A goal by senior Katie Smith propelled the Fort Lewis College women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Western Colorado University in its regular-season finale on Wednesday. The win secured the No. 8 seed for the Skyhawks in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, which kicks off Sunday.
“At the end of the day, this team wanted to play another game together,” said FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “We wanted to find our next game and have a chance to continue our season, and our group did exactly that today.”
It was a favorably positioned free kick in the 58th minute that gave the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead. The free kick pulled the opposing keeper out of position as both sides scrambled to get possession of the ball. Smith settled the ball and popped a shot behind her back to beat the pursuing keeper for a 1-0 advantage.
“Katie Smith is phenomenal soccer player and an even better person, so it means a lot to see her success on the field,” said Clarke. “It was brave to score a goal as a center back, shooting over her head for the go-ahead goal, but she's a leader, and that’s how she can change a game.”
The Skyhawks held a 13-9 advantage in shots with an 8-5 shots on goal edge. Smith's game-winner was her fourth goal of the year and second game-winner of her senior campaign. Junior Madyson Barela added offensive pressure with three shots, two of them on goal. Five additional players added shots on goal for the match. Sophomore Katlyn Rosenbaum earned her second win and second shutout of the season after turning away five shots.
FLC wraps up the regular season with an overall record of 5-9-2 and a 3-7-2 mark in RMAC play. Western ends the year at 5-11-2 and 2-9-1 in the league.
With the win, Fort Lewis earned the No. 8 seed for the RMAC and will travel to take on the No. 1 seeded Colorado Mesa University (13-3-0, 8-0-0) for a noon game on Sunday. The Skyhawks dropped a closely contested game to Mesa in the regular season with a goal in the 74th minute, snagging a 1-0 win for the Mavericks.
“The energy within this group is awesome right now. These athletes didn't want yesterday to be their final practice together, and now we will have more time to train and get prepared to avenge a narrow regular season loss,” said Clarke.
