GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – After a series of schedule changes and an extended off season, the Colorado Mesa women's soccer team is set to take the pitch this weekend, opening with a pair of non-conference matchups against CSU Pueblo and Fort Lewis. Friday will feature the Mavericks take on CSU Pueblo at 2 p.m., followed by a meeting with the Fort Lewis Skyhawks on Sunday at 1 p.m., both games on Maverick Field.
RMAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
After barely missing out on the 2019 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, the Mavericks were picked to finish 8
th by conference officials in the preseason poll released back in February.
The 2019 squad finished with an 8-7-2 record, while going 5-6-2 in league play.
Colorado School of Mines were chosen as the favorite, picking up 8 of the 13 first-place votes available, followed by UCCS who tallied three first-place votes. Westminster came in at No. 3 with one first-place votes, with Fort Lewis and MSU Denver rounding out the top-5 teams.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR…
Lexi Newton a Grand Junction local, enters her junior season with the Mavs. In 2019, Newton played and started in all 17 games, finding the back of the net twice and assisted on two other goa
Mikayla Eccher a forward out of Fort Collins, recorded minutes in 10 games during the 2019 season and made her first career start against Colorado School of Mines. She also contributed a goal, in a dominating 6-0 win over New Mexico Highlands on October 18, 2019.
Just a sophomore,
Bobbie Golik saw time in 15 games, earning a spot in the starting lineup in 13 games in 2019, making her first collegiate start against Colorado Christian. Just over a month later, she recorded her first collegiate point after assisting on a goal against Fort Lewis. Listed as a defender, the Northridge, Calif. native had no fear moving up the field taking eight shots, two of which coming on goal.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
CSU PUEBLO THUNDERWOLVES
Friday will feature the Mavericks taking on the CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves to open the season. In 2019, the team finished 6-10-2 overall, 5-6-2 in conference play. In a tie breaker, the Thunderwolves trumped the Mavs, sending them to the RMAC Tournament as the eighth seed.
Picked to finish just above CMU in the preseason poll, Friday's contest will also mark the season opener for the Thunderwolves. They were originally scheduled to take on Regis towards the end of February, but was postponed.
Nicole Genis, Faith Meredith and Cara Siegel were named 'Players to Watch' for CSU Pueblo.
Genis is a goalkeeper from San Jose, Costa Rica. A transfer from the New York Institute of Technology, the sophomore helped her former team to their first postseason berth in program history, with a 1.34 goal-against average and a .723 save percentage.
Meredith makes her way to Pueblo after playing for Laramie County Community College. In her time with the Golden Eagles she tallied 21-goals, 14 assists over the span of 33-games. She was named a NJCAA and United Soccer Coaches All-American status, helping the team to a 1-1 record in the NJCAA National Tournament.
Siegel, a senior forward for the Thunderwolves returns for this spring, after earning Second Team All-RMAC honors in 2019. The Pueblo local scored three goals and added four assists for her team.
FORT LEWIS SKYHAWKS
Out of 12 teams, the Fort Lewis Skyhawks women's soccer team was tabbed 4
th in the RMAC Preseason Coaches poll. In 2019 they finished sixth in the conference, entering the tournament as the No. 7 seed with a 7-7-3 overall record, 6-4-3 in RMAC play.
Katie Smith and Ashley Strader were noted as 'Players to Watch'. Smith a junior midfielder already as two All-RMAC honors under her belt, and looks to continue to be a strong presence in the Skyhawks lineup. Strader, just a sophomore, splits her duties between the front and back row of the pitch. It was Straders goal in overtime, that lifted the Skyhawks to a 3-2 victory over the Mavs in 2019.
