GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Despite suffering its first loss of the 2023 season, Colorado Mesa women's soccer remains in the thick of things in the races for the RMAC regular season championship and RMAC and NCAA Tournament qualification and seeding.

Colorado Mesa recorded a big head-to-head win over No. 24 UCCS on Friday, coming out ahead against the first nationally ranked team that CMU has faced in 2023. The Mavs lost two days later, however, falling 1-0 to CSU Pueblo and dropping to 12-1-1 overall with a 7-1-1 RMAC mark. Thanks to the key win over a nationally ranked opponent and results in other conferences, however, the Mavericks jumped two spots to No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll.

The Mavericks are one of four teams within a point of the conference standings lead. They will welcome two of the other three to Grand Junction this weekend. The No. 4 Mavs will face No. 14 Colorado School of Mines on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Regis on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The Mavericks lost a combined three times to those programs last season, including to Regis in the first round of the RMAC Tournament which ended CMU's 2022 campaign.

Looking Back
The Mavericks beat No. 24 UCCS in a thriller before losing 1-0 to CSU Pueblo, suffering their first loss of 2023 in the process.

RECAPS: UCCS | CSU Pueblo

Colorado Mesa topped the 24^th-ranked Mountain Lions thanks to an 88^th-minute game winner from Abby Fotheringham. Kylie Wells scored CMU's first goal with an assist from Sauvelyne Randel. Sophia Beames lofted the cross in for Fotheringham to head home, getting her third point in two games since returning from injury.

Standings Check
The current RMAC standings show four teams neck-and-neck at the top. However, Colorado Mesa and UCCS have three regular season games remaining, while Mines and Regis have two regular season games remaining, so the Mavericks and Mountain Lions have more opportunities left to gain points than the two Denver schools do.

The top eight schools of the 13-team RMAC will qualify for the conference tournament.
 

Team	RMAC Record	Pts
#14 Colorado School of Mines	7-1-2	23
#4 Colorado Mesa	7-1-1	22
Regis	7-2-1	22
#25 UCCS	7-1-1	22
MSU Denver	5-3-1	16
CSU Pueblo	3-2-4	13
Fort Lewis	3-3-3	12
Westminster	3-4-2	11

 
Multiple schools at the top tripped up last week. Aside from the Mavericks losing to CSU Pueblo, Regis lost to 3-6 Western Colorado, then rebounded to beat Fort Lewis. UCCS lost to CMU, but beat Westminster. Mines got two lopsided wins over New Mexico Highlands and Adams State, who have one combined RMAC win.

Community Hospital Unity Field will be the epicenter of the action with Mines and Regis both playing the Mavericks in Grand Junction this weekend. Mines is at CMU on Thursday and at Westminster on Sunday, then has their conference bye during the final set of games next Wednesday. Regis does not play until they face CMU this Sunday, then the Rangers host Black Hills State (1-7-2) next Wednesday.

UCCS closes the year with a comparatively favorable stretch of games, as they are at New Mexico Highlands (0-8-1) this Friday, at home against Adams State (1-5-3) this Sunday and at CSU Pueblo next Wednesday to close out the season.

Strength on Strength
Colorado Mesa has the RMAC's toughest defense, allowing just six goals all season. The Mavs will be in for a challenge, however, with the league's top two offenses coming to town this week.
Colorado School of Mines leads the RMAC with 46 total goals and 2.87 goals per game. Regis is right behind with 44 total goals and 2.75 goals per game. Offensively, Colorado Mesa ranks third in total goals (39) but second in goals per game (2.78) having only played 14 matches as opposed to Mines and Regis's 16.

Mavs forward Sauvelyne Randel is currently tied for third in the RMAC with nine goals scored. Every other member of the RMAC's top five will also be in Grand Junction this weekend. Mines boasts a pair of scoring threats in Bella Campos (10 goals) and Reese McDermott (eight) while Regis features Natalie Bunch (10 goals) and Madeline Gardner (nine). Bunch leads the RMAC with 24 points (10 goals and four assists), ahead of Campos (23 points), McDermott (23), Gardner (22) and Randel (21).

After the top five, the dropoff is steep, with CMU's Abby Fotheringham (five goals, three assists) and Mines's Ellise Putnam (two goals, nine assists) tied for sixth in the RMAC with 13 points.

Senior Sunday
Colorado Mesa will honor 11 seniors in a pregame Senior Day ceremony ahead of Sunday's game, the final home game of the 2023 regular season.

The 11 players being honored will be Sophia Beames, Madison DeHerrera, Chloe Dody, Mikayla Eccher, Evelyn Hammer, Haley Klasner, Carolyn Naftanel, Tatum Pfalmer, Sauvelyne Randel, Kaydree Rapp and Chelsey Stock.

