GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Returning home for just a solo game this coming weekend, the Colorado Mesa University Men's Soccer Team will look to take on the Red Leafs of Simon Fraser University this Saturday as they continue their stretch of nonconference games.
Playing at a new time recently announced, the Mavericks and Red Leafs will now face off at 9 A.M. on Saturday at Community Hospital Unity Field. This will be the third straight game against a GNAC (Great Northwest Athletic Conference) team that Colorado Mesa will take on and their final game against a team outside of the RMAC.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
Traveling north to Idaho, the Mavs dropped a pair of road games this past week as they took on both Western Oregon University and Northwest Nazarene University in a couple of in-region games.
In their three-day stretch, the Mavs were defeated by Western Oregon to start on Thursday by a score of 2-0 before falling just short in a 4-3 shootout on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene.
Scoring the team's three goals were the trio of Jonah Elstad, Kamden Kooiman and Justin Ibrahim with each of them having one. Elstad's and Ibrahim's goals were their first on the season while Kooiman now has three. Ibrahim also had an assist in the NNU game with Cain Castellon having one as well on Kooiman's goal.
Both teams the Mavs faced were a part of the same super-region with each of these games affecting in-region rankings.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
This season the Mavs have outscored opponents 9-7 so far with them having a high clip of on goal shooting for a .452 percentage. They currently average 2.25 goals per game while taking 10.5 shots each match.
Kooiman is the team leader with three goals and is currently tied for second most goals in the conference. Beyond Kooiman five other Mavs have one goal apiece.
In addition, six different players have recorded one assist each with 10 players total have at least one point.
Owning the only game-winning goal to this point is Joao Pedro Moraes with his score coming in the team's win over UT Dallas on Sept. 7.
Nathan Beck has started every game in the net with him totaling 10 saves this year and recording one shutout. He's faced 56 shots while sitting at 360 minutes played.
ABOUT SIMON FRASER
Facing off with the Red Leafs for the fifth straight year, the Mavs hold a 3-0-1 record when playing against the Canadian school with last year's matchup being a lopsided victory for Colorado Mesa in a 5-0 win. This year's game will also be the first time for both teams to face off in Grand Junction since 2022.
This season Simon Fraser is currently 0-3-2 with their most recent game being against Fort Lewis College on Thursday where they lost 2-1.
Coming into the year the Red Leafs were picked to finish third in the conference with them going 6-10-2 a season ago.
Leading the offense has been the fivesome of Derek Ebel, Aleksander Hansen, Michael Hennessy, Kian Proctor and Francesco Troisi with each of them having one goal apiece. Jordan Thorsen has started every game in the net and to this point has given up 11 goals while collecting 20 saves.
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. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at cmumavericks.com/tickets or in person at the gate.
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
