No. 5 Orediggers Thwart Colorado Mesa With Three Second Half Goals

GOLDEN – Following a quiet, relatively balanced opening 45:00, NSCAA No. 5 Colorado School of Mines women's soccer disposed of Colorado Mesa 3-0 Friday evening behind a trio of second half markers under the lights at CSM Soccer Stadium.

The season-high tying three second half scores came in the 59th, 77th and 87th minutes as sophomore Rachael Turner and senior Bree Archuleta each netted their third of the season and freshman Jaclyn Knott recorded her fourth, most among Oredigger underclassmen.

Senior Jordan Hopper assisted on the initial goal at 58:04 with a lofted corner to the far post; senior Anna Evans set up Archuleta with a pass back at 76:04, and sophomore keeper Jayln Yates sparked Knott to the transition run out at 86:34 with a long punt.

The fourth consecutive shutout and ninth in 11 games in 2013 extended the women's record unbeaten streak to 25 straight – tied for 10th-longest in the Division II archives.

Dating back to a 2-2 draw with UC-Colorado Springs on Oct. 26, 2012, Mines has trailed just 92 seconds in 1635:13 minutes, giving up only three scores in 17 matches with accruing 14 shutouts.

The Orediggers (10-0-1, 7-0 RMAC) finished with an 18-3 margin on shots, including 13-1 in the pivotal second half, and held a 7-1 advantage in on-goal looks. Turner and Evans combined for four shots on goal in seven attempts, while Archuleta, Knott and sophomore Mel Westhoff each had one shot on frame.

Yates denied one shot in 87:50 minutes, improving to 10-0-1.

With his 56th win at the helm, fourth-year head coach Kevin Fickes overtook sole possession of first place in Mines women's soccer history in career coaching wins.

Boasting a 56-12-11 (.778) cumulative record, including 36-9-4 (.776) in the RMAC, three NCAA Tournament appearances and two conference championships, Fickes assumed all-time winningest coach distinction from the program's first skipper and current men's coach, Frank Kohlenstein.

The women go for a season sweep of Colorado Christian (4-6, 1-5 RMAC) at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Trailblazer Stadium in nearby Lakewood.