GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University men's lacrosse team will plays its final two true away games of the season when they head northwestward to take on long-time rival Westminster University in a top of the standings clash on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, Utah before heading on to Nampa, Idaho for a Saturday night match-up with NCAA Division II and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference newcomer Northwest Nazarene University.
 
The Mavericks, ranked 15^th nationally, are 6-2 overall and co-lead the RMAC standings at 3-0 with the Westminster Griffins, which is 4-3 overall.
 
The Nighthawks are currently 2-4 overall and 1-2 in RMAC play and tied for fourth in the conference standings with Adams State, who they will host on Thursday.
 
Thursday's clash at the Griffins' Dumke Field is slated for a 7 p.m. start.  Saturday's game in Idaho, the first the Mavs will have ever played in that state, will begin at 6 p.m.
 
Both can be seen live with a subscription to the RMAC Network (more information below).
 
Live statistics for both games can be found at the links above.
 
Last Times Out
 
The Mavs continued their home field dominance posting a pair of convincing wins over the RMAC's two California-based squads.
 
The Mavericks defeated Dominican by a 22-6 margin on Friday night and then scored the first 11 goals in a 19-8 win over Concordia on Sunday in a rematch of the last two RMAC Tournament Championship games.
 
Numerous CMU youngsters played big roles in Friday's game that saw the Mavs take a 9-1 lead after the first quarter.  Redshirt freshman Aidan Brock scored five goals while Ari Villano scored three.
 
In Sunday's win over CUI, Villano recorded his second straight hat trick while eight different Mavericks scored two or more goals.  Carson Points was amongst that group and registered a career-high four assists and six points.
 
Freshman net-minder Boaz Brown made the start in both games and registered a season-high 16 saves in the complete game win over CMU after playing the first half in Friday's blowout before three other Mavericks saw time in the second half.
 
Player of the Week
 
Maverick freshman attack Ari Villano was named as the RMAC's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording eight goals in the Mavs' three games last week.  He had back-to-back hat tricks in the weekend wins after scoring twice in last Tuesday's (Mar. 17) game at Flagler.
 
The Bend, Oregon native has now scored in seven of his eight collegiate games and is second on the Maverick squad with 14 goals overall.
 
Boaz-Constrictor
 
Maverick freshman goalkeeper Boaz Brown has started the last three games in net as returning honorable mention all-American Shaden Shields was sidelined by injury.  The Escondido, California native has responded well, restricting the opponents to just 24 goals in five halves that he played while recording 32 saves, a 8.80 goals against average and .571 save percentage in that stretch.
 
Overall, Brown has a 4-1 record, a 8.91 goals against average and a .575 save percentage in six appearances and four starts.
 
He leads the conference in goals against average and is second in save percentage.
 
Scoring Streaks
 
Redshirt junior Connor Jensen has missed two games this season due to injury but has scored in all six that he has played.  He has scored in nine straight appearances dating back to last season and has scored at least one goal in 21 of his last 22 games.
 
Jack Cooper leads the Mavericks with 16 goals this season and has scored at least one in the last seven.
 
Top Rated D
 
The Mavericks have allowed just 69 goals in their first eight games, an average of 8.63 per game, a mark that puts the Mavs atop the RMAC.
 
In the Polls
 
Despite their 2-1 week, the Mavericks slipped five spots to 15^th in this week's edition (Week No. 7) of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's Division II Poll, released on Monday.
 
They have been ranked in all eight editions of the top 20 poll, including the preseason, and have been just inside the top ten on three occasions.
 
The No. 15 ranking is their lowest of the season.
 
Flagler, receiving votes in last week's poll, is now ranked 20^th after getting the 10-9 win over the Mavs last Tuesday.
 
Westminster continues to receive points in the poll.
 
Coaching Corner
 
Troy Moyer, the reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, is 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 48-12 (.800) record, including a 22-2 mark (.917) in RMAC games and a nearly flawless 20-1 (.952) 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 88-26 (.772) in his now eight seasons with Moyer on the sidelines.
 
Moyer is a 5-2 as the Mavs' head coach against Westminster, who has a new head coach this season in Brad Lavoie.
 
The Mavs have never played against Northwest Nazarene.
 
Home Sweet Home
 
With their wins last week, the Mavericks have won 24 of their last 25 home games since the start of the 2022 season and had won 19 straight before Westminster snapped the streak with a 10-9 overtime win on Apr. 19 of last season in the regular season finale.
 
