GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa (1-0-1, 1-0-1 RMAC) men's soccer team will have their first road test this weekend as they head over to the front range to take on Regis (2-1, 2-0 RMAC) and UCCS (1-2-0, 1-1 RMAC) to continue conference action.
Thursday's contest will feature the Mavericks taking on the Rangers of Regis. No fans will be allowed to attend, and are encouraged to follow along with the livestream at regisrangers.com
The team will complete their road trip in Colorado Springs, facing off with the Mountain Lions of UCCS, Saturday afternoon at Mountain Lion Stadium. The event is listed to allow limited admission with COVID-19 restrictions.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavericks first win of the season came in dominant fashion, as four different players scored firsts of the season to give CMU a 4-0 shutout over South Dakota Mines.
Ethan Anderson drew blood first, situating a free kick in the top-left corner of the goal. Anderson would then get in on the next goal, putting a corner kick into play, and finding the head of
Joey Joiner who snuck into the bottom left corner of the goal for the second score of the game.
Daisuke Takanaka seized an opportunity, taking a shot from the top of the box that had enough juice to fuel it past the Hardrockers goalkeeper.
Just as time winded down, the Maverick defense intercepted a pass and sent it forward to
Fernando Morales who took a long arching shot that found the back of the net, and would be the eventual final goal of the afternoon.
As a team the Mavericks did not concede a corner kick and allowed just two shots by the Hardrockers, and only one attempt at the goal.
TEAM EFFORT
Each of the Mavericks five goals this season have been scored by different players, with a breakdown of two freshman, a transfer and two returners.
Joiner and Morales scored their first career goals against South Dakota Mines. Anderson's goal was the second of his career, and is one of the two returners from a season ago. Alec
Fronapfel is the other who scored in game one against Westminster.
Takanaka rounds out the scorers, picking up his first goal in a Maverick uniform against South Dakota Mines.
RANGER RECON
The Regis Rangers picked up two first-place votes in the RMAC Preseason Coaches poll and predicted to finish second.
In their season opener, they were stunned by Colorado Christian in double-overtime. After a few cancellations, they entered into conference play and are currently enjoying a two-game streak, with wins over MSU Denver and UCCS for a 2-1 overall record.
They posted multiple goals in both those games, with senior Jean Carre contributing a goal in each of the most recent wins. Kristian Hooker is also behind a pair of Ranger goals, and leads the team with five points on the season.
BREAKDOWN of the MOUNTAIN LIONS
The Mountain Lions are sporting the opposite record of the Rangers, sitting at 1-2 on the season. Their lone win came in a 5-1 decision over South Dakota Mines in the conference opener.
Looking to come from behind, they fell a goal short, losing 2-3 to Regis last weekend.
Freshman, Alex Anderson has scored in the Mountain Lions last two contests, tied for a team high two goals. He also posted two assists against South Dakota Mines to hold the team lead. Liam McGuire matches Anderson with two goals on the season, and also has an assist.
NEW COACHING ERA
The Mavericks have been learning a new system under Head Coach
Jon Fridal, who took over the program back in December.
Fridal, had been the head coach at NCAA Division II South Central Region rival Eastern New Mexico University for the past 2 ½ years, and is the Mavericks' fourth head coach in program history. He inherits a Maverick program that has qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament in five of the last six seasons, including a 2014 national semifinal run, while posting seven straight double-figure win seasons.
In his two seasons at ENMU, Fridal and the Greyhounds went 20-13-3 (.597), raising their win total by four each year.
In 2019, Fridal led ENMU to a record-breaking 12-5-1 season that saw the Greyhounds record three wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including one at CMU, while earning their first national ranking in program history. They got off to a perfect 6-0-0 start and were ranked in each of the five first United Soccer Coaches Polls, climbing as high as No. 9 in the national edition.
They also recorded a program-record six shutouts and had five selections to the All-Lone Star Conference teams, including LSC Goalkeeper of the Year Ross Dalton. Three of his players also received all-region honors and his program was recognized for their academic success with the USC Team Academic Award.
In Fridal's first season (2018) with the Greyhounds, he led ENMU to an 8-8-2 record. They had two all-conference and three all-region selections in his debut season as a NCAA Division II head coach.
The Greyhounds had won just four games in 2017 before his arrival in Portales.
