'
  • Fri, 10/26 | Men's Soccer vs. Colorado Mesa T, 1-1 (Final - 2OT) BX | RC | LS
  • Sun, 10/21 | Men's Soccer vs. Fort Lewis W, 4-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Fri, 10/19 | Men's Soccer at Adams State W, 2-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sun, 10/14 | Men's Soccer at Colorado Mesa T, 0-0 (Final - 2OT) BX | RC
  • Fri, 10/12 | Men's Soccer at Fort Lewis T, 0-0 (Final - 2OT) BX | RC
Home  |  Roster  |  Schedule  |  Statistics  |  Rawlings Soccer Complex
Posted October 14, 2010

Recap | Box Score

Pack 'steel' win, sweep series with Mountain Lions

Pack sweep season series against rival-UCCS

By Joe Foley, CSU-Pueblo Athletics

PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Oct. 13, 2010) - The CSU-Pueblo men's soccer team completed the season sweep of rival UC-Colorado Springs Wednesday with a 3-2 come from behind win.

The night didn't exactly begin perfectly for the ThunderWolves after the relinquished the opening goal off a perfectly struck shot by Jaron Stewart that beat goalkeeper Jacob Blum.

The goal seemed to be a wake-up call for the Pack as they struck to tie the game just five minutes later. The forward tandem of Robert Kinsey (Jr., Denver, Colo.) and Dustin Geist (RFr., Durango, Colo.) worked together to free Kinsey for a goal to tie the game 1-1.

Goalkeeper Jacob Blum (Jr., Peoria, Ariz) would come up big during the game making many difficult saves to keep the Pack close all game. Blum would finish the night with 12 saves.

To begin the second half, the ThunderWolves would again find themselves trailing after a goal saving opportunity turned into an own-goal for the Pack.

The ThunderWolves would answer back quickly with a header from Alex Raygoza (RSo., Pueblo, Colo.) to Kinsey that found the Mountain Lions keeper scrambling. Kinsey would finish the opportunity for his second goal of the night.

Geist, the Pack's leading-scorer, would jump into the action for the eventual game-winner off a created opportunity from Jamie Prakhine (Fr., Arvada, Colo.). 

Blum and the rest of the Pack's defense would come up big for the remainder of the game blocking an open net opportunity to preserve the ThunderWolf win.

"[The comeback] showed great spirit from our guys and a great sense of confidence," Pack coach Roy Stanley said.  "UCCS played a great game.  But we just had a couple guys with great accuracy and awareness in front of the goal and finished well."

Though the stat sheet may not reflect it, having given up two goals, Blum was stellar in goal, facing 24 shots and stopping 12, many of which were high-traffic balls bouncing in front of the net.

"We talked about him getting 'double redemption' tonight," Stanley said of Blum, who struggled in his 2009 appearance against the Mountain Lions.  "He played great in first game [against UCCS this year] and played great tonight.  He showed the steps that he has made in the last 12 months to put himself in the position he was in tonight." 

The victory earned the Pack a season sweep of rival-UCCS and even more importantly helped the ThunderWolves earn points in the "Steel and Silver" series between the schools.

In each of the 10 intercollegiate athletics programs that both schools sponsor – men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's golf, women's cross country, softball, volleyball, and women's indoor and outdoor track and field – the school that earns the most wins in head-to-head competition is awarded four points. If the head-to-head competitions are split evenly, each school is awarded two points. The school with the best cumulative grade point average among student-athletes in the school's common sports will also be awarded five points.

All four points for women's volleyball will be on the line when the schools meet on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Massari Arena.

The ThunderWolves have a busy weekend ahead as they travel to play Regis Friday, at 3:30 p.m. The Pack will finish up the weekend Sunday as they travel to Mesa State for a night contest scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.