The No. 23 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions (16-5) are in Colorado for Friday’s 1 p.m. elimination match against No. 7 Colorado School of Mines (16-1-4) in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Tournament.
The Lions enter the South Central Regional Finals against an Oredigger team never before faced in school history. Like the Lions, who will enter the contest riding an eight-game winning streak, Colorado School of Mines also sports an impressive eight-game unbeaten streak, having won six, and tied another two.
What sets the Orediggers apart has been the outstanding play of their defense, headlined by their junior keeper Jalyn Yates. Since allowing an overtime goal in the team’s last loss to Regis back on October 15, Yates has been quite literally impenetrable, and rides a jaw-dropping eight-game, 760-minute shutout streak. Yates’ defensive front has done an outstanding job in front of her, limiting her to an average of three saves per game over that span. In total, she’s compiled an impressive season, earning 16 shutouts, a .928 save percentage, and a 0.23 GAA.
Attempting to one-up Yates production on the other end of the field will be junior keeper Courtnie Northern, who earned the eighth shutout of her season against Angelo State last Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Northern has a .877 save percentage and a 0.72 GAA on the season, both of which fall short of Yates numbers. However, Northern’s made an even 100 saves on the season across 19 games (5.26 per game), 36 more than her Oredigger counterpart, who’s only made 64 through 21 games (3.05 per game).
Though Mines enjoys an incredible 32-5 goal differential against opponents on the season, offense is not exactly what the program is known for. During their current eight-game unbeaten streak, they’ve outscored opponents 11-0. Yet a disproportionate chunk of that production comes from a 5-0 win over the Colorado-State Pueblo Thunderwolves. If one throws that game out, they’ve only scored 6 goals in a 7-game collection, averaging less than one goal per game.
Only one Mines player, freshman forward Laya Ribicki (5G, 3A), has managed double-digit point production during the season. However, 11 other players have managed four points or more, demonstrating the Orediggers’ willingness to spread the ball around in enemy territory. Their most dangerous offensive weapon in recent games has been freshman midfielder Emily Garnier, who’s notched two game-winning assists in her last three games.
While the Orediggers divide the offensive production amongst their players, the Lions have played a system that runs through their two star forwards, sophomore Savannah Henderson (13G, 7A) and Jade Bell (10G, 8A). Before being held off the scoreboard against Angelo State last Sunday, Bell cobbled together an eight-game point scoring streak, leading the Lions to their first LSC Tournament Championship since 2004. Henderson meanwhile, at 33 points on the season, is second in the entire South Central region in points, only behind Lubbock Christian’s Brooke Wendl.
The Lions have also found timely offensive assistance from junior defender Anitra Wright and junior midfielder Madison Cordts. Wright totaled a goal and two assists in the LSC Tournament, while Cordts has notched two goals in her last two games, including the game winner in last week’s NCAA Tournament game against Angelo State.
The Lions and Orediggers will not be the only teams competing in Golden on Friday. Following their game, the West Regional finals will be decided, as the CSU-Stanislaus Warriors (15-4-1) take on the Cal Poly Pomona Mustangs (15-5-1). The winner of that game will emerge out of the West region and into the Elite Eight, where they will play the winner between A&M-Commerce and Colorado School of Mines.
The Sweet Sixteen contest is scheduled for Friday, November 21 at 1:00 p.m. CST. Should the Lions advance, they would move on to the Elite Eight for the second time in school history to play on Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 p.m. CST.