be considered for the CoSIDA Academic All-District teams, a student-athlete must carry a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 as a sophomore or above and be a starter or significant contributor to their team. Overall, Zobott has been named academic all-district three times, Overholt twice and Wilson now once. All three Orediggers advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
After winning its first match of the RMAC Tournament, Mines jumped two spots to #10 in the NCAA Regional Rankings. For those who don't know, NCAA Division II playoff soccer has taken on a new look in 2019. Instead of eight different regions, there are now four super regions. The Orediggers are a part of Super Region IV which includes the RMAC, Lone Star, PacWest, GNAC and CCAC. In this new format, the top 10 teams in the final regional rankings advance to the NCAA Tournament. There are five automatic bids that go out to the five conference tournament champions. The remaining five spots are at-large positions granted to those who score highest on the Regional Advisory Committees rubric and voting. Currently, Super Region IV is led by undefeated Azusa Pacific which is the #1 team in the nation according the United Soccer Coaches. As one might deduce, the RMAC is not getting much love as Mines is the top-ranked team out of the conference at #10. Bottom line is the Orediggers must win the RMAC Tournament to make a third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
If Mines wins on Friday, it awaits the 2019 NCAA Tournament Selection show scheduled to air Monday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. If the Orediggers fall, their season is likely over. Live stats and video of all matches Mines plays in the postseason will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics. Men's soccer is also on Twitter under the handle @MinesMSOC.