GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Riding a key 9-7 win over a fellow nationally-ranked opponent and now up two spots to 12^th in the national poll, the Colorado Mesa University men's lacrosse team will turn its attention to conference play as the head back to Alamosa to take on Adams State University in their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener on Saturday at the ASU Lacrosse Field.
 
The Mavericks are 1-0 while the Grizzlies are 0-1 after both teams played Rockhurst last weekend.
 
ASU dropped a 21-5 decision to the Hawks last Friday (Feb. 6) before the Mavs claimed the neutral-site win on Sunday.
 
This week's game will begin at 1 p.m. and can be seen with a subscription to the RMAC Network (more information below).
 
Live statistics will also be available at the link above.
 
A full recap will be posted on www.cmumavericks.com on Saturday evening.
 
Last Time Out
 
As mentioned in the opening note, the Mavericks claimed a 9-7 win over then 20^th-ranked Rockhurst.  The Mavs were ranked 14^th in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Association's Preseason NCAA Division II Poll at the time.
 
The Mavs used a 5-0 run in the third quarter to take a 9-5 lead as Dillon Pless recorded his fourth career hat-trick to lead the Mavs' efforts.  He scored two goals during that run just 24 seconds apart, including a man-up tally after drawing a Hawk penalty on the earlier goals.
 
Stefan Dingbaum also scored two goals while Connor Jensen, Nik Moore, Erich Petersen and Carson Points all added one.  Jensen also added two assists and had three points.
 
Meanwhile, Shaden Shields made ten saves while Kanyan Rhodes won 11 of 15 faceoffs while scooping up six ground balls.  Ryan Pless also had four ground balls and two caused turnovers to lead the Maverick long poles.
 
The full recap and statistics can be seen here.
 
Up two
 
After their win over Rockhurst, the Mavericks moved up two spots to 12^th in this week's USILA NCAA Division II poll, released on Monday.
 
The Mavs picked up 157 total points from the 20 voters.
 
The Hawks who were ranked 20^th slipped out of the top 20 but are still first amongst the "also receiving votes category" with 21 points.
 
CMU is the only RMAC team inside the top 20 although Westminster is now also just outside in the "also receiving votes category" with 18 points following the Griffens 2-0 start with comfortable road wins over Dominican and Concordia University Irvine.
 
The Mavs have two upcoming games against ranked opponents in No. 2 Tampa (Mar. 15) and No. 17 Flagler (Mar. 17).

The Mavs also moved up a spot to 14th in this week's USA Lacrosse Magazine rankings.
 
Conference Polls
 
The Mavs were favored in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving four of five possible first place votes.  One other coach picked the Mavs fourth as CMU topped the poll with 22 points.
 
Concordia University Irvine was second in the poll with 18 points, receiving one first place vote and three second place votes.   Westminster was third with 17 while Dominican picked up a first place vote and 14 total points to finish fourth in the poll.  Adams State was fifth with ten points while Northwest Nazarene, new to the conference, was sixth with nine.
 
In the poll, coaches were asked to rank their opposition 1-5 with five points being awarded for a first place vote, four for a second place vote and so on.  They were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
 
Preseason Honors
 
The Mavericks also had a league co-leading five picks to the Preseason All-RMAC team, which was announced in conjunction with the coaches' poll.  The team is made up of the top returning players at each position from last season's All-RMAC voting process.
 
The Mavericks picks were attack Connor Jensen, midfielder Dillon Pless, defender Brady Porter, short stick defensive middie Deuce Kirschke and junior net-minder Shaden Shields.  Kirschke, Pless and Porter were First Team All-RMAC honorees while Jensen and Shields were second team honorees in 2025.
 
Concordia also had five selections while Westminster had three selections.
 
Double Preseason All-American
 
Deuce Kirschke has also picked up a pair of preseason all-America honors.  The senior was tabbed to the USILA's third team unit and was tabbed as an honorable mention selection by the USA Lacrosse Magazine.
 