However, the Mavs then bounced back to win the Rocky Mountain Division Tournament with two home wins in the following week to end last year's season with a 5-1 home mark.
 
They went 7-0 at home in 2024, winning all five of their regular season games plus winning the RMAC Tournament Championship with a 13-12 overtime win over CUI.
 
The Mavs also won the 2023 RMAC Tournament title at home after going 3-0 at home during the regular season.  The Mavs were 5-0 at home that year and went 4-0 at home in 2022 but did not host that year's RMAC Tournament after being edged on tie-breaking procedures.
 
Throughout their history, the Mavs have a 74-9 all-time record at home, good for a .892 winning percentage.
 
They are 20-1 (.952) at home with head coach Troy Moyer at the helm of the program and have a 3-0 home record thus far in 2026.
 
Know Your Foes
 
Westminster
 
The Griffins are 4-3 overall and tied with the Mavs for first place in the RMAC standings.  They won 24-8 at Northwest Nazarene in their last outing on Saturday afternoon and were 24-3 winners over NCAA Division III Southern Virginia in a midweek exhibition game at home last Wednesday.
 
Previously, the Griffins lost three straight.
 
They have the RMAC's top offense, scoring  16.29 goals per game.
 
Luke Sillstrop leads the Griffins with 20 goals, tied for second most in the RMAC.  He also had seven assists and 27 points to stand second.
 
Duke DeVault also had 14 goals and seven assists to his credit while Daxton Jensen has added 12 goals.
 
Boden Laforce has nine assists to pace the team.
 
The Griffins have regularly used four men at the faceoff spot.  Ashton Karch leads the team with 36 wins and a .600 winning percentage.  He also has 25 ground balls to pace the team.
 
Defensively, Ben Weber has six caused turnovers and ten ground balls while Liam Sweeney has five caused turnovers and 16 ground balls.
 
Christian Jones has started all seven games in net and has a 10.15 goals against average and solid .608 save percentage to lead the conference while ranking ninth nationally.  He made 17 saves in Saturday's win over Northwest Nazarene and was named as the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Northwest Nazarene
 
The Nighthawks are currently 2-4 overall and 1-2 in RMAC play in what is their first year as an NCAA Division II and RMAC program. 
 
Previously, they were a club program at the MCLA level and went to that organization's national tournament in both 2024 and 2025.
 
Head Coach Tom Blanchard's squad will host Adams State on Thursday night before taking on the Mavs.
 
They won back-to-back games on Mar. 6-7 in San Rafael, California, defeating Dominican (Calif.) an 11-9 game before besting Dominican (N.Y.) by a 14-13 margin on the next day.
 
Since, the Nighthawks have been outscored 43-14 in conference losses to CUI (19-6) and Westminster (24-8).
 
Colton Altimus has scored in all six games to date, racking up 20 goals and leads the conference in goals per game.
 
Caleb Mainwaring, who has eight goals, and Hank Riddle, who has six, are amongst the secondary scorers.
 
Colton Safley has 11 caused turnovers to lead the defense along with Kyle Ireland, who has ten caused turnovers and 12 ground balls.
 
AJ Moffat leads the faceoff crew and has won 61 of his 105 attempts (.581) while scooping up 33 ground balls.
 
Gordie Steidel has been the only goalkeeper to play and has posted a 15.87 goals against average and .417 save percentage.
 
Series Histories
 
The Mavs have had an intense rivalry with the Westminster Griffins.  The Mavs lead the all-time series, 18-8.  They are 7-4 against the Griffins in Salt Lake City.

CMU has won five of the last games and five of the last six have been decided by a single goal.  CMU has won four of those nail-biters.
 
The two teams have split the regular season series in each of the last two years.
 
The Griffins are the only team to have ever beat the Mavs in RMAC play.
 
The two teams played in the first seven RMAC Tournament Championship games, with CMU winning five of those.
 
The Mavericks have not played Northwest Nazarene, which is in year No. 1 of a varsity program.
 
RMAC Network News
 
All of the Mavs' home and RMAC road games this season including Thursday's game, 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
 
The Mavericks will return home for a single RMAC game next week.  The Mavs will host Adams State on Saturday, Apr. 4 at 1 p.m. in their Senior Day game at the Community Hospital Unity Field.
 
That game will begin a 3-game homestand that will feature re-matches against Westminster and Northwest Nazarene on Apr. 9 and 11.  The Mavs will then wrap-up the regular season in Salt Lake City with neutral site games on Apr. 16 and 18.