With every game that goes by and each win added to the current streak, the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team is performing at a higher level and having a lot of fun doing it.
The Skyhawks’ (6-2, 3-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) offense put up a whopping 26 shots on the CSU-Pueblo (4-3, 1-1 RMAC) goalkeeper and applied relentless pressure throughout the match, as they breezed to a 3-1 win Friday at Dirks Field.
Though the matchup contained two teams in the same conference, because of an imbalanced schedule caused by the addition of new RMAC teams, it was previously deemed to be played as a non-conference game.
It was the sixth consecutive victory for head coach Oige Kennedy’s squad.
“We had a feeling at the start of this year that we’d be getting better as the season went on, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” Kennedy said. “They have a lot of energy, and when we can harness that energy and direct it in a positive way, that’s when you start seeing results.”
The energy was apparent early in Friday, as the Skyhawks hit the gas pedal right out of the gates.
After a few near misses, FLC senior Zac Lawrence took a perfectly placed ball from Martin Lopez and beat CSU-Pueblo keeper Sam Haseltine to give the home team a 1-0 lead. It was Lawrence’s third goal of the year and his second in as many games.
“We’re just starting to get to know each other out here, and off the field, as well,” Lawrence said. “The comfort level is growing, and we’re really starting to have a lot of fun.”
When the team is playing the way it did Friday, it must be fun.
After some nifty work with the ball, FLC star junior Yannis Becker displayed his extreme skill in the 60th minute with a precision strike from the top of the box to make it 2-0 Skyhawks. He lifted a rocket into the top shelf.
“I saw a spider web up there before the game in the upper right corner,” Becker joked. “I just told myself that it needed to be taken out.”
The jovial team added another in the 76th minute, when Lawrence hit a good ball on a corner kick to Sean Cleary, who headed it home.
Only a late penalty kick goal kept freshman Elliot Chadderton from recording his fourth shutout, but the game was already decided.
“Winning is fun, you know, and that’s why we work so hard to do it,” Kennedy said. “It’s good to see the guys enjoying it and enjoying each other, but we have to keep our focus and remember the work we put in to earn these wins.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
