In the last column I published, I wrote, “Treat players like one-year comets shooting through Durango.” That still applies to Fort Lewis College athletes and specifically, the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team.
This headline may panic some readers and give them the wrong idea, so let me explain.
No, Fort Lewis College men’s soccer isn’t going anywhere. The program is here to stay as a perennial top 25 team in Division II. Also, there are two home games left in the regular season plus potentially some home postseason games, so it’s not like there’s only one opportunity left to see the Skyhawks.
However, in this turbulent time in college athletics, fans must take advantage of the opportunity to see this talented FLC men’s soccer team and all the other FLC sports teams in person. There’s no guarantee anymore that any of these teams will look remotely the same next year.
In the past, fans could count on players staying for three or four years. Fans at FLC could see their players return, grow as players and hold a lot of continuity, as the players that left were usually only the seniors graduating.
The thought process of, ‘Oh, I missed the home games this year, but this team will be back next year when I’m less busy,’ doesn’t apply anymore. There’s more opportunity for movement in college athletics than ever before.
A perfect example of this was former Skyhawks forward Anton Hjalmarsson. The Swedish stud made an immediate impact on FLC in 2023 as a freshman, leading the team in goals and assists and becoming the first player to win Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference freshman of the year and player of the year in men’s soccer.
Hjalmarsson was a fun player to watch with a combination of strength, speed and skill against helpless Division II defenders. Although Hjalmarsson returned last year, he was injured for most of the year. Then, he was gone.
Division I University of Portland saw Hjalmarsson and picked him up. It was easy for Hjalmarsson to make the move to Division I since players can enter the transfer portal and move to a different school without having to sit out a year like in the past. Now, Hjalmarrson is tied for the third-leading scorer on a top-five team in Division I.
Hjalmarsson won’t be the last player to do this from FLC. There’s an incentive to move up levels. The higher level you play, the more scholarship money you get, more opportunities to make money off your Name Image and Likness (NIL) and to get money from colleges in the new revenue sharing model allowed by the NCAA. The higher level of play means better competition and more exposure for a potential professional career.
The Skyhawks men’s soccer program is at a level where Division I teams will be keeping an eye on the talent playing on Dirks Field. FLC has been a top 25 team the last three years.
While the new transfer portal era is a good reason to come out and see the Skyhawks while they’re still here, the 2024-2025 men’s soccer team is also so talented and fun to watch.
FLC head coach David Oberholtzer has done a great job finding talented international players who know how to play the beautiful game. The ball moves effortlessly from player to player. The skill level of the team is elite for a Division II team and almost every midfielder and forward has the chance to make a jaw-dropping move.
Players like Alessio Andreottola, Francisco Pinto, Lorenz Guintini and Yohann Fila have a mixture of skill sets for every fan. Andreottola and Pinto are fantastic playmakers who combine with their teammates in ways the defenses can’t stop. Guintini is a fantastic finisher who makes the stadium lights go on and off after putting the ball in the back of the net. Fila is a powerful forward who has the strength to ward off defenders and even his misses are impressive.
The Skyhawks’ games are usually exciting because their defense usually allow a goal or two to keep the games interesting. The team plays with an edge and that can result in some chippy play and back-and-forth talk with the opponents, which makes it engaging for fans.
Despite the team’s defensive struggles at times, the Skyhawks are still good enough to make a deep postseason run. It’s been a long time since the Skyhawks were regular national title contenders. From 2005-2011, FLC went to four national championship games and won three of them.
Back then, fans could have multiple years to watch the teams’ best players and could see them grow from freshmen to seniors. That isn’t guaranteed today. It isn’t just a thing with the men’s soccer team. The FLC men’s basketball team has had a lot of turnover the last two seasons with a player going to the Division I level from each of those teams.
Shoot, even if a special player moves on, who knows where they could end up. You could see a player rise through the levels of college athletics and end up playing in a professional league on TV. Then you could say, ‘Oh remember when they played at FLC that one year? I could tell they had the chance to be special.’
Another reason to go to a game is to make sure these international players feel validated about their decision to come to a small town in the middle of the mountains in America, thousands of miles from their home countries in Europe. More fans in the stands could mean a better chance they feel inclined to stick around and provide more highlights and memories.
It’s not just the international players on the men’s soccer team. Fan support can be the difference between American freshmen or transfer players from far away in all sports sticking around or hitting the road again. There’s definitely a corollary between fan support and a team’s success.
Whether it’s cold out and you need a jacket and gloves, or it’s early in the season and the sun makes it feel like it’s 100 degrees, get out and see some games. You won’t regret it. You could be the reason a player feels more like Durango is their second home. Or, you get to see a player on their way to bigger lights and brighter stardom as one or two-year comets shooting through Durango. Remember, nothing is guaranteed.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
