GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Despite coming away with one point in two games last week, the CMU women's soccer team has shown more than enough to establish itself as a contender ahead of its RMAC conference opener against Black Hills State on Sunday at 11 a.m. (MT).

The Mavericks will have eight days between their previous match against Lubbock Christian last Saturday and the Sunday matchup with the Yellow Jackets.

The game can be streamed live on the RMAC Network and followed via live stats.

Looking Back
The Mavericks saw their brief two-game win streak halted during a challenging road trip to the Lone Star state, losing 2-1 against Angelo State before playing to a 2-2 draw with Lubbock Christian.

The Mavs ran into a dominant back line against Angelo State, managing two shots on goal. Lila Dere's eighth goal of the year briefly equalized the match, but ASU scored the game-winner four minutes later.

RECAPS: Angelo State| Lubbock Christian

Colorado Mesa added a hard-earned point in a back-and-forth match with Lubbock Christian, twice taking the lead on goals from Mikayla Eccher and Haley Klasner but seeing the Lady Chapparals equalize both times.

Lubbock Christian goalkeeper Abby Kone kept her team in the match with a staggering 13 saves.

One-Woman Wrecking Crew
Lila Dere has been a threat to score every time she touches the ball. The redshirt sophomore forward leads NCAA Division II in shots (42), shots per game (seven) and shots on goal per game (4.17). Her eight goals are tied for fourth nationally.

Dere also holds the current season's Division II single-game highs for shots (13) and shots on goal (nine), both set during her four-goal explosion on September 2 against Nebraska-Kearney. The nine shots on goal tied a career high for Dere.

Dere has 28 more shots than CMU's second-highest shot taker (Mikayla Eccher) and 15 more shots on goal than the second-highest Maverick (Evelyn Hammer).

Although she did not score in the draw with Lubbock Christian, the first match of the year in which she was held scoreless, Dere tallied an assist to extend her points streak to six games.

Killer Chloe
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Chloe Dody has risen to the occasion between the sticks. Dody has four consecutive games with five or more saves, led by six in the loss to Angelo State on Thursday.

The six saves tied a career high for Dody, which she initially set in her first career start against CSU Pueblo on March 5, 2021. Dody tallied five saves on seven separate occasions in the fall 2021 season.

This season, Dody has maintained a .714 save percentage and a 1.40 goals-against average.

Off The Mark
Mikayla Eccher and Haley Klasner each scored their first goals of the season against Lubbock Christian, an important first step for the veteran midfielders.

Last season, Klasner was the Mavs' second-leading scorer with four goals and five assists, while Eccher was the team's fourth-leading scorer with three goals and three assists.

The Mavericks had ten different goal scorers last season, and Klasner and Eccher opening their accounts gives CMU five different scorers so far this year.

Aside from Lila Dere, the Mavericks' only multiple-goal scorer thus far is Evelyn Hammer, who scored all four of her goals in the same match against Cal State Dominguez Hills, the third four-goal game in program history. (Dere has the other two).

On the Leaderboards
Colorado Mesa has 15 goals on the season, tied for the most in the RMAC with Colorado School of Mines. The Mavericks have 10 assists, tied for third with Westminster.

The Mavericks lead the RMAC and rank second in Division II with 22.67 shots per game. They rank fourth nationally with 11.17 shots on goal per game.

Lila Dere leads the conference in shots (42), shots on goal (25), goals (eight) and points (17). Evelyn Hammer ranks second behind Dere in points per game (2.25, nine points in four games).

Milestone Watch
After the goal against Angelo State, Dere has now 30 goals in a CMU uniform, tying Lauren Sell for second-place all-time in CMU history. Only Tiffany Thompson (36 goals) remains ahead of Dere.

With three points this week, Dere has 65 in her career, which ranks fourth all-time. Dere only trails Sell (70), Brianna Figal (79) and Thompson (85) in that category.

Dere entered the season needing 15 goals and 37 points this season to become the program's all-time leader in each category. She has eight goals and 17 points in 2022 so far (one goal = two points, one assist = one point).

In the Polls
Colorado School of Mines is the only RMAC team ranked in the national Top 25. The Orediggers currently sit at No. 20. UCCS is receiving votes in the national poll.

The Mavericks have faced two ranked teams, losing to No. 19 Western Oregon and RV Angelo State.

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.

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 Black Hills State
Black Hills State was picked to finish 10^th in the RMAC Preseason Poll, accumulating 49 points.

The Yellow Jackets have a record of 0-2-2 but are unbeaten in their last two matches, drawing with Minot State University and Montana State Billings. Black Hills State has a Friday afternoon matchup against Colorado Christian University before taking on the Mavs on Sunday.

Sophomore forward Emma Avery and freshman forward Sophie Brassard have tallied the season's two goals for BHSU, with Avery taking 12 of the Yellow Jackets' 28 shots on the year. Sophomore goalkeeper Makayla Dannelly has made 25 saves against five goals conceded.

Head Coach Andrew Conniff is in his second season in charge at Black Hills State. He went 3-11-1 in his first year in charge.

Conniff has considerable RMAC men's soccer coaching experience, including at Colorado Mesa during the 2019-2020 season, when the Mavericks finished 10-5-3. Conniff was also with the South Dakota Mines men's soccer program from 2015-2019, spending two years as an assistant and two years as the head coach.

Series Histories
Colorado Mesa has never lost to Black Hills State, compiling a 5-0-1 record in six career meetings. The Mavericks have outscored BHSU 18-0 in their five wins. The only time Black Hills State earned a point was during a 2-2 draw in 2018 in Grand Junction.

Last season, the Mavericks won 2-0 on a Mira Houck goal and a BHSU own goal. In spring 2021, the Mavs won 3-0 with two goals from Lila Dere.