Fort Lewis Skyhawks cut up Kearney

Fort Lewis women score 3 in 2nd half for 4-nil win at home

by Matthew Piper
Herald Sports Writer

Article Last Updated; Monday, October 19, 2009 12:01AM

Photo by JACK PINCUS/Photos special to the Herald

Freshman Elena Benavides cuts back to avoid Nebraska-Kearney defender Morgan Abert in FLC’s 4-1 victory over the Lopers on Sunday at Dirks Field. Benavides had three shots on goal and an assist for the Skyhawks, who move to 14-2-1 overall, 10-2-1 within their conference.

Click image to enlarge

JACK PINCUS/Photos special to the Herald

Junior Kortney Hull knees a second-half shot. Hull scored FLC’s first goal in the 34th minute.

Not bad for a “lazy” day.

The No. 23 Fort Lewis College women’s soccer team dealt Nebraska-Kearney its 11th conference loss with a dominant 4-0 performance Sunday at Dirks Field.

The Skyhawks (14-2-1 overall, 10-2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) got two goals and an assist from midfielder Michelle Felten, who credited teammates for her ability to stay active in the attacking half.

“I was kind of lazy,” Felten said. “I didn’t go back as much as I should have, but Serena (Mancha) covered me.

“My teammates make it possible for me to work that hard. When they work that hard on the ball for me, I’m forced to work that hard off the ball for them.”

The Lopers (0-11-1 overall, 1-14-1 RMAC) were outshot 40-1, and FLC earned a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks. Still, head coach Damian Clarke was less than enthusiastic about the result.

“OK, not fantastic. Realistically, the girls didn’t start playing until the second half,” he said. “I thought they played well in the second half, but the energy level just wasn’t quite there (Sunday).”
The Skyhawks didn’t break through until the 34th minute, when newly subbed freshman striker Torrey Larson dribbled through defenders toward the backline near the left post and squeezed a pass to junior Kortney Hull, also fresh off the bench.

Hull’s back was to goal, but she used her toe to roll the ball past keeper Marissa Niday, who made 11 saves on a very busy day at the Lopers’ end of the pitch.

“I don’t think anybody changes the attack like those two kids when we sub them in,” Clarke said of Hull and Larsen. “We’ve got two players that are very, very skillful and two players that are very, very fast. It’s a great combination.”

FLC made it 2-nil in the 57th minute, when Felten notched her first.

Sophomore Hayley Hollenga passed it to the defensive midfielder on the edge of the box, and Felten cut back to free herself for a high and hard shot into the left side of the netting.

“She’s going to put pressure on other teams to be better than she is, and I thought she did a fantastic job,” Clarke said.

The Skyhawks continued to attack furiously, and Felten got her second when the sophomore ran through the left side of the defense and yet again cut back, this time allowing her to find a cutting Elena Benavides for a shot in front of goal.

Niday stopped the freshman’s rushed finish, but Felten slid in to clean it up and increase the lead to 3-0.

“She finishes it just because of the fact that she finished the play,” Clarke said. “That’s fantastic work, great determination by her.”

Less than two minutes later, it was 4-0.

Cutting from her weak side served Felten well all day, and the very same tactic opened a passing lane to freshman Ashley Kniffen, who slotted it in from the center of the box.

“She did really well, I was proud of her,” Felten said of Kniffen, who hasn’t seen much action while nursing an injury. “Ashley played amazing, so props to her.”

The scoring was over, but the fireworks didn’t stop just yet, as senior Jamie MacArthur rifled two shots off the crossbar before the final whistle.

Sophomore Kelsy Woodson only was called upon to make a lone save on Ali Seberger’s shot for the clean sheet.

“Fantastic play in the wide spaces,” Clarke said. “Once we got into them a little bit at halftime about staying wide, then the goals came.”

Clarke called sophomore defender Laurel Reinhardt the day’s best player.

“Her picking of the passes has just improved tremendously,” he said. “She’s the most dominating player in the air in the conference. There’s nobody who heads the ball like she does. It’s been fun to watch her progress.”

The Skyhawks next will travel to face University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Friday and Regis on Sunday.

“We want to help the seniors go out with a bang and make sure it’s the best year they’ve had,” Felten said. “We’ve been working for them, and these last few games are important to make it to the NCAA tournament.”

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