GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Moving onto the second portion of their season, the #20 Colorado Mesa University Women's Soccer Team hosts a pair of schools from Denver this weekend as they set to begin conference play at Community Hospital Unity Field.
Taking on the duo of MSU Denver and Colorado Christian University from the Mile High City, the Mavericks first take on Colorado Christian on Friday night at 7 P.M. before concluding the weekend on Sunday against MSU Denver at 1 P.M. With conference play beginning the Mavericks will take on conference opponents now for 12 straight games.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
The Mavs, who were 12th in last week's national poll, capped off the non-conference portion of their schedule with split results in the Los Angeles metro area.
Sitting now at 4-2 overall, they suffered a 2-0 loss to Azusa Pacific on Thursday night but bounced back for a 2-1 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday afternoon.
In the victory over the Toros, both Ally Wachtel and Kylie Wells scored with Wells' 69th minute goal breaking the 1-1 tie and notching her third game-winner of the season.
Wells has five goals on the season to lead the Mavs and ranks second in the RMAC statistics.
Both schools the Mavs played hail from the Western Region and may be potential foes down the road in the NCAA Tournament.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Outscoring opponents 12-4 this season, Colorado Mesa is averaging two goals per 90 minutes to this point while taking 11.7 shots per game. They sit at 70 shots on the season with 30 of them being on goal for a .429 percentage.
Six different players have accounted for the team's 12 goals with Wells' owning five of them to bolster the team's offensive attack. Sarah Dunn and Brooklyn Baird each have two goals to rank second on the team while the trio of Peyton Bundy, Ellie Duncan and Wachtel round out the group with one apiece. 11 players have also recorded one assist each.
Keely Wieczorek has started all six games in the net as the team's goalkeeper while totaling 24 saves and recording three shutouts so far. She's faced 60 shots already to this point with a save percentage sitting at .857.
In the conference, Colorado Mesa is tied for the third most goals this season while sitting in fourth for fewest given up.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Opening with Colorado Christian University on Friday night, the Cougars have played to a 1-3-1 record this season while only having one opponent in common with the Mavs in Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Cougars were defeated in that matchup 1-0 while tying in their other game this past week with Vanguard University 1-1.
Picked to finish eighth in this year's preseason poll, the Cougars went 6-8-4 last season with their last matchup against the Mavs being a 2-0 Colorado Mesa victory. In the two schools' history the Mavs have a 30-9-4 record while winning the last six meetings.
Sophia Tagge leads the team with two goals herself with the duo of Alexis Byrd and Brooke Dunham each owning one apiece. There have been only four goals scored by the squad while giving up six to opponents.
Mia Mares serves as the team's goalkeeper, totaling 17 saves while facing 61 shots. She allows 1.20 goals per game while owning a .739 save percentage.
Closing the week out against MSU Denver on Sunday, the Roadrunners have struggled a bit in this early season with them sitting at 0-3-3 so far while taking on five different teams either ranked or receiving votes by the USC. In this past week they went 0-2 with them taking on #RV Point Loma Nazarene University and #1 Cal Poly Pomona with both being shutout losses.
All-time against the Mavs the Roadrunners hold a 28-19-2 advantage, but in recent history have been taken down by Colorado Mesa with the last two matchups being a Mav win.
Katie Hooker serves as the team's new coach this season after being hired back in March to take over the program. She previously was the head assistant at University of Denver for their women's soccer team as well.
Being outscored 9-2 this year the only two players to have recorded goals for the Roadrunners include Jenelle Arenibas and Monica Yoder. Their goalkeeper Kayla Caballero is allowing 1.50 goals per game while totaling 22 saves to this point. She owns one shutout on the season.
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
