GOLDEN, Colo. – Sunshine and blue skies was the order of the day as the weather could not have been any more perfect Sunday afternoon for a battle between two of the top three teams in the RMAC as the top-ranked Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team hosted #RV MSU Denver. Though the Orediggers (13-0-1, 7-0-1) scored first, the Roadrunners (7-3-4, 6-2-0) leveled things in the second half and looked poised to force a draw before Reese McDermott ended things with a goal off a free kick in the final seconds to seal a 2-1 win.
Both Allie Lundgren and Kylie Bach got some work in early in the action as both the Roadrunners and Orediggers pressed home their attacks early. The day’s first three shots from Lauren Clingman, Ava Harman and Maddy Rueter all tracked true, but were all collected for saves as the action marched on.
It wasn’t long after that Mines cracked the scoreboard, doing so in the 20th minute. A clear attempt by the MSUD defense didn’t make it wide enough to sidelines as Kaitlyn Manalili collected the ball and settled it before racing up the far edge of the penalty area and crossing to Cloey Seltzer at the top of the six. Seltzer won the aerial battle and headed a shot that hit the gloves of Bach but had to much steam still on it as it kept carrying into the net for the first goal.
Right away after the restart, Bella Campos looked to make it 2-0 with a shot 33 seconds later that Bach rebounded to save before sending it back the other way as Jenelle Arenibas put Lundgren to the test again in the 22nd minute but to no avail as it remained a one-goal game.
As both teams rotated reserves in for starters over the final third of the opening period, just one shot went up in the final 19 minutes before the break. Pretty Jiricek struck one well in the 41st minute looking to double the lead going into the intermission, but Bach handily managed it to close the book on the first half.
Still seeking an equalizer, the Roadrunners found just that in the 65th minute when Madrid Mack raced across the field before running a little two-person action with Grace Johnson. Johnson’s run was broken up at the edge of the 18-yard box by Harman and Lauren Clingmanwho attempted to clear the ball but to their detriment, not quickly enough as Mack regathered for a shot across the face of goal over the arms of Lundgren to level the score at 1-1.
Now with a brand new game and just 25 minutes remaining, the intensity picked up as both sides looked to get on the board next and put themselves in position for a win. Sami Spring took aim moments after the restart for MSUD but Lundgren rebounded to make that save and another on a shot from Isa Durkin in the 86th minute. Mines meanwhile worked to try and position themselves for an opportunity but a stingy defensive effort from the Roadrunners denied buildup after buildup as time began to wind down in a match that seemed as if it may end in a draw.
A draw was not to be the case though as a frenzied final 66 seconds sent those in attendance into a frenzy. Mines forced a turnover deep in MSU Denver’s own end off a throw in, as Afton Rasco and Bella Campos looked to do something but the defense intervened, clearing the ball out of bounds for a corner kick. Seltzer keyed it back in with a short play to Jiricek on the near side before she crossed it into the box for a header from Harman. Bach made the initial save but failed to secure it as Bella Campos raced in for a follow-up that resulted in both players going down and Bach ending up underneath a pile of white and blue jerseys. The ball popped back out to the top of the six, leading to a shot from Gaby Guerrero that was knocked away by the defense before finally being cleared back past the top of the penalty area and gathered by Mines with 44 seconds remaining.
Callie Fuhr attempted to play things back ahead but a Roadrunner defender jumped in front of the pass, deflecting it back across midfield into Mines’ own half where it was chased down by Clingman on the nearside some 70 yards downfield with 33 seconds left. Clingman played it ahead and after several caroms off players downfield, the ball landed back at her feet with 21 seconds to go as she again played it ahead. MSUD’s Emily Sirois popped it up, but ended up directing the final ball toward the center of the field where McDermott collected it after shaking her defender and turning up field. In a desperate attempt to try and break up the run, Reuter tried to poke the ball away but instead resulted in in tripping up McDermott right on the edge of the penalty area for a foul and subsequent free kick as the official stopped the clock with 10 seconds remaining to reset the action.
Staring down three layers of Roadrunners in defensive walls, it was three Orediggers who stood around the ball just to the far side of the arc atop the 18. Harman set things in motion with a short touch pass to Seltzer, who settled it for McDermott to come in and lay down a shot that found its way inside the near post and past the diving arms of Bach for the game-winner in a tightly-contested 2-1 contest to retain the top spot in the RMAC standings.
NOTABLES
-Seltzer’s goal was her first of 2024 and eighth of her career as she has now scored in each of the past three seasons
-McDermott’s goal added on to her RMAC-leading total, giving her 15 with still four matches left in the regular season and tying her single-season best mark which came in 2022 while setting a new single-season points best with 33 and counting
-The Houston native now stands one goal shy of becoming the third player in program history to score 50 times in a career and is now six goals back of Megan Woodworth (2009-12) for third; she also notched her 16th game-winner to put her three behind Anna Evans (2010-13) for second all-time while raising her point total to 113 to cut the gap down to seven behind Woodworth for third in that category as well
-Manalili continued her hot streak of excellent play with her team-leading fifth assist of the season and now has either scored or assisted on a goal in five of the last six matches going back to October 6
-Harman and Seltzer each got credited with an assist on the game-winner for their second and fourth assists of 2024 respectively
-Lundgren celebrated her birthday with a season-high six saves in goal
-Officially, McDermott’s go-ahead goal clocked at 89:53 in the second half, setting a new record for both the latest goal scored in regulation and the latest game-winner in regulation; Seltzer was the previous record holder of the first mark after netting a goal at 89:46 on the road at Colorado Mesa on October 26 of last season in a 4-0 win, while the great Kayla Mitchell held the latter with a game-winner at 89:39 in a 4-3 contest against New Mexico Highlands back on September 9, 2007
-Mines improves to 19-7-8 against the Roadrunners all-time and 14-3-1 when playing at Stermole Stadium while going 8-0-1 in the last nine meetings in Golden going back to 2014
UP NEXT
Mines hits the road for the final time in 2024 next weekend when they first head to New Mexico Highlands Friday October 25 followed by a trip to Alamosa Sunday October 27.
Fans can keep up with Mines women’s soccer on Twitter and Instagram at @mineswsoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.
