COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (November 24, 2024) – The 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament is underway and following two quarterfinal games played on Sunday, No. 15 and top seed in the tournament, Colorado State University Pueblo men's soccer learned it will host No. 3 and 4-seed University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Art & Lorraine Gonzales Stadium.
 
In the other semifinal match, 2-seed Regis will play host to the winner of #3 Fort Lewis and #6 MSU Denver.
 
For the first time since 1999, the RMAC Tournament will run through the Steel City. 
 
The Oliver Twelvetrees-led ThunderWolves finished the regular season with a 12-3-3 overall record and ended RMAC play with a 7-1-2 mark and earned 23 conference points after scoring one point in Thursday's regular season finale.
 
CSU Pueblo, along with Regis University who finished second in the league, earned first round byes. The RMAC Championship will take place at the host of the highest remaining seed following the semifinal round.
 
Regular Season Recap
Caio Oliveira (Sr., Espigao d'Oeste, Brazil) ended the regular season with the highest points per game average in the RMAC with a mark of 1.53 points/game.
 
He currently is 19th in the country and Oliveira's 12 assists puts him first in the RMAC by three dimes and he is T-3rd in NCAA Division II. He is two behind Coker University's Frederic Benedix.
 
Oliveira is 8th in the RMAC with seven goals this season.
 
The Pack have three players including Oliveira inside the RMAC Top 10 in goals. Tobi Osifodunrin (Sr., Brighton, Colo.) is fourth with 8 goals and Shjon Andrews (Gr., Longmont, Colo.) is 7th with seven goals.
 
Andrews leads the league with four game-winning goals and fellow defenseman Ignatius DeMark (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.) his tied for second in the RMAC with 9 assists. His nine dimes put him T-14th in the nation.
 
Jose Bustamante (Jr., Davie, Fla.) is 5th in the league in points with an average of 1.30 points/game.
 
At the net, Ruben Volkert (Gr., Baden-Württemberg, Germany) is third in the RMAC and T-27th in Division II with a .867 Goal-Against Average. He is fourth in the RMAC in Shutouts per game (.250) and is 7th with a .705 save percentage.
 
The Match-Up
For the third time in 2024, the ThunderWolves and UCCS will take to the pitch and battle.
 
In the first match-up on Sept. 29, the then-ranked No. 5 Mountain Lions came away with a 2-1 win over the Pack in a nonconference tilt in Pueblo.
 
Giancarlo Pretto (Sr., Lajeado Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil) headed in a the goal in the 44th minute.
 
In the rematch and RMAC regular season finale this past Wednesday, the ThunderWolves scored a late-game equalizer and earned a 1-1 draw.
 
The captain-duo of Andrews and Oliveira connected on the corner kick with three minutes left in regulation.
 
Ticket Information
To purchase tickets for the match or to buy full tournament passes, click HERE or click the link saved in the story.
 
RMAC Championship gear can be found HERE.
 
For the latest updates, stay tuned to gothunderwolves.com and follow on all social media platforms @CSU Pueblo Athletics.