GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado takes on visiting Fort Lewis College in the regular season finale Wednesday afternoon, with both teams playing for a berth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference postseason women's soccer tournament.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

• Three teams — Fort Lewis, Westminster University, and Western — are vying for the final two playoff spots. Fort Lewis, 4-3-4 in RMAC play, enters Wednesday with 16 points, Westminster (4-5-2) with 14 points, and the Mountaineers (4-6-1) with 13 points. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a tie.
• Should Western defeat Fort Lewis, the two teams would both have 16 points but the first tie-breaker, head-to-head, would go to the Mountaineers, putting them into either the seventh- or eighth-seed spot.
• Westminster plays fifth-ranked Colorado Mesa University on Wednesday, and if they pull off the upset they would leap into the seventh seed with 17 points. If the Griffins lose while Western wins, the remaining seeds would go to the Mountaineers and to Fort Lewis, both with 16 points and ahead of Westminster's 14 points.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2023 Stats

• The Mountaineer are 3-0-1 in their last four games, the only non-victory coming against MSU Denver, which scored a tying goal with 90 seconds remaining in that game.
• After scoring just eight goals in its first 13 games this season, Western has found the back of the net nine times in this recent four-game unbeaten string. Reece Mercer and Gracie Lyman each have two goals during the streak, each with a game-winner, while five others have contributed one goal in that span.
• Caileen Sienknecht leads Western in scoring with 10 points from four goals and two assists. Next is Mercer with 3 goals, 2 assists and 8 points, followed by Luci Gulbransen's 2 goals, 3 assists and 7 points.
• Mei Hayashizaki has started 14 games this season to take the bulk of the minutes in goal (1,106 minutes), and comes into Wednesday's game with a 1.95 goals-against average. She's made 64 saves on the year and has faced 185 shots.

FORT LEWIS HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2023 Stats

• The Skyhawks over 8-3-6 overall to go along with their 4-3-4 conference record. They are 3-1-1 in their last five games.
• All time against Western, Fort Lewis is 8-2-3 with a five-match winning streak halted by last season's 1-1 draw.
• The Skyhawks have doubled up their opponents on the scoresheet this season, totaling 24 goals while allowing only 12, a 1.41 goals-for average against a 0.71 goals surrendered average.
• Gabi Meraz-Fishbein leads the attack with four goals (eight points), but Aubrey Swindle is the points leader with nine, coming from three goals and three assists.
• While the minutes in goal are fairly even between Riley Bravin (818:26) and Katlyn Rosenbaum (711:34), Bravin has started 16 of 17 games, posts a 5-2-4 record with one shutout, a 0.33 goals-against average, and has come up with 30 saves. Rosenbaum is 3-1-2, has a 1.14 GAA and has made 26 saves. The duo have combined for eight shutouts.

UP NEXT
A Western victory would put it into the quarterfinal round of the RMAC tournament, playing a Sunday game at the site of the first or second seed, depending on whether the Mountaineers end up in eighth or seventh place with a Wednesday win.