Members of this senior class won an RMAC regular-season championship during the 2021 season and have a chance to do so again this year. The honorees include the program's all-time career assist leader (Klasner, with 24), this season's leading scorer (Randel, with nine goals and 21 points), a two-time All-RMAC selection (Eccher) and one of the season's captains (Naftanel).

The 11 seniors being honored have combined for one D2CCA First Team All-Region selection (Klasner in 2022), as well as seven All-RMAC selections, two Academic All-District Selections and 18 RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll nods.

Record Setters
Although it was snapped Sunday against CSU Pueblo, last Friday's win over UCCS secured a new program record for longest unbeaten streak, as the Mavs went 13 games in a row without suffering a loss.
 

Longest Unbeaten Streaks in CMU WSOC Program History (no losses, including ties)
13	September 1, 2023 – October 22, 2023 (12-0-1)
12	September 15, 2000 – October 22, 2000 (12-0-0)
11	October 4, 1998 – November 15, 1998 (10-0-1)
9	October 3, 2021 – October 31, 2021 (9-0-0) August 31, 2012 – September 28, 2012 (7-0-2)

 
Colorado Mesa also set a program record for longest conference unbeaten streak. The Mavericks went 366 days without a loss in an RMAC game, spanning the final three conference games of last season and the first eight of this season.
 

Longest RMAC Unbeaten Streaks in CMU WSOC Program History (no losses, including ties, conference games only)
11	October 21, 2022 – October 22, 2023 (10-0-1)
10	October 4, 1998 – September 19, 1999 (9-0-1)
9	September 15, 2000 – October 22, 2000 (9-0-0) October 3, 2021 – October 31, 2021 (9-0-0) October 21, 2011 – September 28, 2012 (6-0-3)

 
After Colorado Mesa suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, there are eight remaining teams in Division II that have not lost this season. One of them, DBU (8-0-4), is in the South Central region alongside the Mavericks.

Immediate Impact
Redshirt junior Sophia Beames played in all 19 matches for CMU a season ago but has missed stretches of time this season. Beames only appeared in four of the first 11 matches of the 2023 season, a four-game stretch from September 14-24.

Since returning to the lineup on October 15 against Western Colorado, Beames has wasted no time in impacting the game. She scored a goal just two-and-a-half minutes after stepping on the pitch for the first time in October against WCU, netting the Mavs' third in a 5-0 victory over the Mountaineers.

Beames was the architect of one of the top moments of the season last Friday, supplying the assist on Abby Fotheringham's 88^th-minute game-winner to beat No. 24 UCCS. Beames followed up by playing a season-high 65 minutes against CSU Pueblo, cementing her health and ensuring she'll be an important part of the Maverick attack for the rest of the season.

Beames has played 54 games in her CMU career entering this weekend, with 42 starts. She has accumulated four goals and 11 assists, including a team-high seven during the 2021 regular season championship campaign.

Regional Rankings
The NCAA has released its first set of regional rankings this week as a preview of the teams in contention for the NCAA Tournament. Six teams from the South Central region will qualify for the NCAA Tournament. This week, the NCAA ranked the top eight teams in the region alphabetically. Beginning next week, the NCAA will numerically rank teams 1-8 as a preview to the current bracket.

In the alphabetical rankings, four RMAC teams make the cut – Colorado Mesa, Colorado School of Mines, Regis and UCCS. They are accompanied by four Lone Star Conference teams – DBU, St. Mary's, Texas A&M International and Texas Woman's.

While the weekly United Soccer Coaches poll has no impact on the NCAA bracket, the coaches poll has Colorado Mesa leading the region for the sixth consecutive week, with Mines, DBU, UCCS and Regis rounding out the top five. Underscoring the difference between the two polls, however, is that the coaches have MSU Denver at No. 7 in the region, but the Roadrunners don't appear in the NCAA's top eight. Conversely, Texas A&M International cracks the NCAA's top eight, but not the coaches' top 10.

In the Polls
Colorado Mesa matched a season-high and all-time program high with a No. 4 ranking in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll.

The Mavericks were last No. 4 three weeks ago on October 3, which was the highest ranking in program history. CMU rose two spots from last week's No. 6 ranking despite suffering its first loss of the year over the weekend. The Mavs also beat a nationally ranked opponent in UCCS and benefitted from last week's No. 3 and No. 5 teams also suffering their first losses and dropping further down the rankings.
Catawba, the last completely unbeaten team in the country at 14-0-0, reached the No. 1 national spot for the first time this season. Ashland (13-0-2) fell to No. 2 and Saint Rose (13-0-1) improved one slot to No. 3 ahead of CMU. Kutztown (11-0-4) moved into the top five for the first time since the season's first poll, jumping up after being ranked No. 7 for five consecutive weeks.

Colorado Mesa is one of three ranked RMAC teams in the top 25, joining No. 14 Colorado School of Mines and No. 25 UCCS. Dallas Baptist (No. 22) is the only ranked Lone Star team.

