Men’s Soccer captured the No. 1 seed heading into the RMAC tournament, which is valuable to the Mountain Lions for several reasons.
This secures home-field advantage throughout the entire tournament. Considering the team did not lose a conference game at home this season, a home-field advantage could be a major factor.
In theory, a higher seed secures an easier path to the championship, although no one can be counted out in this conference.
For being the best team in the conference, the stats don’t pop out at you like you would expect. The team was seventh in the conference for goals and third for goals allowed.
It has been the heroics of senior forward Nick Walker that have allowed the Mountain Lions to win games, as he leads the conference in game-winning goals with seven. Senior forward Miles Seminario led the team in goals with nine.
The team has been shining in defense. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Hugo Sjoberg is second in the conference for shutouts but also has the fewest amount of saves in the conference. This shows the harmony between the defense and the goalkeeper.
The No. 1 seed gave UCCS a bye for the first round, giving them time to prepare to play either No. 5 CSU Pueblo or No. 4 Westminster.
Having a higher seed should give them an easier schedule, but in their regular-season matchups, UCCS needed a late goal by graduate student Drew Sanchez to beat Westminster 3-2 and lost to CSU Pueblo 4-2.
In one corner, Westminster has had the best defense in the conference, which could be a problem for UCCS. Falling behind early could mean a painful loss if Westminster holds the door on defense for the rest of the game.
In the other corner stands reigning RMAC champions CSU Pueblo who beat UCCS in the last regular season game on Nov. 5.
While both matchups could give the Mountain Lions some trouble, there is reason to believe that they can get it done no matter who they face.
In a silver lining with the Westminster matchup, UCCS was able to score three goals during their regular-season matchup, meaning that a high-scoring game would most likely favor the Mountain Lions.
The loss against CSU Pueblo was an away game, and the home-field advantage for UCCS might be enough to turn the tide.
UCCS’s Achilles Heel this season was Fort Lewis, who beat UCCS twice this season and had the best offense in the conference. To the delight of the other teams, they just missed the conference tournament, meaning their high-power offense is no longer a worry.
The other side of the bracket features No. 6 Colorado Mesa, No. 3 Regis and No. 2 MSU Denver, all of which UCCS beat in their regular season matchups.
MSU Denver has the second-best defense in the conference, and Colorado Mesa had the third-most goals. Depending on how that side of the bracket plays out, UCCS could be playing against two different types of teams. While both teams have changed and adjusted since their matchup, fans of the black and gold can stay calm knowing the team has the talent to beat them.
This team has remained cool in high-pressure situations all season, likely because of the team’s seniors.
Having seniors on the team is a double-edged sword. It comes with the perks of experience and composure. This is the last chance for this team lineup to capture the conference championship. After this season, there will be a shakeup on the roster and it will be up to the new generation to carry the torch.
With these implications, we should expect to see the best version of UCCS during this tournament.
The first match for UCCS will be on Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. Watch along on the RMAC Network through their pay-per-view or subscription options.
Photo from the UCCS Photography Database.