Midwestern State vs No. 21 Colorado School
Friday, Sept. 10 - 7:30 p.m.
Stang Park (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: UCO leads 17-6
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WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- After going 1-1 in their first two matches in Oklahoma, Midwestern State opens play at Stang Park against No. 21 Colorado School of Mines in a Friday night under the lights. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Wichita Falls, Texas.

FIVE STORY LINES

1 | Cassidy Savoy notched her first two collegiate goals against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Sept. 2. The sophomore put one past the keeper in the 32nd minute after coming off the bench and then repeated the feat in the 35th minute. The key to her successful game was in her movements on the field and being in the right spot at the right time. The forward has started the 2021 campaign on the right foot and has high expectations for the games to come.

2 | The Mustangs thrown together defense stayed strong during the 90 minutes against NW Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma. Nicole Marsolek and Alyssa Salinas commanded the back line from the two center spots while Emilia and Alexandria Sandlin put time in on the outside positions. Between the four, the Rangers were held to only 12 shots on goal for the entirety of the match while the No. 10 Broncos scored just one goal. Defensive injuries hurt the Mustangs prior to Thursday's game which resulted in the new look of the back line.

3 | Taylor Camp has been a solid figure for Midwestern State in goal for the past two years. In 2021, the senior tallied 12 saves and one shutout thus far. In the shortened 2020 season, the keeper made 46 saves for a 0.697 save percent on the year. In her ten starts Camp collected one shutout on the year.

4 | New faces had some big time in the Mustangs' season opener. Lexi Beck was the most impressive by drawing a foul to result in a penalty kick and putting away the same free kick against Northwestern Oklahoma. The freshman has totaled five shots in her 157 minutes in the midfield. Nunez has also been big for Midwestern State in a defensive position as she creates offensive opportunities and puts in hard tackles. In the team's game against Northwestern Oklahoma State, she made two shots on goal while Isabella Cruz also completed two shots in her 59 minute collegiate debut.

5 | So far on the 2021 season, the Orediggers sit at 1-0-1 after winning 2-0 over Simon Fraser and tying No. 24 Western Washington in double overtime. Freshman Reese McDermott and senior Meg Zimmerman were the goal scorers for Colorado School of Mines. Ava Harman also collected RMAC Defensive Player of the Week for her 192 performance in the two matches. Goalkeeper Sierra Roth has tallied six saves for the Mines and has notched two shutouts. The Orediggers were marked at the top of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll with 13 first-place votes.

HEAD COACH RYAN SPENCE begins his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. In the 2020 season, he led the Mustangs to the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. As a player, Spence helped the Mustangs dominate in his four years on the field. He earned All-American from 2008-11 and helped the team reach the Final Four in 2010. His center back prowess assisted in gaining 35 shutouts in his tenure. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, he gained his masters from MSU in 2014-15. From there, Spence moved on as assistant coach at Texas A&M International in 2016 and head coach at Eastern New Mexico in 2017 before coming back to Midwestern State in 2018.
 
SERIES WITH THE ORDIGGERS
The history between Midwestern State and Colorado School of Mines is not a long one as the two teams have only met up three times. The first match was in 2008 in Golden, Colo., where the Mustangs took over 2-1. In 2017, there was two matches in which MSU fell both times. The first was in Wichita Falls, Texas, to the then No. 6 Mines who collected three goals. The second was in Dallas, Texas, when the Mustangs dropped 0-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Orediggers have faired better at Stang Park thus far and the Friday night match will tell more.