For the first time since 2009, the Fort Lewis men’s and women’s soccer teams had the chance to capture the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament championship in the same year. Unfortunately for Skyhawks fans, the women’s team fell 1-0 to Division II’s No. 1 team in Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. For the second consecutive year, the men fell to CSU Pueblo in the RMAC title game, this year 2-1.
FLC’s women’s soccer team finished its season 9-6-6 overall and 5-4-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season play after the loss. The No. 7 seed in the conference tournament, the Skyhawks won three games in a row to reach the conference tournament championship game.
“We're pretty proud of the group as a whole for sure,” FLC women’s soccer head coach Damian Clarke said. “I would guess that's probably one of the most historic runs in tournament history. I think there have never been four games played inside the tournament, and we were lucky enough to be in all four. It’s so phenomenal, dude. I mean, absolutely phenomenal.”
The Skyhawks previously played Colorado School of Mines at home on Oct. 11 and lost 5-1. Clarke said the difference between the two games was the defense. He said the defense had more confidence that they could defend against the best teams in the conference.
Colorado School of Mines outshot FLC 18-9 and had a 5-4 advantage on shots on goal. The Orediggers’ lone goal was scored by Reese McDermott in the 13th minute.
“The best player in the conference, probably one of the best forwards in the country, received a pass 15 yards beyond the half, got beyond a couple of us and finished the shot at a really tight angle,” Clarke said. “Phenomenal finish and hats off to Reese. She's the two-time RMAC player of the year and it’s well deserved.”
Clarke said his team focused on preventing Colorado School of Mines from playing long balls. He said fifth-year Skyhawks keeper Riley Bravin kept FLC in the game with some great saves. The Skyhawks were also fortunate that the Orediggers missed some headers they usually make in the first half, according to Clarke.
On offense, Clarke was disappointed in the shots his team took with most of them coming out of the 18-yard box. Despite this, he acknowledged his team put the Orediggers under pressure, down one goal, the entire game.
FLC will lose valuable contributors like fifth-year goalkeepers Bravin and Katlyn Rosenbaum, senior midfielder Gabi Meraz-Fishbein, senior defender Danielle Gonzales, fifth-year defender Elizabeth David and fifth-year McKenna Ford.
Clarke said Bravin and Rosenbaum, who split time the last few years, are irreplaceable and will be missed.
However, the Skyhawks should return their top five point scorers in sophomore Ashlyn Salas (13 points from six goals, one assist), sophomore Abila Tapia (12 points from five goals, two assists), junior Josie Coulter (nine points from two goals, five assists), junior Abigail Nkrumah (nine points from three goals, three assists) and sophomore Haley Stafford (eight points from three goals, two assists).
“We're confident,” Clarke said about next year. “We're confident those kids left a foundation of expectation that will just get better. Of course, you don't replace McKenna Ford, you don't replace Gabi Fishbein. But realistically, they've done such a good job to set up the generation of players behind them that we're going to start in a good spot.”
The men’s squad had success against CSU Pueblo in the regular season, beating the ThunderWolves and tying them. But in the conference championship game, CSU Pueblo scored two goals in eight minutes in the second half to push past FLC and eventually win 2-1.
FLC fell to 12-3-6 overall after the loss while CSU Pueblo improved to 14-3-3. The ThunderWolves outshot the Skyhawks 11-6 and 8-4 with shots on goal.
“The third time seeing the same team has its own kind of challenges there,” FLC men’s head coach David Oberholtzer said. “We came out really well, not too different from the last time we played them at their place. In the first half we were the better team. We chances and got them behind. We drew the penalty and was unfortunate not to score in the first half. The second half was more of us defending and having to chase the game about once they scored.”
Senior Thomas Kirkham had a penalty kick in the 14th minute to put FLC up 1-0 but it was saved. The teams went into halftime tied 0-0.
Jose Bustamante scored in the 69th and 77th minutes for a 2-0 lead. CSU Pueblo is known for its scoring ability on set pieces and Oberholtzer thought the Skyhawks defended the ThunderWolves’ set pieces well. But the trouble came in the field of play where Bustamante scored both goals. Oberholtzer said FLC struggled with controlling where the game was played.
FLC sophomore forward Anton Hjalmarsson scored in the 87th minute for FLC. Hjalmarsson, who has struggled with injuries this season, played 65 minutes against CSU Pueblo. It’s the most minutes he’s played since Oct. 13 and the fourth most he’s played this season.
The Skyhawks made it into the NCAA Division II tournament and received a six-seed in their region. FLC plays at No. 3-seed University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Sunday at 3 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
