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Fort Lewis shuts out Westminster 3-0 for seventh win in a row

FLC not slowed down by physical play of Westminster

It doesn’t matter what type of game the opponents try to play when they come to Dirks Field. Fort Lewis has been up to the task.

It was evident again Friday afternoon, as Westminster College brought a physical, sometimes chippy, gameplan to Dirks Field (7-2, 4-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and were sent out of town on the losing end of a 3-0 shutout to the Skyhawks’ men’s soccer team. The victory stretched the Fort Lewis winning streak to seven games.

Malik Badawi, Zac Lawrence and Martin Lopez scored for the Skyhawks, while freshman goalkeeper Elliot Chadderton and a solid defensive unit recorded their fourth shutout of the season.

“Coming into the game with a lot of wins in a row, there’s a target on our backs,” said Fort Lewis head coach Oige Kennedy. “They tried to get physical with us, and that’s part of the game, but our back line stayed strong and stepped up to the challenge.”

It didn’t take long to see Westminster was overmatched in the skill department, and they were going to try and combat that deficiency with aggressive play.

The Skyhawks put pressure on early and got into the kitchen of Griffins’ goalkeeper Sean Lyne. On an early corner kick for Fort Lewis, Lyne tackled Badawi as he jumped to pursue a free ball. Some pushing and shoving ensued, and the aggressive play never ceased.

Shortly after, Badawi got the last laugh when he headed Coleman Kane’s redirect into the net to give the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. It was Badawi’s first goal of the season.

“We have three guys on our back line who are over (6-foot-2), so if they want to play physica,l we’re perfectly happy and well equipped to play that type of game,” Badawi said. “I like it, and I went right back to that spot and ended up being in the right place at the right time to knock it in.”

The physical gameplan the Griffins (1-6, 0-5 RMAC) used resulted in one shot attempt after 45 minutes compared to 13 from Fort Lewis. Even so, they stuck with it in the second half, and the results were similar.

Lopez and Yannis Becker played give-and-go in the 61st minute, and Lopez finished in style to give FLC a 2-0 lead.

Twenty minutes later, Zac Lawrence collected his third goal the last three games after a beautiful pass from Zakaria Warsame set him up to put the Griffins away, much to the pleasure of a packed homecoming crowd at Dirks Field.

“This is the most unique collegiate soccer environment in the country,” Kennedy said. “If you ask the opponents if they like coming here, they probably don’t like the result but they appreciate the atmosphere, and they enjoy having people in the stands. It just goes to show that college soccer and the sport in general is growing in this country.”

The Skyhawks will try to make it eight in a row in a 12 p.m. matchup Sunday in Grand Junction with Colorado Mesa. FLC currently sits in first place in the conference, but Colorado Mesa (6-2-1, 3-1 RMAC) isn’t far behind.

“They’re a good team, and we have to be ready, but we’re just taking it one game at a time,” Lawrence said. “It’s my last season, and I love playing here. How could you not with these fans? It’s my last year here, and I’m just enjoying every day with these guys. We’re having a lot of fun.”

jfries@durangoherald.com

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