After a run to the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament championship that was led by the defense, Fort Lewis College women’s soccer coaches, fans and players could’ve expected a strong defense for 2025.
It would be hard to imagine how strong the 2025 Skyhawks defense has been.
FLC’s defense has taken its “No one scores on Dirks” motto seriously. The Skyhawks’ defense has been an impenetrable wall at home, with the Skyhawks finishing the regular season undefeated at home and they weren’t scored on at home.
The Skyhawks enter the RMAC tournament on a nine-game unbeaten streak and they haven’t been scored on in that streak. FLC is 10-4-3 overall and finished the regular season 7-2-2 in the RMAC.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that the FLC defense is third in Division II in save percentage (. 906), sixth in goals-against average (. 353) and tied-fifth in shutout percentage (. 765).
FLC head coach Damian Clarke has been around a lot of top defenses in his time at FLC. Clarke has been a part of multiple NCAA tournament teams as an assistant under former head coach Jaymee Carozza in the early 2000s and as the head coach from 2007-2013 and then from 2018 to the present.
“It’s got to be one of the top two or three (defenses we’ve had) in terms of the ability to out and out defend,” Clarke said about this year’s defense. “It might end with the least amount of goals ever scored … inside the body of work, they’re one of the best defenses we’ve ever had.”
FLC’s defense has a contrast in experience. On the back line are experienced defenders in fifth-year Danielle Gonzales, seniors Renee Juna, Rachel Peebles, Josie Coulter and junior Amber Otts. Behind them is freshman goalkeeper Trinity Lujan.
The goalkeeper position was an unknown after last season, but it quickly became known in the spring that Lujan would be ready to fill the large shoes of fifth-year goalkeepers Riley Bravin and Katlyn Rosenbaum. Lujan is fourth in Division II in save percentage (. 902) and tied-fourth with 11 shutouts.
Peebles was scared about the position after losing Bravin and Rosenbaum, but she quickly realized Lujan had the confidence and the control to the position and the defense. Lujan was nervous taking on the role, but she knew she was at FLC for a reason and had confidence in herself after playing at a high level in high school. It didn’t hurt that Lujan got to train with Bravin and Rosenbaum; Lujan also had two older sisters play sports in college to look to.
“Day in and day out, she is absolutely steady,” Clarke said about Lujan. “She doesn’t get rattled, granted, she hasn’t been scored on in forever.”
It doesn’t hurt Lujan’s stats or confidence to have a rock-solid defense in front of her. Juna is the back line and the team’s vocal leader at center back. The Australian took on that role from the time she joined the team in 2024. She has a great combination of speed, strength and skill. Juna acts like a free safety sometimes, intercepting and breaking up passes to keep FLC’s clean sheets.
Juna’s voice and leadership have put Lujan at ease, knowing Juna can communicate with the rest of the defense, the midfield and the forwards when Lujan’s voice can’t reach that far up the pitch. Lujan also speaks for Gonzales, who leads more by example than with her voice.
“I used to play with boys, so I had to kind of get my way in somehow,” Juna said. “Without my strength, I could just use my voice; I could be the communicator. I just carried that with me. Both teams that I came from, I usually was the older player, so it was just a role that coaches gave to me … it is a natural thing that comes to me on the field.”
One new threat the Skyhawks have on defense is Coulter. Playing on offense last season, she was one of the top options. In the spring, Coulter started playing on defense when Peebles was injured. She enjoyed playing on the outside and felt the confidence from her teammates with her ability to run up and down the wings.
Otts is another threat on the outside; she has the speed and shooting to be dangerous when the opposing team doesn’t step up and challenge her. This was seen on Nov. 2, when Otts had a highlight goal from about 25 yards out against MSU Denver.
“We have so much freedom,” Otts said. “The coaches give us a plan, but they let us do what we want. That's really allowed us to be so good this year. So going up, I know that I have them behind me, but also, if I'm exchanging with the wing in front of me, I know that they will stay back.”
Going into the RMAC tournament, the seniors on defense know they have the chance of making the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade and ending their careers on a high note. With the culture in the team of wanting to play for each other, they want to keep playing together for as long as possible.
“I've had opportunities to redshirt this year and I didn't want to because I love this team,” Peebles said. “This is the team that I want to be with for my last season. Going even into the NCAA Tournament, we want to go, perform and show people what Fort Lewis is capable of.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
