The RMAC tournament runs for men’s and women’s soccer ended after their losses in their respective RMAC Championship Tournament semifinal games.
Each team was defeated by the No. 1 seeds by a score of 2-1.
Men’s soccer outplayed by CSU Pueblo, 2-1
The No. 2 nationally ranked UCCS men’s soccer team was defeated by CSU Pueblo on Nov. 13 in Pueblo. While their RMAC tournament run is finished, the team is likely to reappear in the NCAA Division II Tournament on Nov. 21.
The first half of the semifinal match saw CSU Pueblo dominate possession, and the ThunderWolves got on the scoreboard quickly with a goal in the 7th minute with their first shot attempt. The scoring opportunity was given after junior forward Miles Seminario fouled a ThunderWolf in the box, setting up the opening goal.
The Mountain Lions got their first shot in the 23rd minute when a corner kick enabled senior midfielder Dani Barajas to take a shot. Their second shot of the game in the 25th came about the same way, with graduate student goalkeeper Adin Schwenke receiving the ball from a UCCS corner kick, heading it toward the goal but blocked by the ThunderWolves.
The ThunderWolves got their second goal after a ThunderWolf attacker was tripped inside the penalty zone by junior defender Rory Scott. The foul gave CSU Pueblo a penalty kick, which was sent into right side of the goal. Junior goalkeeper Soren Russell fell to the left, giving the Mountain Lions a 2-0 deficit heading into the half.
In the second half, the Mountain Lions began with much more momentum, despite junior defender Soulo Letsoalo’s injury from a midair collision with the CSU Pueblo keeper in the 61st minute.
UCCS recorded the first five shots of the half, holding off any threatening offensive plays from the ThunderWolves until the 71st when the ThunderWolves went back on the offensive. Russell staved off a four-minute shooting spree by the ThunderWolves an intense four-minute shooting spree.
With less than two minutes remaining in the match, sophomore midfielder Dalton Uehling took a corner kick in ThunderWolf territory. The play initiated a series of Mountain Lion passes, allowing Seminario to kick the ball past the opposing keeper into the goal’s left corner amid the chaos.
But it was too little, too late for the Mountain Lions, and they ended 2-1 for the ThunderWolves.
Women’s soccer fights but falls to Colorado School of Mines, 2-1
The No. 4 seed Mountain Lions were taken down by No. 1 seed and regular season RMAC champions Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC Championship Tournament semifinal, 2-1, on Nov. 14.
The first half saw the two teams trade blows in possession but were scoreless. The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers controlled possession early on before UCCS took over in the middle of the half.
The Mountain Lions began the second half strong and dominated possession early with a shot on goal by freshman defender Elise Broberg just over a minute into play.
This was followed by two more shots and two corner kicks for the Mountain Lions all in the first six minutes of play in the second half. In the 50th minute, Broberg was injured and had to be helped off the field while unable to put weight on one of her legs.
The 61st minute saw the start of a drive that gave UCCS their only goal of the game and their first lead. A ball was launched from deep in UCCS territory to senior midfielder Fie Steenberg on the far-side wing of Oredigger territory. Steenberg passed the ball between two Orediggers to sophomore midfielder Taylynn Levi, who was able to kick the ball right into the net to get the first score of the game, putting UCCS up 1-0.
Despite holding the lead, the Colorado School of Mines picked up the pace with a deep kick from an Oredigger to their co-champion RMAC Player of the Year Reese McDermott, who was able to kick it past UCCS goalkeeper Alexa Malaspina to knot up the game at 1-1 in the 75th minute.
Six minutes later, the Orediggers’ other co-champion RMAC Player of the Year Bella Campos pulled off a nearly identical play to put Mines in the lead, 2-1, diminishing UCCS’ chances at advancing. In the final minute of play, Levi attempted a similar shot to that of her goal earlier in the game, but rather than going into the net, the ball bounced off the goalpost — ending UCCS’ shot at tying up the game and ending 2-1.
The Mountain Lions’ tournament run may be over, but they could be selected as one of 56 teams in the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championships on Nov. 18.
Midfielder #7 Taylynn Levi during the RMAC Quarterfinal Match on Nov. 10. Photo by Lillian Davis.