Log In


Reset Password
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

FLC hangs with the 8 before it bangs with the Lions

Skyhawks’ women’s soccer side will host UC-Colorado Springs on Sunday
FLC women’s soccer head coach Jimmy Hall and the Skyhawks have found more of a rhythm in the second half of their regular season and sit in fifth place in the RMAC going into Sunday’s big game against UC-Colorado Springs, the No. 6 team in the conference. “It’s always fun to be at home, and we’re super-excited for the game,” Hall said.

Two days after keeping up with the No. 8 team in the nation, Fort Lewis College is set for one of its final home games of the season.

The FLC Skyhawks women’s soccer team kept pace with the Metro State Roadrunners (12-1-2, 9-0-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) on Friday night in Denver, and the team gained great confidence with a strong finish after falling behind 2-0.

Now, the Skyhawks (5-5-5, 4-3-4 RMAC) will welcome UC-Colorado Springs (6-8, 5-6 RMAC) to Dirks Field at 1 p.m. Sunday. FLC is fifth in the current conference standings, and the Mountain Lions are right there behind them in sixth, making the game crucial with only three games to play in the regular season.

“We are excited to finish the season with a good note. We need to get these points and head off positive at the end of the year,” FLC head coach Jimmy Hall said Saturday in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We have the energy and mentality we need, and now it’s about getting the points we need.”

FLC already owns a 2-0 win against the Mountain Lions this season. It was one of FLC goalkeeper Caitlyn Espinosa’s seven shutouts this season.

“She’s been huge, and she is one of the big reasons our back line is building the confidence they are, and she’s a big part of all the shutouts,” Hall said.

The Skyhawks only have allowed 12 goals against all season, a feat Hall certainly is proud of.

“There have been years we have had six goals against us in one game,” he said. “It’s all because of (Espinosa’s) effort and abilities we haven’t had those.”

On the other side of the field will be UC-Colorado Springs goalkeeper Grace Ramsden, who is first in the RMAC with 78 saves but last in the conference with two goals allowed per game. Her save percentage stands at .736, compared to Espinosa’s .824.

“They definitely throw caution to the wind and have become more attack-oriented,” Hall said of the Mountain Lions. “(Head coach Nichole Ridenour) knows they have to get the same result we need to get in the conference tournament and finish the season solid. They will come in attack-minded, which will be a difficult challenge for us.”

Though the Skyhawks are a youthful bunch with a new head coach, they all know there is some revenge at stake against UC-Colorado Springs, who has won at Dirks Field in each of the last two seasons.

“We’ve lost to them the last two years, so the challenge for us is to defend our home turf and take the win,” said Hall, who was an assistant to former head coach Damian Clarke during those two losses to UC-Colorado Springs.

The Skyhawks will have to slow down one of the top goal scorers in the conference Sunday, as Michaele Mansfield enters the match second in the RMAC in points (18), first in points per game (1.38) and second in goals (8).

“We have to keep her in front of us and keep the back line doing what they’ve been doing all year: Winning the aerial battle, and keep the attacking team in front of us,” Hall said.

FLC has received a surge in goal scoring from Alicia Sanchez, who now leads the team with three goals after picking up a penalty-kick goal Friday in Denver. Courtney Riley and Jessica Singleton are the only other players with multiple goals this year with two each.

Hall hopes to see a few more of their shots find the back of the net Sunday.

“It’s always fun to be at home, and we’re super-excited for the game,” Hall said. “It’s great to compete here and have the fans here for us, and it brings energy to the girls. It’s a huge game for this team, and we are playing the way we’ve been looking for now.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com

Oct 25, 2014
Skyhawks win the national downhill
Oct 24, 2014
Shockhawks strike Mavericks


Reader Comments