Records are made to be broken. When they are broken, it’s a special moment. It is a mark of consistency, excellence, hard work and a collective group working together to reach and surpass something that demonstrates tremendous skill in a sport.
The moment Kevin Del Mazo broke the record for career assists for Colorado Mesa University men’s soccer earlier this season, it became a huge moment for the senior, even if he didn’t realize it.
“I actually didn’t know I tied [the record],” Del Mazo said. “After that one game I tied it everyone came up to me and I was like oh, pretty cool. But I want to do whatever’s best for the team, I’m not thinking of personal stats.”
A team-first and humble individual, the Santiago, Chile native will have his name etched in the CMU record books. He surpassed Moshe Perez with his 23rd career assist on Sep. 21 against Colorado Christian University in a 6-0 route.
Breaking the record was inevitable. Del Mazo is filled with talent, and his excellent play earned him First-Team All-RMAC honors in 2017. To boot, he recorded three game-winning goals last year.
Head coach Todd Padgett, who has coached Del Mazo during his tenure at CMU, can’t say enough of Del Mazo’s career and accomplishments.
“I really can’t say enough about [Kevin],” Padgett said. “I think he’s a player that’s on every team’s board. He’s so dynamic. If you try to throw one at him, I think he’s going to get the better of most defenders.”
Now in his last season, the ride has been everything Del Mazo could have hoped for, and he’s enjoying taking the field with his teammates as a seasoned veteran.
“My senior season has been nothing less than remarkable,” Del Mazo said. “This year the whole team enjoys being around each other and we’ve formed a family and such a bond that has helped us with the close games… Being on this team is so much fun, especially because of all of these close games. It’s exciting and heart rushing but the best part is that we’ve gotten the results at the end of the day.”
Del Mazo has been just as advertised in his senior season. He’s scored or assisted in every game except two this season and is second on the team in points behind only Lawan Abary. His point total has him fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in points and points per game. He also currently leads the RMAC in assists.
Del Mazo is helping lead a furious offensive attack for the Mavericks. CMU ranks second in the RMAC in points, goals, and third with assists.
Part of that attack is aided by having such a focused senior group.
“The relationship between Kevin and James [McGhee] has been four years in the making,” Padgett said. “They both came into the program the same year. They’ve known each other and I think they know each other’s tendencies and attributes, likes, and dislikes.”
Talented players always continue to work on their craft. Whether it’s an in-game adjustment or making certain tweaks in practice, the opportunity to get better is one Del Mazo doesn’t want to pass up.
“For myself, I want to work on distributing better,” Del Mazo said. “Getting the ball from side to side more and working on my left foot.”
With the team currently at 9-0-2 and 7-0-1 in the conference, Del Mazo has a chance to help the Mavericks cash in a special season. It would be a fitting ending when Del Mazo considers how much soccer has done for him in his life, and his time at CMU.
“I’ve had a very exciting career here at CMU and I’ve been treated with nothing but love from the town to all the people in it,” Del Mazo said. “I will always cherish the memories, relationships, and the sport itself.”
“When I moved here from Chile, the only language I could communicate with people with was soccer, and this sport has given me the opportunities that I’m so thankful for today. I never played on grass til I got to the US. Before that, it was just my brother and neighborhood friends playing on the streets using rocks as goals and newspaper with tape as a ball.”
No matter how the season turns out, the career Del Mazo has created is one he can look back on with excitement. From breaking records to model consistency, it’s a body of work that student-athletes strive to have.
“This sport has changed my life,” Del Mazo said, “and I couldn’t be more thankful for everything this sport has done for me my whole life.”
