LOUISVILLE -- An early goal opportunity by Charleston (W.Va.) within the first five minutes revved up the first game of the NCAA Division II championship semifinals as Colorado Mesa goalie senior Micah Conrads got lucky with deflection by the goal post, but it wouldn’t take long before the Golden Eagles’ next shot on goal 7:30 into the game. This time they would be successful, with a through shot to the top right of the goal by junior Augusto Maciel.
The Golden Eagles continued to dominate possession time through the first half while their defense in the backfield would prove to be too much of an obstacle for the Mavericks as they had no shots on goal through most of the gameThe Golden Eagles put up another threat close near the end of the first half with a one-on-one matchup between freshman Will Roberts and Conrads who was able to block the first shot while Robert’s second shot went wide. The score at the half had Golden Eagles on top 1-0.
The Maverick offense came into the second half with the aggressiveness it lacked in the first, challenging the Golden Eagles’ midfield, but still couldn’t come through with a shot on goal until late in the game.
In the second half, the third time was a charm for freshman Will Roberts as his third shot slipped past Conrads to give the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead with just more than 25 minutes left in the game. Conrads made three great saves to hold the score, but the Maverick offense was never able to break through the Charleston defense.