He is the lone RMAC player named by either organization and has earned First Team All-RMAC honors the short stick defensive midfielder pick in each of the last two years.  He scored 13 goals and added five assists while claiming 24 ground balls and nine caused turnovers last season.  He was also deadly accurate with his shots, putting 13 of his 18 total shots on target, all of which beat opposing goalkeepers.
 
Returning Scorers
 
Seven of the Mavericks' top ten scorers from the 2025 season return to the lineup this season.
 
Connor Jensen, who co-led the team alongside 2025 senior JJ Brummett, with 36 goals leads the bunch.  Dillon Pless (24) and Erich Petersen (21) also return after scoring more than 20 goals last season.
 
Jack Cooper (18), Deuce Kirschke (13), Carson Points (13) and Eli Bibler (11) also return after finishing in double figures a year ago.

Multiple Point Streak
 
Maverick redshirt junior attack Connor Jensen has recorded at least two offensive points in 17 straight appearances dating back to the start of 2025.  He had two or more points in all 16 of his appearances last season while sitting out on last year's road trip Adams State (Apr. 9) for load management purposes.  The returning second tea all-conference pick then had three points (1G, 2A) in the Mavs' 9-7 win over Rockhurst.
 
The Brentwood, Tennessee native was second in the RMAC with 54 points last season.
 
Coaching Corner
 
Troy Moyer, the reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, is early in his fourth season in charge of the Maverick program.
 
He was promoted to the head coach role in the fall of 2022 after a brief stint as the interim head coach.   Moyer took over for former CMU Head Coach Vince Smith, who left the position for other opportunities outside of coaching.  Moyer had originally been hired as an assistant on Smith's staff for the 2018-19 season.
 
In his four seasons as a head coach, including the 2026 start, Moyer has guided the Mavericks to a combined 43-10 (.811) record, including a 20-2 mark (.909) in RMAC games and a nearly flawless 17-1 (.944) record at home.  The Mavs have won both the RMAC Regular Season and Tournament titles in all three seasons with Moyer in charge and secured a NCAA Tournament bid last season.
 
In his overall time with the Mavericks, Moyer has helped the program win each of the last five RMAC regular season titles and four straight tournament crowns.  The Mavs have gone a combined 83-24 (.776) in his now eight seasons with Moyer on the sidelines.
 
Moyer is 8-0 against Adams State as the Mavs' head coach.
 
Know Your Foe
 
Adams State opened the season last Friday (Feb. 6), falling 21-5 to Rockhurst.
 
They scored in every quarter but trailed 6-1 after 15 minutes and 14-3 at the half.
 
Sophomore Jacob Parsons scored four of the Grizzlies' five goals while returning Second Team All-RMAC pick Hunter Bennett had three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
 
The Grizzlies were able to win just four of the game's 29 faceoffs.
 
Returning starting goalkeeper Ryan Berger made nine saves but allowed 14 goals in the first half before getting the hook. 
 
The Grizzlies were 0-8 last year and lost their last 11 games of a 1-13 season in 2014.
 
Parsons was second on last year's team with seven goals and 11 points.
 
Malik Maxwell was just ahead with nine goals and 12 points and returns to the Grizzly roster in 2026 as well.
 
They have now dropped 20 straight official contests since defeating CSU Pueblo on Mar. 6, 2024.
 
One-Sided Rivalry
 
The Mavericks and Grizzlies both started their programs in 2011 but have had completely different trajectories in the 15 years since.
 
The Mavs have won all 34 games between the teams.  They are a perfect 13-0 against the Grizzlies in Alamosa.
 
CMU has put up 20 or more goals in three straight and seven of the last eight games.
 
The Mavs swept last year's series by 22-5 and 21-6 scorelines in games played just six days apart on Apr. 3 and Apr. 9.
 
RMAC Network News
 
All of the Mavs' home and RMAC road games this season including Saturday's contest, will be streamed on the RMAC Network, which has moved to a pay-per-view model for the 2025-26 season.  This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
 
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
 
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.
 
Up Next
 
After their back-to-back trips to Alamosa, the Mavs will return home to prepare for their home opener on Thursday, Mar. 5 against Florida Southern.  The Mocs will also play a neutral-site game at CMU's Community Hospital Unity Field on Mar. 3 against Adams State.