GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – After an 0-2 trip to the Pacific Northwest to open the season, the Colorado Mesa women's soccer team will look to get back on track with a pair of home matches at the Colorado Mesa Kickoff Weekend.

The Mavericks' home opener will be Friday night, with CMU taking on Nebraska-Kearney at 7 p.m., followed by a match-up with Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday at 2 p.m.

As part of the kickoff weekend, Western Colorado will play the same opponents in reverse order, taking on CSUDH on Friday at 4 p.m. and Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday at 11 a.m. from the CMU campus.

All four matches will be available to stream live on the RMAC Network. Live stats will also be available at cmumavericks.com.

Looking Back
The Mavericks created plenty of offensive chances but were not able to put enough of them away to come away with the win in either of their two matches this weekend.

It only took forward Lila Dere nine minutes into the new season to find the net against Saint Martin's, receiving a pass from Kylie Wells at the top of the box, spinning and firing a shot into the top right corner. But the next three goals were all scored by the hosts, giving Saint Martin's a 3-1 victory.

Colorado Mesa outshot the Saints 28-8 and placed 13 shots on target to the Saints' four. Dere outshot the entire SMU team by herself, finishing with nine shots and four shots on goal.

RECAPS: Saint Martin's | Western Oregon

The Mavs also finished on the short end of Sunday's 3-2 loss to Western Oregon after three goals were scored in the match's final ten minutes. Addie Randel opened the scoring in the 38^th minute, but Western Oregon responded with goals in the 40^th and 82^nd minutes.

Colorado Mesa was given a lifeline with a penalty kick in the 84^th minute, which Dere converted, but the Wolves again had an answer, taking the lead for good just a minute later.

Conference Leaderboards
Although they didn't end up with the goals to show for it last week, Colorado Mesa still looks to be one of the RMAC's most dangerous offensive teams.

The Mavericks rank third in the RMAC with 43 shots, second with 21 shots on goal and tied for third with three goals scored. They lead the conference with 18 corner kicks taken.

Off and Running
Reigning RMAC Player of the Year Lila Dere has picked up right where she left off. After scoring 15 goals last year, tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history, Dere has two goals in as many games in 2022.  

With the two goals, Dere moved into fifth place all-time in CMU history with 24 career strikes, passing Raina Fine and Daniela Ramirez. Next up on the all-time list is Alisha Phillips with 27 career goals.

Dere also passed Fine on the all-time points list and now ranks sixth all-time with 52 points based on her 24 goals and four assists in her career. Phillips ranks fifth all-time with 57 points.

Dere needs 15 goals and 37 points this season to become the program's all-time leader in each category. She scored 15 goals and 34 points in 2021 (one goal = two points, one assist = one point).

Through the opening week of the season, Dere is the runaway conference leader with 15 shots, six more than any other player. Teammate Sophia Beames is tied for third in the RMAC with eight shots. Dere also leads the RMAC with seven shots on goal and her two goals have her in a four-way tie for second in the conference.

The nine shots that Dere took against Saint Martin's was the third-highest single-game total in the redshirt sophomore forward's career, trailing a 16-shot onslaught against Colorado Christian that is the highest total in CMU history, as well as an 11-shot performance against Regis in a game in which she scored four goals.

Goalie Rotation
The Mavericks used two different goalkeepers in the first week of the season. Redshirt sophomore Chloe Dody, who started all 18 games last season, was CMU's netminder against Saint Martin's, making one save in the 3-1 loss.

Against Western Oregon, the Mavs turned to true freshman Ella Harrison. In her first collegiate action, Harrison faced 14 shots, made three saves and conceded three goals.

Early Impact
Several new faces to the CMU roster played key roles in the opening two games. Defender Kaydree Rapp, a transfer from Rogers State, is one of two Mavericks to play all 180 minutes of the first two games (alongside veteran midfielder Mira Houck).

Kylie Wells, a freshman forward from Fruita, Colo., started both matches and contributed an assist on CMU's opening goal against Saint Martin's. Fellow freshmen Isabel Schauber and Ally Wachtel have each started a match, with Wachtel playing all 90 minutes at defender against Western Oregon.

