Air Force When: Friday, Oct. 26, 6 p.m. Live Video: CCTigers.com Live Video: Mountain West Network Live Stats: CCTigers.com Twitter: @CCTigers Weekly Release

    

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A possible berth in the Mountain West tournament and the 2018 Colorado Cup championship are on the line this week when the Colorado College women's soccer team plays host to cross-town rival Air Force in the final regular-season game on Friday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. on Stewart Field.

If Colorado College defeats Air Force and either San Jose State University beats Fresno State or New Mexico ties or defeats San Diego State University on Friday night, the Tigers will earn one of six spots in the 2018 Mountain West Championship. If that happens, CC would begin postseason play on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at San Jose State University.

A Colorado College victory on Friday also would give the Tigers possession of the Colorado Cup for the first time. The Colorado Cup is a season-long series featuring all six Division I programs in the state, with the champion being determined by a points system that awards three points for a win and one point for a draw. The University of Colorado (2-0-1) is currently on top of the table with seven points, while CC (2-0-0) is second with six.

Since its inception in 2011, Colorado has won the cup five times (2011, '12, '14, '15 and '16), while Denver (2011) and Northern Colorado (2017) each has claimed it once. The Tigers finished second in both 2012 and '14.

Colorado College, currently in a tie for seventh in the Mountain West table, is 8-6-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the conference after going 0-1-1 on the road last week. The Tigers came from behind to forge a 1-1 tie at San Diego State University on Friday night, and then dropped a 2-1 result at the University of New Mexico on Sunday afternoon. CC is 5-2-0 at Stewart Field this season, where it has outscored its opponents 9-6.

Air Force, which has been eliminated from postseason contention, is 2-8-6 overall and 1-6-3 in the conference after falling at New Mexico, 2-0, and San Diego State, 5-0, last week. The Falcons are 0-5-2 away from home this year.

The Tigers own a commanding 13-3-0 advantage in the all-time series with Air Force, which includes an 8-0-0 record in games played on the CC campus. Regardless of where the teams play, fans can expect a tight, low scoring game since 12 of the 16 previous meetings were decided by one goal. Colorado College has prevailed in all four of the games that went to overtime. Since joining the Mountain West as an affiliate member in 2014, CC has won each of the four meetings with the Falcons and now has won seven in a row overall.

Colorado College averages 1.12 goals per game while conceding 0.94. Milliet leads the Tigers with four goals and 12 points, and shares the team high of four assists with junior midfielder Lucia Costanza and freshman forward Kiley Suter. Costanza, who has set up three game winners, is second with eight points. Sophomore defender Tayla Wheeler and freshman forward Jacqui Hand are tied for second on the team with three goals and tied for third with seven points.

Sophomore Jade Odom has played every minute in goal and owns a 0.90 goals-against average and a .805 saves percentage.

Colorado College has conceded more than two goals only once this season. In fact, only four teams have scored more than once, including then-No. 5 Texas A&M on Sept. 7. The Aggies entered that game averaging more than three goals per game and had scored three or more on five of six occasions.

Air Force averages 0.56 goals per game while conceding 1.31. Senior forward Kaitlyn Cook leads the Falcons with five points and is tied with Emma Nelson for the team lead with two goals. Freshman midfielder Micah Larkin has a goal and an assist, and is third with three points. Senior Jennifer Hiddink has played all but 26 minutes in goal for Air Force and owns a 1.17 GAA and a .831 saves ratio.

Colorado College's 4-3 victory at Air Force last season will go down as one of the more memorable games in the series. Forward Catie McDonald struck for a pair of goals in the second half, including the game winner with a little more than 19 minutes to play, to lift CC to 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Falcons in a contest that kicked off in near blizzard conditions at the Cadet Soccer Stadium.

Trailing 3-1 after playing into the wind and snow during the first half, McDonald gave the Tigers a shot of adrenaline when she scored in the 51st minute. Milliet leveled the score 19 minutes later, and then McDonald completed the first brace of her career in the 71st minute on a play that was nearly identical to her first goal. Molly Hiniker (Edina, MN) made all three of her saves in the second half to earn the victory in goal.

Fans can watch this week's games for free on the Tiger Sports Network (https://cctigers.com/sports/2014/8/6/WSOC_0806143504.aspx?master=watch) or the Mountain West Network (http://www.themw.com/index.aspx).