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Home of the Regis University Rangers
3
Winner Regis (CO) Regis (12-6-2, 9-2-1)
2
UC-Colo. Springs UCCS (13-3-4, 9-1-2)
Winner
Regis (CO) Regis
(12-6-2, 9-2-1)
3
Final
2
UC-Colo. Springs UCCS
(13-3-4, 9-1-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Regis (CO) Regis 1 0 0 2 3
UC-Colo. Springs UCCS 0 1 1 0 2
Audrey Teague celebration
Billy Saunders, Regis Athletics

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Teague nets game-winner in 2OT, Regis advances to RMAC Tournament final following 3-2 win over UCCS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A frigid evening at Mountain Lion Stadium served as the setting for a memorable and emotional night of futbol for the Regis University women's soccer team as it squared off against rival University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in the RMAC Tournament semi-finals.

Facing a foe they lost to in the 2021 RMAC Tournament final, and a team that beat Regis just 13 days prior on the same turf, the No. 3 seeded Rangers pulled off a thrilling, come-from-behind victory in extra time to upend the No. 2 seeded Mountain Lions by a 3-2 final.

The win cemented Regis in the RMAC Tournament championship game for the second straight season, where it will face No. 9 ranked and top-seeded Colorado School of Mines at 12 p.m. this Saturday at Stermole Soccer Stadium in Golden.

"What the players did tonight to overcome the anxieties, past frustrations, intimidation and pattern of struggles against a really good team in UCCS; for them to overcome all of that, they just refused to quit and I'm so proud of them for that," said Regis head women's soccer coach, Jeff Frykholm. "It's going to sound cliché, but I could tell from their eyes during the intermission between the two overtime periods that we weren't done yet."

HOW IT HAPPENED: A wild and high scoring 20-minutes of overtime set the stage for Regis senior forward Audrey Teague to play hero on Wednesday. But first, the Rangers would have to battle through some early adversity during the extra time.

UCCS threw the first punch in the initial overtime period, scoring at the 91:40 mark to take a 2-1 lead. With the new overtime rules in effect for 2022, eliminating the golden goal, sudden-death format, the Rangers took full advantage of the final 10-minute overtime period.

Junior midfielder Jillian Skurcenski, who scored the Rangers' first goal of the game just 15:17 into regulation, helped pull Regis even again during the second overtime.  Skurcenski sent a dangerous cross into the UCCS box that did not find its way to a fellow Ranger, but was instead booted into the back of the net by a Mountain Lions' defender for an own goal at the 103:16 mark.

"Before the first overtime period, we stressed to the players that, 'There are 20 minutes of overtime period. And we're going to play every single one of them.' Regardless of what happens, if we go up or down a goal," Frykholm said. "We knew we had to create a dangerous moment and get UCCS facing its own goal. Jill played a lovely, difficult ball into the box that was dipping and dropping. When you get an opponent facing their own goal, it's sometimes difficult to avoid those own-goal situations because the defender has to play the ball. They don't know if someone is behind them. Those are really dangerous moments. We knew we needed to find one of them and sure enough we found two."

With momentum back on their side, and the Mountain Lions pressing, the Rangers would deliver the dagger just five minutes later.

Defense turned to offense for the Rangers as freshman forward Natalie Bunch intercepted a ball in the midfield, then promptly threaded a perfect lead pass to Teague streaking up the left side. Teague corralled the pass, cut to the inside of her defender and rifled a bullet from 30-yards out just below the crossbar with 1:35 remaining in the second overtime for what proved to be the game-winner.

The goal was the seventh of the season for Teague, tied for the team lead with fellow senior Kelby Kuo. And it was an emotional one for her and a senior class that were facing their former head coach — Regis legend and current UCCS head coach J.B. Belzer — on the opposing sideline.

"We all hold our breath when Audrey has the ball on her right foot because she can hit 'em. And sure enough she struck that one. Her moment there was certainly earned and one that I think was shared across all the seniors," Frykholm said. "They've been through so much with two coaching changes and Covid during their time here. One of those coaching changes; you lose the coach who recruited you and end up playing against their new team in the RMAC Tournament. It was an emotional moment. They have a lot of love, respect and admiration for J.B., so I know that meant a lot. To have that moment against, what I think is one of the best teams in the country, and an excellent coach they learned from once upon a time in their careers; it's just a special moment."

GAME NOTES:
  • UCCS finished the evening with a 33-11 shots advantage (15-4 shots on goal).
  • Regis graduate student goalkeeper Katelyn Martin stopped 11 of the 13 shots she faced.
  • The 11 saves for Martin tied her career high, previously set Oct. 10, 2021 against Colorado Mesa.
  • UCCS forced overtime with a goal in the 84th minute by Annie Louthan.
  • The first-half goal by Skurcenski was her first of 2022 and second goal of her career.
UP NEXT: Back in the championship game for a second season in a row, the Rangers will look to earn their first RMAC Tournament title since 2010 when they square off against Colorado School of Mines.

Saturday's final is another circled rematch game for Regis, which fell to the No. 9 ranked Orediggers, 2-0, on Oct. 26 in a battle for the RMAC regular season title.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Saturday at Stermole Soccer Stadium in Golden.

"It's a quick turnaround and Mines also had to go to overtime (Wednesday), so both teams had to extend players and dig deep in emotional games. I think the team that prepares emotionally and psychologically the quickest will have the edge in the match," Frykholm said. "They are another fantastic opponent and that's what you want and hope for; to play these types of games. I know the players will be up for it and, as good as tonight's win felt, we know we're not done. We have another game to play and something to play for because we know our hopes of getting into the NCAA Tournament likely depend on a result in that game. We're aware of that and I think the players are going to be ready to give everything they have toward a goal we've had since Day One."
 
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Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Team Scoring Play
15:17
Regis Jillian Skurcenski (1)
GOAL by Regis Skurcenski, Jillian.
83:31
UCCS Annie Louthan (4)
Assisted By: Fabiola Estrada
GOAL by UCCS Louthan, Annie Assist by Estrada, Fabiola.
91:40
UCCS Zoe Sims (2)
Assisted By: Fabiola Estrada
GOAL by UCCS Sims, Zoe Assist by Estrada, Fabiola.
103:16
Regis 0
GOAL by Regis TEAM.
108:24
Regis Audrey Teague (7)
Assisted By: Natalie Bunch
GOAL by Regis Teague, Audrey Assist by Bunch, Natalie.

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