The Mavericks have changed their fortunes and outlook quickly, as CMU was picked just sixth in the RMAC Coaches Preseason Poll.  Colorado School of Mines led the way with 131 points and nine first-place votes. UCCS, Regis and Westminster were picked second through fourth and garnered one first-place vote apiece. MSU Denver edged out the Mavericks for fifth while Fort Lewis and CSU Pueblo rounded out the top eight.

About Colorado School of Mines
The No. 14 Colorado School of Mines Orediggers were predicted to win the RMAC in preseason, earning nine of 13 first-place votes. The Orediggers currently lead the RMAC with 23 points, but are facing a dogfight to the finish with three programs, including CMU, just behind at 22 points.

Mines is 11-2-3 overall in 2023, with a 7-1-2 RMAC record. In nonconference play, Mines tied then-No. 3 Dallas Baptist in a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament Third Round match that Mines won on their run to the NCAA quarterfinals last season. The Orediggers also beat defending national champions Western Washington earlier this year, who knocked Mines out in the quarters last season. In the RMAC, Mines has only lost at UCCS in the opening match of the conference season. They have tied at CSU Pueblo and at home against Fort Lewis. Colorado School of Mines will enter the showdown with CMU on a five-game winning streak and a nine-game unbeaten streak. They have not allowed a goal in their previous six matches.

Mines is loaded with talent across the board. Freshman forward Bella Campos has hit the ground running in her college career, tying for the RMAC lead with 10 goals, while junior Ellise Putnam leads the conference with nine assists. Junior Reese McDermott, a former RMAC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and a First Team All-Region player and the RMAC Tournament MVP in 2022, ranks fifth in the RMAC with eight goals and second with seven assists this season.

Defender Natalie Rouse is a four-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week award winner this season and has chipped in five goals and an assist on the offensive end. Sophomore Sadie Wolf has had the majority of the action in goal for the Orediggers, playing in 15 of a possible 16 matches and starting 13. She has allowed just six goals this season while making 15 saves. Freshman Keira Garcia made two starts back in September while Emma Carstens and Allie Lundgren have combined for under 180 minutes in net.

Head Coach Kevin Fickes is in his 14^th season at Mines. In the previous 13, Fickes has six RMAC regular season titles and four RMAC Coach of the Year awards, earning both last season. Fickes won his 200^th career game during the 2022 season.

The Mavericks are only 4-18-1 all-time against Colorado School of Mines. The Mavs got a monumental 3-1 win over the Orediggers the last time CMU won an RMAC title in 2021. Prior to that win, Mines had won 12 in a row and been unbeaten in the last 17 matchups from 2008-2021. Mines won 1-0 last season in Golden.

About Regis
The Regis Rangers were picked third in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving one of 13 first-place votes. They are currently in a three-way tie for second in the RMAC with 22 points, although at 7-2-1 in the RMAC, they have played one more match than Colorado Mesa and UCCS (7-1-1 each). Regis is 11-4-1 overall on the season. They do not have another match prior to Sunday's clash with CMU.

During the non-conference schedule, Regis lost 3-2 to Lubbock Christian, who the Mavericks beat 3-0. In the RMAC, Regis lost 3-1 to Mines and suffered an unexpected 3-2 home loss to Western Colorado this past weekend. Their tie also came at home against UCCS.

Sophomore forward Natalie Bunch is having a breakout season. She leads the RMAC with 24 points and is tied for the conference lead with 10 goals. Bunch is a two-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Freshman Madeline Gardner is just behind with nine goals and four assists, including six goals in her last six matches. Fifth-year forward Kelby Kuo, a two-time First Team All-RMAC selection, has five goals and two assists this season.

Regis has split time between two goalkeepers this season. Freshman Kayla Arucan has logged 657 minutes over 10 matches with seven starts while sophomore Grace Glover has played 599 minutes in net over 10 matches with eight starts. Senior Baileigh Baker has played 182 minutes, including the second half of the Western Colorado loss. Glover has the best goals-against average (0.75) and save percentage (.861) but Arucan has made the most total saves (38).

Jeff Frykholm is in his second season as the head coach at Regis. In his first season, the Rangers went 12-7-2 overall and 9-2-1 in the RMAC, finishing third in the regular season standings and advancing to the RMAC Tournament championship game, where they lost to Colorado School of Mines. Prior to assuming the head coach, Frykholm was an assistant coach at Regis for one season and served on the men's staff at the University of St. Thomas (DI). Frykholm has coached in Boulder at the high school and club level, once taking a high school team to a No. 5 national ranking.

The Mavericks are 11-37-5 all-time against Regis and have lost their last three. That includes a 2-1 defeat last season in the first round of the RMAC Tournament, as well as a 3-2 regular-season loss in 2022. CMU is just 1-6-3 in its last 10 meetings against the Rangers.