GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa women's soccer will begin a new chapter in their program's history on Friday night when the Mavs face Lubbock Christian at Community Hospital Unity Field.

The Mavericks will face the Chaps at 7 p.m. as part of the Colorado Mesa Kickoff Weekend. The match will be a rematch of a September 10 clash from last season that ended in a 2-2 tie on the Chaps' home field.

Tickets are still available for purchase and the game can also be streamed for free on the RMAC Network.

Seeking a Strong Start
Colorado Mesa finished last season on a tear, going 8-4 in RMAC play and winning six of their last seven regular season matches, but early-season struggles contributed to a 10-8-1 overall record.

The Mavericks will hope for a similar outcome to 2021, when a 4-1 nonconference start (with the loss coming in overtime) built momentum for a season ahead that eventually included a nine-game win streak, a five-game shutout streak, the program's first RMAC Tournament win since 2011 and the program's first share of an RMAC title since 2000.

Starting with this weekend's game against Lubbock Christian, Colorado Mesa will play three of the top four projected teams in the Lone Star Conference, giving the Mavs some opportunities to bank some wins that would have significant regional and NCAA Tournament implications.

Home Sweet Home
Colorado Mesa gets to open the season at home after starting the 2022 season with a two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, the Mavs will have to enjoy their time at Community Hospital Unity Field while it lasts, as after Friday's match it will be exactly one month until CMU takes the field again in Grand Junction.

The Mavericks' next six games after the LCU contest will be away from home. The Mavs will play four neutral site games around Colorado, facing Cal State San Bernardino and Newman in Pueblo on September 8 and 10, then facing Angelo State and West Texas A&M in Durango the following weekend. Colorado Mesa's RMAC season then opens with two true road games, with the Mavs trekking to New Mexico Highlands for a September 22 match and Adams State on September 24.

What goes around comes around, however, so after the stretch of six matches and one month without a home game, the Mavs will play four of five matches at home from October 1-15.

Meet the Mavs
Colorado Mesa is losing two of the most decorated players in program history with Lila Dere, the program's all-time leading scorer and Division II's leading scorer last season, as well as former RMAC Defensive and Academic Player of the Year Michaela Dangler not returning. But the Mavericks are still loaded with talent and figure to have a balanced roster up and down the pitch.

Redshirt juniors Evelyn Hammer and Sauvelyne Randel should have more prominent roles in attack this season after tying for second on the team behind Dere with six goals apiece. Hammer is in her second season with the Mavericks after transferring from Bridgeport University and scored four goals in a game last season. Randel, who previously played for CMU as Addie Randel but is going by her birth name this season, has played three seasons for the Mavs and made RMAC Second Team All-Conference in 2022. Redshirt junior Sophia Beames (three goals, 10 assists in her career) and sophomore Talea Kuennen (two goals in her last four matches as a true freshman) are among the wide attacking options for CMU.

The veteran core of the Maverick midfield returns for another season, led by redshirt seniors Mira Houck and Mikayla Eccher. Redshirt junior Haley Klasner returns after finishing second in the RMAC and 10^th in Division II with 11 assists and making the D2CCA All-Region First Team. Klasner recorded a three-assist game against Colorado Christian on October 14 and had two other multi-assist games.

The Mavericks are also fully reloaded at center back, with last season's starting duo of junior Kaydree Rapp and sophomore Ally Wachtel both returning. Both earned RMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention last season and Rapp played the most minutes on the team (1,675). Redshirt sophomore and Fruita Monument graduate Carli Dare also returns to the roster. Dare started 16 matches in 2021, earning an RMAC Defensive Player of the Week award, but missed the entire 2022 academic year.

Starting goalkeeper Chloe Dody, also an RMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2022, is back after starting 18 of 19 matches for the Mavs and accumulating a 1.12 goals-against average and an .804 save percentage. Sophomore Ella Harrison, who made one start in place of an injured Dody and appeared in three other games last year, also returns to give CMU experienced depth at the position.

The Mavericks will also look to infuse plenty of new talent into the roster, bringing in a freshman class of eight players as well as Utah State transfer midfielder Abby Fotheringham.

About Lubbock Christian
The Lubbock Christian Chaps were consistently competitive in 2022, only failing to pick up points in three games and finishing with an 8-3-8 overall record. Lubbock's eight draws on the season included a 2-2 tie to Colorado Mesa last September 10, which by contrast was CMU's only tie of the 2022 campaign. The Chaps were picked to finish fourth in this year's Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, equaling their fourth-place finish last season when they accumulated 20 points with a 5-2-5 conference record.

The Chaps return last season's top two scorers in junior Lexi De La Cruz (10 goals, three assists) and sophomore Graycen Rasmussen (six goals, three assists). Both Rasmussen and junior defensive midfielder Kenley Blevins were named LSC Players to Watch. The Chaps relied on true freshman Abby Kone for all 19 games and 1,710 minutes in goal last season, and Kone excelled with a 0.895 goals-against average and a .798 save percentage. Kone recorded a career-high 13 saves against Colorado Mesa in last year's matchup between the two programs.

Lubbock Christian is coached by Alex Denning, who has been with the program since 2012 and guided LCU through its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Under Denning last season, the Chaps outperformed their projected eighth-place finish to finish fourth in the Lone Star.

The programs will be facing one another for only the second time, as last year's 2-2 tie was the first-ever meeting between LCU and CMU. Mikayla Eccher and Haley Klasner each scored go-ahead goals for the Mavericks, but the Chaps equalized twice.

Coach's Corner
Mavericks head coach Megan Remec is entering her fourth 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.