LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Regis University men's soccer team battled its way to force double overtime in its 2020 season opener at Trailblazer Stadium and looked to be on its way to a tie but was dealt a crushing 2-1 defeat by Colorado Christian on Sunday.
 
"I think the players will motivate themselves," said Regis University Head Men's Soccer Coach Tony McCall. "It's our first game in over 440 days. We saw some things we like, we saw some things that we definitely need to work on, but I think overall, it was a really good workout for us.
 
"Fair play to CCU. They battled and scrapped, and at the end, they were able to get the 'W'. But, we've got a lot of new pieces, young guys that came in and played and did really well for us. But, I think whenever you lose anytime, especially like that, again, it's a learning moment, teachable moment, and the guys will go away and think about it and we'll come back stronger."
 
How It Happened: Tied up at 1-1 with less than 11 seconds to go in the second overtime, senior forward Liam Lakey, amid a swarm of defenders and teammates, oriented a cross off a corner kick into the left side of the goalbox to give the Cougars the game-winning, 2-1 golden goal. The corner kick was made by junior midfielder Jorge Lopez.
 
The Rangers experienced an early scare in the 13th minute when senior midfielder Dmitri Fabro attempted a penalty kick. However, the shot bounced off the left post, allowing Regis to survive the test.
 
RU was deep in Colorado Christian territory at the 30:26 mark of the first half when junior forward Ethan Willson directed a shot at the goal. However, it was blocked.
 
Junior midfielder Michael Jimenez later let off a shot attempt in the 34th minute, but it missed high and right.
 
CCU sophomore forward Aiden McGeown was credited with the contest's final shot of the first half with just 3 seconds to spare. McGeown's shot was blocked by a Rangers defender.
 
Regis led the Cougars in the shot count after 45 minutes of play, 5-3. In his intercollegiate debut, freshman defender/midfielder Kyle Bergmeier had two of those shots in the second and 15th minutes, respectively. They were the first two shots of the game and were both out right over the top of the goalbox.
 
RU had a close chance at a goal when freshman defender Carter Boucher sailed a shot to the high center of the goalbox at the 47:23 clock reading. The ball would have likely gone in if it had not been for sophomore goalkeeper Max Collingwood's timely upward deflection to direct the ball out of bounds.
 
Colorado Christian responded late in the 50th minute when Lakey knocked a shot-on-goal to the low center, but it was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Kellen Gullion.
 
CCU threatened again when Fabro deflected a pass toward the goal at the 55:06 mark. In this case, the shot went wide right on the ground.
 
The match became increasingly physical around the 59th minute, when Lopez launched a long-range shot to the high right, which Gullion saved.
 
This preceded another on-target shot by freshman defender Caiden Dixon to the low right with 59:32 reading on the clock, which resulted in a team save for the Rangers.
 
Late in the 66th minute of the then-scoreless deadlock though, Lopez lifted a shot into the high-right corner of the goalbox from 8 yards out to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Lopez scored with his right foot upon fielding a cross from senior midfielder Larson Hanlin.
 
Regis turned up the urgency in the final sixth of regulation and finally reaped the benefits of its efforts when junior forward Kristian Hooker took advantage of an empty-net shot to knot the game at 1-1 at the match's 79:06 mark.
 
RU nearly took the lead with only 3 seconds remaining in regulation when senior midfielder John Halter pushed a shot to the low right, which Collingwood saved.
 
The Rangers attempted a shot-on-goal first in the first overtime, which Collingwood saved, when senior forward Jean Carre shot to the bottom right in the 92nd minute.
 
Lakey echoed that on the opposite end of the field with a shot to the bottom right of the goalbox at the 92:20 mark in the first overtime. This one was saved by Gullion.
 
Following a shot high above the goalbox by senior forward Parker Klein in the 96th minute, the game remained a 1-1 draw and went into the second overtime.
 
Game Notes: Hooker (1 G, 1 S, 1 SOG) tied the game in the second half and moved the match to beyond regulation. Halter (2 S, 1 SOG), Klein (2 S, 1 SOG), and Boucher (2 S, 1 SOG) each had one of two shots on-goal. Carre (1 S, 1 SOG) had his only shot attempt on-target. Gullion (3 SV, 2 GA) recorded three saves in his Regis debut.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: RU starts the season with an 0-1 record overall. The Rangers conclude their non-conference schedule in their home opener at Regis Match Pitch, where they will host CSU Pueblo (0-0) on Sunday, March 14 at 3 p.m.