Edoardo Oliveri has his third goal of the season, and this one matters more than any other: Colorado Mesa’s No. 21 scored the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over UCCS, ranked No. 2 in the nation. It is the Mavericks’ first-ever win over a top-five team in the country, their first against UCCS since 2021 and their first RMAC win of the season. As a freshman, he already has 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 games.
The Game-Winner
Wednesday, September 24, in the rain at Community Hospital Unity Field in Grand Junction. Colorado Mesa’s first shots were his: two chances in the 14th and 16th minutes, both just over the crossbar. In the 19th minute George Jones headed the Mavericks in front from a Richie Tabares Ochoa cross, UCCS equalized before halftime off a deflection, and in the 55th minute Hayes Malone, set up by Afonso Taborda, put Colorado Mesa back ahead.
Edo tried again and was denied by the goalkeeper, and in the 70th minute his moment came. The Mavericks built from a throw-in, the ball found him, and Oliveri cut through the middle of the UCCS defense before finishing with his left foot: 3-1. The visitors’ goal in the 85th minute only narrowed the gap, and Edoardo’s goal stood as the game-winner.
A win built on heart: UCCS outshot the Mavericks 19 to 10, with goalkeeper Nathan Beck making 6 decisive saves. Edoardo led the team in shots attempted, with 4.
A Debut to Remember
The first sign came on September 12 at Northwest Nazarene, during the weeks when he was coming back from a minor ankle issue. Off the bench, Edoardo played 27 minutes and scored both goals in a 2-0 win: in the 50th minute, assisted by Richie Tabares Ochoa, and in the 70th, assisted by George Jones. The first shot of his college career went in. That 2-0 was also Colorado Mesa’s first win of the season.
His Role
A forward standing 188 centimeters (6-foot-2), Edoardo brings physicality, the ability to drive forward with the ball and a dangerous left foot to American soccer. As a freshman he is earning more playing time game after game: he played limited minutes in his first two matches while returning from the ankle issue, and as soon as he got time on the field the numbers followed. Three goals and one assist in four appearances.
The Team
Colorado Mesa plays in NCAA Division II, in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. After a start with many ties, the Mavericks are on a positive run: 3-0 at Colorado Christian on September 20 and now the upset of UCCS. Their record stands at 3 wins, 4 ties and 1 loss, 1-0 in conference.
What’s Next
Another matchup with a ranked opponent: on Sunday, September 27, at 12 p.m. local time, Colorado Mesa hosts CSU Pueblo, No. 13 in the nation, again at Community Hospital Unity Field.
From Genoa to Colorado
Edoardo is from Genoa, studied at Liceo Scientifico Enrico Fermi and chose, with YWC, the path of American college soccer, where soccer and academics go hand in hand. In his first year, within just a few weeks, he has already become the man for the big goals.
Congratulations, Edo, and keep it up.
Player card
- Name: Edoardo Oliveri
- University: Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction (Colorado)
- Division: NCAA Division II, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
- Position: forward, No. 21
- Year: freshman
- Hometown: Genoa
- 2026 season: 4 appearances, 3 goals and 1 assist, including a brace at Northwest Nazarene and the game-winner against No. 2 UCCS
Source: cmumavericks.com
Want to follow the same path? Find out how soccer scholarships in the USA work and how to earn one with YWC.
