Metro State must have felt confident in their 1-0 lead over Fort Lewis College after defeating the Skyhawks twice in the regular season.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, however, cares little for regular-season results.
FLC (11-7-1) scored four goals in the final 20 minutes of the game to defeat Metro State (10-6-3) 4-1 on Wednesday in Denver.
Danny Arrubla’s goal put the Roadrunners ahead of FLC in the 21st minute before the Skyhawks’ offensive explosion.
Tamino Kroeger, Alberto Capdepon and Luke Lawrence all scored in a span of three minutes, starting in the 69th minute. Artur Piperkov added an insurance goal with 25 seconds left to seal the victory.
“Once we scored the first goal, it looked as though we could’ve scored six or seven,” FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said.
“We were disappointed with the first half. We thought we played well, and neither team had many chances. ... In the second half, though, we came back really strong and played well.”
FLC held a 17-11 edge in shots, and goalkeeper Ryan Pakieser made six saves to earn the victory.
“One of our best players (Wednesday) was Tyler Miller, the freshman center back. He came in halfway through the season and has done so well for a freshman and (Wednesday) again was solid,” Kennedy said.
The Skyhawks will advance to take on top-seeded Regis on Friday at Regis, who is hosting the tournament’s final four by virtue of winning the regular-season title.
FLC lost to Regis 3-2 on Sept. 29 in Denver, then won 1-0 on Oct. 20 at Dirks Field.
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