After a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2023 and high expectations from the preseason, the Mountain Lions men’s soccer team began their season last week with a win and a tie.
An offseason roster turnover leaves UCCS with open spots in their lineup to fill, and the expectations might be high for the team, according to coaches around the conference. The Mountain Lions were ranked #4 in the RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, behind CSU-Pueblo, Fort Lewis and Colorado Mesa. The team will take on CSU-Pueblo and Fort Lewis, who are ranked nationally in the NCAA Division II Preseason Poll.
The Mountain Lions still have their work cut out for them with their top three scorers from last season not returning to the squad. Top goal scorer and forward Alex Andersson signed a contract in December to play professionally for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.
In his tenure for UCCS, Andersson racked up two All-RMAC First Team selections, including being named the RMAC Player of the Year in 2021. He led the Mountain Lions in goals scored over the last four seasons, with 25 in nearly 3,000 total minutes.
Also departing UCCS in the fall were graduate student forwards Kolby Raineri and Peter Chang. In Raineri’s five seasons with the Mountain Lions, he scored 28 goals and grabbed 22 assists, starting in 74 of his 80 appearances. Chang, a transfer student from the University of Memphis, appeared in 16 games off the bench, scoring 6 goals in 490 minutes.
The Mountain Lions opened their season on the road in California against Cal State San Marcos on Sept. 5 in a tight 1-1 draw that saw neither team score until the second half.
Junior forward Nick Walker scored the tying goal for the Mountain Lions through a penalty kick in the 69th minute after a red card against the San Marcos bench. This was the first time in each program’s history in which UCCS and Cal State San Marcos have matched up.
Two days later, the Mountain Lions continued their out-of-conference stretch in California against the Azusa Pacific University Cougars. In a physical match that saw both sides commit a total of 30 fouls altogether, UCCS prevailed, 4-1.
Junior defender Rory Scott found his way into opposing territory within the first two minutes, slotting a goal into the back of the net after an assist from freshman defender Sean Belzer. This was Scott’s first goal since Nov. 1 of the previous season and the second in his career.
Walker continued his hot start to his junior season with a pair of goals, one in the 11th minute and a second coming out of halftime in the 46th minute. UCCS continued to put the pressure on the Cougars with a fourth goal from junior forward Cole Venable. A transfer from Casper College, this was Venable’s first started game in a Mountain Lion uniform.
UCCS has started four consecutive seasons without losing their opening match, and their third season in a row without a loss through two games.
The Mountain Lions’ first home match will be against the University of Texas at Tyler on Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. in the Mountain Lion Stadium. RMAC conference play begins on Oct. 3 against the Colorado School of Mines.
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#11 Peter Chang in the 2023 season RMAC Tournament Quarterfinals. Photo by Lillian Davis.