UCCS matches school-record in 8-0 win over Grizzlies
ALAMOSA, Colo.— Matt Friesen and Mike Mason tallied seven offensive points each as the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions scored early and often while matching their school record for goals scored in a game during an 8-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s soccer victory over host Adams State College, Friday afternoon here at Murphy Field.
Friesen scored three first-half goals, two of which came in the first eight minutes, while Mason tallied a school-record setting three assists to go along with his first two goals of the campaign in the Mountain Lion win that snapped the visitors’ 9-game winless streak. The Mountain Lions, who had defeated Colorado College by a 3-2 margin in overtime to begin the season, also received a goal and assist from Carlos Verdugo, a goal from Keenan Forder, another from Austin Bell and a pair of assists from Jaron Stewart as they improved to 2-8-1 overall and to 1-5-1 in RMAC play.
The Grizzlies fell to 0-10 overall and to 0-7 in RMAC play in this their second year overall and the first playing a full and brutal RMAC schedule that gets no easier Sunday when the Grizzlies host 17th-ranked Regis at 1 p.m. The Rangers entered a Friday afternoon match at Mesa State with 7-1-1 overall and 3-1-1 RMAC records.
The Mountain Lions tallied seven of their goals in the first half alone although the Grizzlies played a solid second half giving up just one goal, that to Bell in the 76th minute.
Grizzly freshman goalkeeper Paul Pizza (Alamosa, Colo.), ranked second in the RMAC and 10th nationally for saves per game (7.00), got the start but was knocked out just 46 seconds into the match with a leg injury.
The Mountain Lions then went to work on the Grizzly defense as Friesen tallied his first goal at the 2:47 mark after a long Verdugo header from the defensive line that was flicked on by Stewart with his head.
Friesen the scored less than five minutes later of a Mason corner kick.
Mason then got into the scoring in the 12th minute, tapping in a Stewart cross. Friesen and Mason then connected in the 21st minute on a similar run down the right flank before Forder scored his first goal of the campaign off a Mason corner kick in the 31st minute.
Verdugo then tallied his third goal of the season just 1:14 later after a Mason cross from the right side before Friesen finished off the first half scoring with his third goal of the afternoon with 49 seconds to go in the period.
Playing against a drastically changed lineup in the second half, the Grizzlies controlled much of the early possession but were worn down as Ryan Piechowski assisted on Bell’s goal that allowed the Mountain Lions to match their school record set against Ripon (Wisc.) in 1992 and matched against Southwestern in 2000.
The seven offensive points for Friesen and Mason are equal to the third most in Mountain Lion history.
The Mountain Lions took 30 total shots on the afternoon, including 14 on goal. The Grizzlies had eight total shots, including two on goal. Freshman midfielder Kyle Lanham (St. Louis, Mo.) led the way for the Grizzlies with three.
Freshman net-minder Brandon Costa made two saves for the Mountain Lions earning his first career shutout, also the Mountain Lions’ first of the season. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ Dillon Lee made six saves after reliving Pizza in the first minute.
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