The ninth ranked Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team traveled to Canyon, Texas for a pair of games against some quality opponents. In the season opener on Thursday, the Lady Orediggers squared off against the fourteenth ranked Dallas Baptist Patriots, whom Mines defeated in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament where they grabbed the early lead and never looked back in a 3-1 victory. In Saturday’s game, the Lady Orediggers started slower, but rode three second half goals and a stellar defensive performance to a 3-0 victory.
Last year’s RMAC Player of the Year, senior Anna Evans, wasted no time showing the Patriots why she earned that title. With just over eight minutes gone in the game, Evans took the throw in and buried the ball into the upper corner of the goal. Just eight minutes later, in the sixteenth minute, Mines scored when Dallas Baptist surrendered an own goal when they miss played a corner kick. The lady Orediggers eased into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
They say a two goal lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer, and less than 12 minutes into the second half, Dallas Baptist cut the lead to 2-1, and were playing like they believed the cliché. Looking to tie the score at two, the Patriots outshot the Orediggers 8-3 in the second half and outplayed the Orediggers for stretches of the second half, but never could find the equalizer. In the 89 minute, Bree Archuleta scored an insurance goal to give the Lady Orediggers a commanding 3-1 lead with less than two minutes to play. Archuleta was assisted on the play by Kendra Bulawa.
Goalie Jayln Yates played superb and saved eight shots in the game, and Mines outshot Dallas Baptist 13-11. Mines had seven more fouls than DBU, but that was merely a product of aggressive defense and playing with the lead. The Lady Orediggers ended the game with a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks and eight total shots on goal.
After beating the No. 14 team in the nation, the No. 9 Orediggers had a day off before their next contest against West Texas A&M. Much like the first game, the Lady Orediggers dominated the game defensively allowing the Lady Buffs only six total shots (2 on goal).
Mines controlled the first half of play getting six of their eight shots on goal and holding West Texas A&M to only two first half shots. The story of this game was not the first half, however, but rather the second. Coming out of halftime still scoreless, the Lady Orediggers wasted no time setting the score in their favor. Less than three minutes after halftime, Rachael Turner scored the first goal of the game and her first of the season on a pass from Mel Westhoff. The 1-0 lead would prove to be enough, but freshman Jaclyn Knott decided Mines needed some insurance.
Knott scored two goals in the final ten minutes of the game, including her first collegiate goal. Her first came in the eighty-first minute when she knocked home a pass from Cari Smith to make the score 2-0. In the 87 minute, Knott found the back of the net again on a pass from Michelle Teramura to give the Orediggers the 3-0 victory and their first clean sheet of the young season.
Anna Evans and Rachael Turner both had four shots on goal, and Jayln Yates made two saves in the victory. Knott had three shots on goal, including two goals, and as a team, Mines recorded 21 total shots with ten coming on goal.
With the victory, the Lady Orediggers are unbeaten in their last 16 contests, a school record, and will play their home opener at 7 pm this Friday against St. Mary’s. So come out and support your Orediggers as they look to improve to 3-0 on the season.
