GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Alec Fronapfel recorded just the fifth hat-trick in Colorado Mesa University men's soccer history but was not quite enough as the Mavericks' bid for an undefeated 2021 spring season was thwarted by the nemesis Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, who scored the game-winner in the opening minute of overtime to claim a 4-3 victory in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship match on Sunday evening here at Maverick Field.
 
The teams had shared the RMAC Regular Season title and came into Sunday's match with identical 6-0-1 overall records.
 
However, the Orediggers came out with the victory as they overcame 1-0 and 3-2 deficits while scoring three set-piece goals in the victory, capped by Michael Sprauer's second goal in overtime.  Sprauer, named as the RMAC Tournament MVP had also scored the Orediggers' first goal in the 31^st minute when he put in a Lucas King corner kick to level Fronapfel's first strike at the 14-minute mark.
 
The Orediggers, who have now won all four RMAC Tournament title matches between the teams, and four straight tournament titles overall, then went ahead 2-1 early in the second half when Azad Illozer scored a 47^th minute marker.
 
However, the Mavericks answered less than three minutes later on Fronapfel's second goal of the night, which came after a nice Ramses Atahualpa flick-on sprang the Fort Collins native free for a shot that beat Mines keeper Brian Doherty into the right side of the goal.
 
Fronapfel then put the Mavericks back in front, 3-2, in the 74^th minute after he hammered in a rebound off a Daisuke Takanaka shot.
 
However, the Orediggers took advantage of a free kick from 25 yards out in the 79^th minute when King's free kick deflected off the Maverick wall and into the net as the teams went into overtime of what was truly an instant-classic.
 
In the opening minute of the overtime, Talon Stanley sent a nice swerving free kick into the penalty area that Sprauer volleyed into the Maverick net for the tournament-winning goal.
 
Fronapfel's 3-goal barrage allowed him to finish the spring season with a RMAC-high eight goals.  He also became the first Maverick to record a hat trick since Lawan Abary scored a single-game school-record four on Sept. 16, 2018 against CSU Pueblo.  Fronapfel's hat-trick was also just the second post-season hat-trick in Maverick history.  Roy Abergil was the first to accomplish that feat, netting three goals in a Nov. 6, 2015 RMAC Tournament semifinal win over CSU Pueblo in Golden.
 
Sunday's statistics were as even as the score would have indicated.  The Mavericks finished with a 14-13 advantage in total shots although the Orediggers had the slightest of 9-8 advantages in shots on goal. 
 
The Mavericks did have a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks, taking several in the final ten minutes of regulation.
 
CMU's Brendan Brown and CSM's Doherty made five saves each in their respective nets as well.
 
The Mavericks had four players named to the all-tournament team in Fronapfel, Takanaka, Ethan Anderson and Gabriel Peres.