It was a game of firsts during Sunday’s match up between Colorado Mesa University and Westminster College. The Mavericks went ice cold during the match, resulting in a 2-0 loss, their first defeat of the season, first loss at home since Sep. 17, 2017, and first time the team has been shutout this season. The loss snapped a 12-game home winning streak for CMU.
Seniors Kevin Del Mazo, James McGhee, Briley Guarneri, Matthew Miller, Alan Flores, and Cody Calcagno were honored during a pregame ceremony.
The Griffin’s defense was electric all day with multiple plays being made that ended opportunities for the Mavericks. The Mavericks were fairly accurate with 13 shots and eight coming on goal, but goalkeeper Will Desantis and defender Bridger Hansen were stone walls for the Griffins, stifling any chance at a Maverick comeback.
Desantis finished with eight saves, a season-high for the redshirt freshman, and Hansen kept up with the Mavericks’ speed and cleared out the Maverick offense on several occasions.
CMU found themselves down 1-0 just nine minutes into the contest when Kaden Amano kicked his sixth goal of the season. There was a glut of Maverick defenders around Amano but the sophomore was stationed in the center of the box and put a slight curve to the ball that allowed it to get past Briley Guarneri, who dove to his left but fell inches short of the save.
The Mavericks had trouble advancing the ball into Griffin territory for a large portion of the first half. CMU had multiple opportunities and tried to feature Lawan Abary early in the game, but the junior’s headers just missed each time. Kevin Del Mazo had a few opportunities on free kicks to tie the game, but couldn’t get enough on either kick to get it past Desantis.
A brutal mistake occurred late in the first half that allowed the Griffins to take a 2-0 lead. After a blocked shot on CMU’s Niall Shaffery, the ball went sailing in the air and eventually found Amit Hefer for the Griffins.
Hefer drove down the field and was one-on-one far from the goal. Guarneri came up aggressively towards Hefer to retrieve the ball and clear it out of Maverick territory, but Hefer sent a soft floater over Guarneri’s head that made its way to the back of the net.
As soon as the ball went up, the disappointment was evident on Guarneri’s face, and just like that the Mavericks were down 2-0 for the first time this season.
CMU had trouble finding an offensive groove in the second half with only 4 shots and not many opportunities to get the ball rolling and stage a late comeback. The action did start to get tense late with both teams arguing with the referee for calls and several yellow cards being issued to each side.
Guarneri finished with five saves and two goals allowed. James McGhee had 3 shots (two on goal) and played well defensively. Del Mazo also finished with three shots (three on goal).
The loss moves the Mavericks to 9-1-3 with a 7-1-2 conference record while Westminster improves to 10-3-1. The regular season series ends with a 1-1 split.
CMU’s next opponent will be Colorado School of Mines, a team they lost to twice last season. The Mavericks lost to the Orediggers 2-1 in the RMAC Tournament last year. Mines will come into the game with a 12-1 record and an undefeated 9-0 conference record. Both teams sit #1 and #2 in the RMAC standings.
The heavyweight showdown is scheduled for Friday at 4:05 pm in Golden, CO.
