Dixie State could not overcome a three-goal, first-half deficit in dropping a 3-2 home result to Colorado-Colorado Springs Friday night at Trailblazer Stadium.

The Mountain Lions struck for all three goals in the span 24:23 in the opening frame, the first coming off the boot of Corey Carabajal just 4:03 into the match. UCCS (2-2-2/1-1-1 RMAC) struck again at the 8:57 mark on a Jack Mills header, then tacked on an Alex VonHolle penalty kick conversion midway through the 29^th-minute.

The Trailblazers (2-4-1/0-2-1 RMAC) finally broke through in the 54^th-minute when junior Gustavo Ortega (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial HS) scored from the top of the 6-yard box on a ball played in by freshman Daniel Brubaker (Hurricane, Utah/Hurricane HS). Ortega then drew DSU to within a goal seven minutes later when he headed in a cross at the top of the box from freshman Cole Shaffer (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta HS). For Ortega, it was his second career two-goal match, while Shaffer's dime was his first collegiate point.

However that would be as close as Dixie State would get as a pair of header attempts from juniors Christian Hall (Layton, Utah/Northridge HS) in the 71^st-minute, and Ricky Nunez (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) with eight seconds left, did not find the back of the net.

Dixie State lost despite outshooting UCCS 17-9, including a slim 6-5 edge on frame. Ortega accounted for six of those attempts, three of which were on target.

Dixie State continues its four-game RMAC homestand Sunday with a match-up against Regis beginning at 1 p.m.