The Cougars were on the prowl Sunday afternoon as they faced off against South Dakota Mines in Rapid City, SD. Colorado Christian came close to several school records for a single game, as this is a game that can propel them moving forward further into the season as they try and position themselves for a postseason push.
 
First Half:    The first half began with both teams playing solid defense to start out, until the 15^th minute when the Cougars broke the scoreless tie. Gavin Tinic controlled a pass near the box and sent a centering pass towards the foot of Gabe Roloff who was waiting and promptly sent it past the diving Keeper and into the back of the net to put the Cougs up 1-0. That marks the fifth goal of the year for Roloff.
 
Late in the first half came what ended up being a game changing play as in the 39^th minute, a South Dakota Mines player was issued a red card, which forced the Hardrockers to play the remainder of the game a man down. The Cougs took early advantage as just a few minutes later, Dumisani Luthayi snuck one past the keeper to put CCU up 2-0 which is where the score remained heading into halftime.
 
Second Half:     Ben and Silas Hess decided to make scoring a family affair, as both scored a single goal in the second half to increase the Cougar lead to 4-0. Ben Hess scored first as he tallied his goal in the 61^st minute of competition on an assist from Caleb Dodge. Silas followed his brothers' example in the 68^th minute assisted by Miguel Fonseca. That marks the second goal for Silas, and fourth assist from Fonseca.
 
The scoring continued for CCU in the 75^th minute when Dumisani Luthayi figured that he had so much fun scoring the first goal, that he might as well do it again as he netted the fifth goal for the Cougars and his second of the game. The sixth and final goal of the game came off the foot of Dylan Hall after some great passing and assists by Tobi Osifodunrin and Michael Mote.
 
Head coach Brad Camp spoke after the convincing victory and said, "Proud of the boys. The red card changed the game, but the guys deserve credit for battling through and staying focused. SD Mines is a team that can play and hurt you if you lose focus. I am excited for a few of the younger guys who got on the field and played some minutes today. They have battled so hard and deserved a chance to display that on the field."
 
The six goals scored by CCU ties for the second most goals in a single point in program history which has now happened three times, first during the 1998 season, and again in the 2000 season. The school record for goals in a game is 11, which happened during the 2001 against Coe College. Dumisani Luthayi has tied the Cougars program record for most goals in a game with two. He joins several players who have also attained the feat in their respective careers.
 
All in all, it was a beautiful day in South Dakota for Colorado Christian. With the win, the Cougars record now sits at 7-4-3 overall, and 3-2-1 in conference play. They will be back at home sweet home for their next game as they are set to take on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Thursday afternoon. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1PM MST. Come out and support your Cougars as they prepare to head down the home stretch with just four games remaining in the regular season. The game will be at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood, CO.