GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – With the dominant win last Saturday, the No. 10 Colorado Mesa (5-0-1, 5-0-1 RMAC) men's soccer team won their respective division, a share of the regular season title, and the right to host the final two rounds of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Mavericks will be featured in the second semifinal Friday, taking on Regis at 7 p.m. on Maverick Field. The winner will move on to Sunday's championship, against the winner of Colorado School of Mines and Fort Lewis.

LAST TIME OUT
Colorado Mesa led from start to finish last Saturday against Regis, in what was a reschedule from April 1.

Wasting no time, Ramses Atahualpa made a b-line for the Rangers goal and handled the ball amongst defenders, hooking it into the back of the net just 32-seconds in, and what was just a glimpse of what to expect for the rest of the night.

Riding high on the early goal, the combination of Daisuke Takanaka and Alec Fronpafel added to the team's total in the 13^th minute, and then Joey Joiner, Tristan Widic teamed up and found John Roberts in front of the goal who put their team up by three going into the break.

Atahualpa's crafty footwork, set him up to send a high pass into the goal box, finding an awaiting Fronapfel who headed it in for his second goal of the night, putting his season total at four.

Gabriel Peres would cap things off in the 61^st minute, setting up a free kick midway from the goal box and midfield line. The powerful strike found its way into the top-right corner of the goal, leading to the eventual fifth and final goal of the game.

MOVING UP THE RANKINGS
Apr. 6, marked the first time that Colorado Mesa came into the United Soccer Coaches poll, shooting up to No. 15 after picking up back-to-back 4-0 shutouts. In the most recent poll, the Mavericks shot up to No. 10, overtaking Colorado Mines who dropped to 15.  

Ahead of the 2019 Season, CMU was ranked 17^th by United Soccer Coaches. In 2017, the team was ranked as high as No. 6.

HEAD OF THE HERD
As a team, the Mavericks have scored 17 goals in six games, allowing just one goal. Having taking over 100 shots, they average 18.5 per game, to their opponents six. With a .505 shots on goal percentage, the Mavericks create opportunities to score and put pressure on the opposing team's defense early.

Alec Fronapfel, who leads the team in goals with four, averages the second most shots in the conference with just over three per game, and has the fourth most goals in the conference.

Ramses Atahualpa follows up with 2.67 shots per game, coming up with the clutch goal against Westminster in double-overtime to keep the Mavericks win streak alive.

Ethan Anderson has contributed significantly to both the team's offensive and defensive efforts. His five assists leads the team, and is amongst a few players who have two goals on the season.

Brendan Brown leads the conference in nearly every category sporting a, .157 goals against average, with five shutouts and 13 saves with just a single goal allowed for a .929 save percentage, which also ranks among the nation's best.

WE MEET AGAIN
Familiar foe Regis makes their way back to Maverick Field for the second time in a week, matching up with Colorado Mesa in the tournament semi-final. Up against a relentless CSU Pueblo team in the quarterfinals, the Rangers outlasted the Thunderwolves in double-overtime, coming up with the game winning goal in the 108^th minute.

After going scoreless in regulation, the Rangers top scorer Kristian Hooker took a shot that rebounded off the Thunderwolves goalkeeper and towards Michael Jimenez, who sent a quick pass up with Parker Klein who sealed the deal.

Luca Falagrady was in goal, and came up with seven saves to help secure the win.

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.