#14 Mines (12-3-3, 10-1-3 RMAC) vs. Dixie State (11-7-1, 9-5-0 RMAC) – Sunday, 2:30 p.m. – Stermole Stadium – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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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".
 
IT'S BACK. BACK AGAIN.
The RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament is back in Golden for a third straight year as top-seeded Colorado School of Mines hosts Dixie State in the 2019 RMAC Tournament Semifinal match on Sunday. Mines earned the #1 seed by way of its third consecutive regular-season conference title which it won thanks to a 0-0 draw against Regis in the regular-season finale. Sunday marks the second time the Orediggers will face Dixie State this season, but this time it's a win-or-go-home scenario. If Mines finds victory, it will host the championship game next Friday. However, if Dixie State comes out on top, the RMAC Tournament is headed to the highest remaining seed.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Sunday's forecast appears to be pleasant, featuring partly cloudy skies and a high temperature of 62 degrees. As of Friday, no wind is in the forecast and the humidity should sit around 25 percent. That being said, the temperature is projected to drop quickly starting around 3 p.m. which would be right in the middle of the men's match. With Clear Creek Canyon as a fickle backdrop, fans are encouraged to wear a light jacket, but bring layers just in case.
 
LAST WEEKEND
The Colorado School of Mines Men's Soccer team closed the 2019 regular-season with a split schedule, spending Friday on the road before returning home Sunday. The Orediggers defeated South Dakota Mines by a score of 4-0 on Friday in Rapid City. Then, on Sunday, Mines worked its way to a 0-0 draw in double overtime against Regis. The single point was all the Orediggers needed to clinch the RMAC regular-season championship. Talon Stanley, Ben Overholt and Baptiste Debuire all scored goals against SDSMT thanks to assists from Patrick Allan, Ian Kugler and Adam Kindorf. Additionally, the defense held the Hardrockers to zero shots and no shots on goal through the entirety of the match. That defensive momentum carried into Sunday as Drew Johnson made five saves in goal to give Mines its 12th shutout of the season.
 
SCOUTING DIXIE STATE
After going 9-5 in RMAC play in the regular season, Dixie State claimed the #4 seed for the conference tournament. That seeding provided the Trailblazers hosting rights in the quarterfinal round and DSU took advantage with a 1-0 win over in-state rival Westminster to advance to the semifinals. Since the last meeting between Mines and Dixie State on Oct. 13 in Utah, the Trailblazers have gone 5-2. That mark includes an active five-game winning streak with wins over Adams State, CSU-Pueblo, Westminster, Colorado Christian and Westminster again. Dixie State went 2-1 against WC in the regular season with the only loss coming in overtime. Individually, Medina Moises is the man to watch on offense. He has 10 goals and six assists so far in 2019. Six of those goals are game-winning tallies which ranks #3 in the nation. Zach Nielson is the man in goal with 95 saves compared to 23 goals against with four shutouts. Nielson's saves rank #6 in the nation and his total minutes played rank #3 in the nation.
 
TRAILBLAZERS, REBELS AND BISON – OH MY!
The nickname Trailblazers is relatively new for Dixie State. Originally known as the Rebels, DSU attempted to adopt the nickname Red Storm in 2009 in an effort to distance itself from deep South associations. The change was unsuccessful and the University made the change to Trailblazers in 2016. The name is defined as, "a person who makes a new track through wild country," while the bison image is a carryover from the Red Storm era and is claimed as, "an authentic and worthy nod to southwestern Utah's hardscrabble history. The bison's name is Brooks which is a reference to the school's first student, Samuel Brooks. And now you know.
 
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
Sunday marks just the fourth meeting ever between Mines and Dixie State. Since the series began in 2016, the Orediggers are 3-0 against the Trailblazers. Mines won the series premiere by a score of 3-0 and followed up with a 1-0 victory in 2018 at Stermole Stadium. As previously mentioned, the Orediggers also down DSU earlier this season by a score of 2-1. In that meeting on Oct. 13, Ford Edwards and Jason Zobott both scored with assists coming from Lucas King and Talon Stanley. Drew Johnson finished the match with five saves.
 
CONFERNECE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This weekend, Mines will make its 21st appearance in the RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament. The first RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament was held in 1996 – the first year the conference sponsored men's soccer. Prior to that time, RMAC men's soccer programs mainly competed in the Colorado Athletic Conference. The Orediggers won the inaugural conference tournament as a #2 seed with a 3-2 win over Fort Lewis in the semifinal and a 1-0 win over Regis in the championship match. The Orediggers took a three-year hiatus from the league tournament before qualifying again in 2000. Since that time, Mines has appeared in 20 straight RMAC Tournaments including the 2019 edition and won eight tournament crowns. Since 2017, Mines is a perfect 4-0 in conference tournament play.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
As previously mentioned, 2019 marks Mines' 21st RMAC Tournament appearance. Since their debut in 1996, the Orediggers have played 32 matches in the conference postseason while going 16-10-6. Mines has represented the #4 and #3 seeds three times each while earning seven #2 seeds and now eight #1 seeds. As the top seed in the tournament, the Orediggers have won five of their eight crowns, going 9-2-2. Mines is 5-3-2 as the #2 seed, 0-2-2 as the #3 seed and 2-3-0 as the fourth seed. Overall, Mines has outscored its opponents 69-54 in RMAC Tournament play and gone to penalty kicks six times to decide who advances. In the semifinals, the Orediggers boast a record of 9-6-4.
 
RMAC ALL-EVERYTHING
On Thursday, 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.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
On Wednesday, Mines jumped into the NCAA Regional Rankings at #12. 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 #12. 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 Sunday, it will host the winner of second-seeded Regis versus sixth-seeded Fort Lewis in the RMAC Tournament Championship match next Friday at 6 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.