GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa’s women’s soccer season came to an end in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Mavs fell 1-0 to UCCS in the South Central regional championship. UCCS junior forward Sydney Lasater’s 25-yard laser went off the post and in one minute into the second half, which ended up being the difference in a tightly contested and well played tournament match between the two RMAC rivals. In a round of 16 matchup that served as a tiebreaker between the RMAC regular-season champions (UCCS) and RMAC Tournament champions (CMU), it is the Mountain Lions who have captured the South Central Regional championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals this Saturday. The season ends here for Colorado Mesa, who finishes 2023 with the most single-season wins in program history, multiple NCAA tournament wins for the first time and an 18-4-1 overall record. The Mavericks outshot UCCS 17-10, including 9-4 in the second half, but both defensive lines limited the quality of chances, as CMU placed only four shots on target compared to the visitors’ three. UCCS goalkeeper Isabella Whitmore, the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year, earned her 11th shutout of the season and made a couple big saves down the stretch. Keely Wieczorek made two saves for Colorado Mesa. The first half between the teams was scoreless despite both sides feeling they could have found the net. Kylie Wells had a pair of shots saved by Whitmore in the 13th and 24th minutes while Wieczorek made a diving save on a low to the ground shot by Taylynn Levi in the 42nd minute. Each side rattled the crossbar once, with CMU’s Mira Houck hitting the woodwork in the 20th minute and UCCS’s Hazel Wright striking the crossbar off a free kick shot attempt with under a minute to go in the first half. The frame of the goal was kinder to UCCS just after the second half got underway. Lasater’s shot from distance curled towards the top left corner of the net, freezing Wieczorek. The ball struck the left post, ricocheted across the entire goal and found the right side netting to give UCCS the lead. Each side had other chances, but the midfield and defensive units from both teams prevented any clear sight of goal. Whitmore handled Mikayla Eccher’s long-range effort in the 63rd minute while Wieczorek’s one second half save was from a comfortable range in the 79th minute. The Mavs were able to get a cross into the box that seemed to pinball around in front of the Mountain Lion net for an eternity with under five minutes left, but UCCS was able to find the clear. The 2023 season will go down as a memorable one for Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks won their first nine games of the season and went unbeaten in their first 13 matches before a three-game losing streak dropped them to the No. 4 seed of the RMAC Tournament. The Mavs were able to get back on track with a win in the regular season finale before defeating MSU Denver, Westminster and Colorado School of Mines to win the program’s second-ever RMAC Tournament Championship. Colorado Mesa earned the No. 3 South Central regional seed and defeated Texas Woman’s and Mines again in the NCAA Tournament to win multiple tournament matches for the first time in program history. The Mavs’ RMAC Tournament championship and first NCAA tournament win were both the first for the program in 25 years dating back to the 1998 season. Community Hospital Unity Field will play host to one more soccer game this Saturday, with UCCS taking on Point Loma at 4 p.m. in an NCAA Tournament national quarterfinal with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Point Loma defeated Seattle Pacific 2-0 in Thursday’s first match in Grand Junction.