Nov. 2, 2015
Taylor Garcia
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The RMAC tournament begins in two days for the men’s soccer team.
At 6-2 in conference and 11-4 overall entering play Oct. 30, the Mountain Lions are tied with Metro State for fourth in RMAC standings.
The team can finish anywhere from second to fifth in the conference, depending on the results of their last two games against Adams State on Oct. 30 and Fort Lewis on Nov. 1.
The Mountain Lions faced Colorado Mesa, a team above them in conference standings, on Oct. 23 and fell to the Mavericks 3-0. But they followed that result with a 2-1 win against Westminster.
UCCS has faced injuries this season, but head coach Johnnie Keen doesn’t feel that has hindered them in any way.
“David (Meyer, sophomore goalie) had a quad injury throughout the season, but Peter (Vogrin, junior goalie) has stepped up to fill that role.”
Along with Meyer, senior midfielder Sebastian Hertzberg battled a muscle strain, but played in the Colorado Mesa game.
The Mountain Lions have a winning record in both conference and non-conference games. Keen attributes that to the team’s goal of hard work.
“The foundation of our success is hard work and we have plenty of talented players, but we want hard work to be their goal.”
Keen explained that at this time of the year, the game plan that each team has is known to the rest of the conference.
“You have to get creative, change your formation a little here and change your style of attack there,” he said.
He added that knowing your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses gives a chance to counter those when you play them again.
Fort Lewis is also above UCCS in the conference standings. They have a grass field, different for the Mountain Lions who are used to a turf playing surface.
Keen explained that going from turf to grass makes a huge difference in the way the team plays. The team will get there ahead of time to help the adjustment.
Keep an eye on gomountainlions.com for updated results, as UCCS could host a postseason game this week.