In a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game of two undefeated teams, Colorado Mesa University continued their hot streak with a 4-2 victory over Westminster College, who came into the contest with a 7-0-1 record.
“Westminster is a good team,” Head coach Todd Padgett said. “They were undefeated for a reason. It was a good game. We got off to a wonderful start in the first 25 minutes. Fortunately, the guys battled.”
The No. 11 ranked Mavericks came into Friday’s game with a three-game winning streak, and an 11 game streak for regular season play.
CMU did their best impression in the first half to make it four in a row after heading into the second half with a 2-1 lead. The Mavericks came out aggressive with both Kevin Del Mazo and Kevin Chavez sending kicks towards Westminster goalie Max Medley that were ultimately wide left.
Lawan Abary shimmied his way towards the goal in the 14th minute, using his speed to dial up Ethan Anderson’s pass and register the game’s first goal. The score was Abary’s ninth on the year and Anderson’s first assist.
Four minutes later, it was Del Mazo’s turn to give the Mavericks some extra cushion. The midfielder cruised past Griffin defenders, made his way around the box and scored his third goal of the year. CMU’s Noah Rosenberg, playing in his fourth game, had the assist for the Mavericks.
The Maverick’s offense has been extremely efficient lately, with multiple starters and reserves, including young freshman talent, contributing every game.
“I’m such a believer that the redshirt year does so much for a young player’s confidence, development, and physical strength,” Padgett said. “By the time they’re eligible to play for their redshirt freshman year, I think they have a lot better understanding of what being asked of them when compared to a true freshman that has been in the program for a matter of six weeks.”
CMU held a solid 2-0 lead until the Griffins found some empty green in the 35th minute. Danny Darelli scored on Amit Hefer’s assist to cut the Mavericks lead to 2-1.
CMU kicked six shots in the first half with two shots on goal and the Griffins managed just two shots but made one count in their limited first-half attack.
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Both teams came out slow in the second half, but the action started to pick back up in the 62nd minute. Nick Rizzo kicked a shot towards Del Mazo and the senior did it again, finding the back of the net for his second goal of the contest.
“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.”
The Griffins made it interesting late when Hefer scored to cut it back to 3-2 in favor of the Mavericks. Conner Lowdermilk had his eyes on another win, icing the game with a score in the 88th minute to capture the 4-2 win.
CMU was much more efficient on the night, kicking eight shots (four on goal) compared to the Griffins who sent 15 shots (five on goal). Goalkeeper Briley Guarneri had three saves in the second half for the Mavericks.
The fourth straight win moves the Mavericks to 6-0-2 with a 4-0-1 conference record. CMU hopes to keep the train rolling on Sunday when they play Dixie State University at 2:30 p.m.
