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Fort Lewis upsets No. 21 UC-Colorado Springs in extra time

Skyhawks fly to the top of the conference standings

Homecoming weekend couldn’t have been more successful for the Fort Lewis College women’s soccer team.

After beating Western State 1-0 in the final minutes of Friday’s matchup, the Skyhawks capped off the weekend with a 1-0 upset win in extra time over No. 21 UC-Colorado Springs. The victory vaulted Fort Lewis (7-2-1, 5-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) into sole possession of first place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

It took more than 90 minutes of action Sunday, but Alicia Sanchez’s golden goal came a mere 13 seconds into the first 10-minute sudden death extra frame after a beautiful passing exchange between her and Shayla Malecki. The deciding goal was Sanchez’s third game-winner of the season.

“Brookie (Milliet) played it forward and I saw that the defender had a bad touch so I gave it to Shayla, she gave it back and it was just wide open,” Sanchez said. “We had so many chances in this game and we should have put some of them away but we kept moving forward, and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

The Skyhawks outshot the Mountain Lions 20-13 and created far more quality scoring chances. They put the pressure on the visitors early and often, and seemingly caught the top-25 team off guard. In the first half, FLC dominated possession and outshot UC-Colorado Springs 11-5. The second half was similar and it was only a matter of time before the Mountain Lions’ defense cracked.

In the last minute of regulation, they did.

Malecki was the recipient of a funny bounce and she ended up with a clear path to UC-Colorado Springs (7-3-1, 4-2-1 RMAC) goalkeeper Brandi Arsenault from just inside mid-field.

The goalkeeper came out to challenge and Malecki’s strike was turned away by a sprawling Arsenault to save the game temporarily for the Mountain Lions.

“Our keeper is great at recognizing when to come out and she loves that challenge,” said UC-Colorado Springs head coach Nichole Ridenour. “The momentum switched back and forth throughout the game, and it was one of those games where a touch here and there made the difference.”

The touch that ultimately made the difference was Malecki’s pass to Sanchez that set up the win – and it was sweet redemption for her.

“On the breakaway, I felt the defenders on my heels but I was able to get a clean strike on it and the keeper just made a great save,” Malecki said. “It was nice to come back and score immediately after that, and it’s a huge win for us.”

Considering the Skyhawks have three road games coming up in the next week and five games in nine days, it was a great way to build momentum into a tough part of the schedule and an even better way to close out a special weekend of soccer at Dirks Field.

“Our girls were very sharp (Sunday) and I don’t think our opponents expected that from us,” said FLC head coach Jimmy Hall. “They were at the top and they’re a team that we needed to beat. These wins were exactly what we were hoping for heading into a long road trip, and I’m really proud of their effort this weekend.”

The three game road trip will start with a matchup against Adams State at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Alamosa.

jfries@durangoherald.com

Oct 3, 2015
Skyhawks winning streak snapped at seven


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