After traveling to Salt Lake City on Oct. 27, the Mountain Lion’s men’s soccer team defeated Westminster University Griffins on their senior night, 2-1.
The Mountain Lions and the Griffins defense established themselves from the beginning of the match, letting no shots on goal for the first 20 minutes of the match.
The first half was a game of trading corner kicks, for these were the only scoring opportunities seen through the start of the match. In the 41st minute, UCCS senior midfielder Dani Barajas placed the ball on the left corner of the field, sending a high ball to the far right post where junior defender Rory Scott stuck out his right foot mid-air. The ball ricocheted off his foot, and the keeper’s gloves before rolling into the bottom right corner of the goal for the first lead of the match for the Mountain Lions.
When the second half began, the Griffins were constantly pushing forward, putting lots of pressure on the Mountain Lions. In the 49th minute, this pressure forced UCCS graduate student midfielder Jackson Million to be too aggressive on the defense and make an illegal tackle, earning him a yellow card.
After more pressure from the Griffins, they sealed their opportunity with a corner kick. Westminster’s Cam Neeley sent the ball flying into the box from the left side to Landon Ward, who stuck the ball into the top right corner of the goal, making the score tied at 1-1.
The Mountain Lions followed this goal with a more controlled approach in the second half, as they dominated in possession heavily after the tying goal.
In the 62nd minute, Barajas, UCCS’ leading scorer, walked off to the sideline after suffering a head injury, being substituted out and replaced by graduate student forward Jack Souder.
UCCS used their speed to their advantage in the 75th minute, when Souder rushed down the field and passed the ball to junior forward Nick Walker, who, while covered by three defenders on the outside of the box, managed to escape and shot with his left foot from just inside the box. The ball glided to the far-right post, giving UCCS a 2-1 lead with only 15 minutes left on the clock.
The Griffins, struggling to create opportunities, had one last shot in the 88th minute, but the ball sailed far out of bounds. The Mountain Lion defense held strongly for the remainder of the match, securing another RMAC victory.
Although the overall game score looked tight, the Mountain Lions had double the number of shots taken at 14-7.
UCCS men’s soccer moves up 12-1-2 overall, with a 5-1-1 record in the RMAC. The Griffins have not won a game against an RMAC opponent this season, putting their record in the division at 0-4-3 and 4-6-5 overall.
Dating back to the beginning of 2022, UCCS leads 17-9 in wins against the Griffins, making this the fifth game in a row where the Mountain Lions have won against them.
UCCS’ next matchup will be against South Dakota Mines at the Mountain Lion Stadium on Nov. 1 at noon. This will be the first match of a three-game home stand before the RMAC tournament on Nov. 10.
Defender #14 Rory Scott against Azusa Pacific on Sept. 7. Photo courtesy of GoMountainLions.com.