GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Taking to Salt Lake City for their final game of the regular season and looking to take home a top seed in the contested RMAC Men's Soccer Championship, the Colorado Mesa University Men's Soccer Team takes on Westminster University this Wednesday.
Playing on the road, the Mavericks take on the Griffins at 4 P.M. on Wednesday at Dumke Field with the Women's Soccer Team then playing afterwards as well.
Currently the Mavs have 17 points and are tied for third place in the conference standings with them clinching a spot into the conference tournament following this last weekend. They can finish anywhere between the No. 2 and No. 6 seed for the 6-team affair that will begin on Sunday (Nov. 9). Wednesday's results will dictate which seed you end up as.
The top two seeds will have first round byes and will not play until Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The No. 3 and 4 seeds will host quarterfinal games on Sunday against the No. 6 and 5 seeds, respectively.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
The Mavs split their two weekend games, winning 4-2 at Colorado Christian on Friday morning before dropping Sunday's home match to MSU Denver, 3-0.
In the win over CCU, Daniel Paulsson scored two first half goals, just 4:42 apart, which saw the Mavs take a 4-1 halftime lead.
Connor Chilson (2nd minute) and Riccardo Legnante (28th) also scored in the first half as well. Paulsson totaled five points in the game with him also adding an assist while Matteo Bonelli totaled two in that game.
Alejandro Jimenez made a season-high seven saves in the win while recording 10 saves total over the two games.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
With one game remaining in the regular season the Mavs are still the No. 2 ranked offense in the conference, while being ranked top-10 nationally at 2.56 goals per game.
They have scored 41 goals this season while giving up just 28 in return.
Serving as the goal leader is Manuel Ponce Casas with nine, while he also has 21 points to rank fifth in the conference.
Nathan Hernandez has added seven goals for second best on the squad while Kamden Kooiman is third with five.
In total 13 different players have scored for the team while 29 assists have also been managed to aid in the scoring.
Matteo Bonelli is the assists leader with six while three others have four apiece.
Nathan Beck and Alejandro Jimenez have split time in the net with Jimenez starting the last four games and totaling 17 saves on a .659 save percentage. Beck adds 37 saves while owning 12 starts this season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
The Griffins come into Wednesday's matchup as another team vying for top spot in the conference tournament with them sitting at 9-6-2 overall while owning the same RMAC record as the Mavs at 5-2-2.
Depending on Wednesday's result they could vary anywhere from the No. 2 to 6 seed as well, with a loss having them go to a potential tiebreaker for the sixth seed.
In their most recent action, they won both games they played this past weekend with them defeating both MSU Denver, 1-0, and CCU, 2-0.
As an offense they have outscored teams 24-16 while giving up just one goal in their last six matches.
James Miles is the team leader in goals with four, while the duo of Owen Gallo and Cam Neeley each have three. Jack Cardwell leads in assists with eight.
Two goalkeepers split time for the Griffins with Tommy Manwaring and Oliver Olsen both seeing time. Manwaring leads with 29 saves and five shutouts while Olsen adds 11 saves and three shutouts. The pair combine for a 0.94 GAA.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
Streaming will occur via the RMAC Network through their pay per view plan with live stats available online to follow along with.
COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.
Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