In the Polls
The Mavericks finished tied for second in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 125 points and three out of 13 first-place votes.

The Mavs were even on points with the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, who received a conference-high five first-place votes, while Colorado School of Mines edged out both schools to finish first in the poll while also receiving three first-place votes. Nationally, UCCS is ranked No. 8 while Colorado Mines received votes but ranked just outside the top 25.

Coach's Corner
Mavericks head coach Megan Remec is entering her third season at the helm of the CMU program.  

In her debut campaign, played in spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Remec led the Mavericks to a winning 5-4-1 record and to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time since 2017.

In her first full season in fall 2021, CMU finished 14-4 with a 10-2 RMAC record, winning the program's first regular-season RMAC title since 2000. At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Remec was named the RMAC Coach of the Year, becoming just the second individual Colorado Mesa coach to win that honor and the first since that same 2000 season.

Prior to CMU, Remec spent five seasons as an assistant coach at RMAC rival MSU Denver and was also an assistant coach at Elmhurst College (Division III) in Illinois.

About Nebraska-Kearney
The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers were picked 12^th in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Lopers finished in 12^th place last season, going 2-16 overall and 1-10 in conference play.

Nebraska-Kearney scored nine goals as a team last season, with no player scoring more than once. The Lopers had three players tally both a goal and an assist last season, and two of them return: senior forward Cammie Davis and sophomore defender Angelina Iocca. Davis had 14 shots and nine shots on goal in 2021, both tops among returning Lopers.

In 2022, UNK is 0-1-1 in their first two matches, losing 3-0 to Winona State and battling to a 0-0 draw with Southwest Minnesota State. Junior midfielder Jaclyan Doering leads the Lopers in 2022 with two shots on goal.

Coach Rob Breton is in his first season at the helm of Nebraska-Kearney after serving three years as the assistant coach at Alderson Broaddus University (DII) in West Virginia. He will be seeking to turn around the culture of a program that has not had an overall winning campaign since the 2012 season.

About Cal State Dominguez-Hills
Cal State Dominguez Hills was picked to finish 12^th in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Preseason coaches Poll. The Toros finished in 11^th in that conference last season, putting together a 5-11-1 overall record with a 2-8-1 mark in conference play.

The CCAA coaches were pessimistic on the Toros' 2022 outlook in large part because CSUDH lost their top four points scorers from 2021 to graduation. The Toros return senior midfielder Sabrina Barata, who recorded two assists, as well as a quartet of players who found the net once.

Cal State Dominguez Hills lost their opening match of 2022 to Azusa Pacific by a score of 2-0. They will face Western Colorado on the CMU campus shortly before battling the Mavericks. Sophomore Andrea Guiton and freshman Sarah Martinez placed shots on goal for the Toros.

Despite last season's struggles, head coach Marine Cano is a Dominguez Hills legend. Cano was the first head coach in program history starting in 1984 and led the Toros to a national semifinal appearance in 1989 and a Division II National Championship in 1991.

He left in 1994 to take the head coaching job at Division I UC Irvine, but returned to CSUDH in 2018. Cano is in his 15^th year as CSUDH head coach and the fifth year of his second stint.

Series Histories
Colorado Mesa has a 4-1 all-time record against Nebraska-Kearney. From 2009-2011, the schools were both RMAC members, with CMU winning two of three conference matchups.

The two schools have played twice since Nebraska-Kearney left the RMAC, both wins for CMU: a 2-0 victory on Sept. 10, 2017 and a 1-0 win on Sept. 13, 2019. Both matches were played in Grand Junction. Neither CMU coach Megan Remec or UNK coach Rob Breton were in charge for any of the previous meetings.

The Mavericks have shut out UNK in each of their four wins against them. The only time that the Lopers scored was in a 2-1 win in 2010.

Colorado Mesa and Cal State Dominguez-Hills have played once, all the way back in 1997 in Carson, Calif. On that occasion, the Toros rolled to a 4-0 victory.