Fort Lewis College soccer fans know all about Dirks Field magic. In the first two weeks of the 2018 season, there have been two game-winning goals in the final minute, another in the final five minutes and plenty of late-game drama.
Friday night added to the lore and raised the bar, with an equalizer in the 85th minute from Marshall Metzger to give Fort Lewis College men’s soccer a 3-3 tie after extra time against No. 19 Colorado-Mesa in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference lid-lifter.
Three goals were scored in the game’s final 20 minutes, including two from the penalty spot and Metzger’s equalizer with five minutes left. Fort Lewis came back in the game twice, scoring two goals in the final 10 minutes to force overtime. While the sides finished level at 3-3, the match gave Skyhawk supporters their money’s worth.
The Skyhawks (2-0-2, 0-0-1 RMAC) got off to a fast start in the 4th minute of the game, after Coleman Kane tapped the ball in goal from freshman forward Bar Hazut. After the fast start, Mesa was able to level the score at one with a goal in the 15th minute when James McGhee delivered a ball to Lawran Abary’s right shoulder, flicked it over a Skyhawks’ defender and slotted it into the back of the net. The teams remained level at the break.
The drama picked up in the game’s final quarter hour. In the 73rd minute, Abary struck again for the Mavericks (2-0-2, 0-0-1 RMAC). After a corner kick was driven in, Nick Rizzo delivered in a ball that Abary re-deflected into the back of the net, making it 2-1.
The No. 19 Mavericks were difficult to control in the final third. Head coach Todd Padgett specifically called Abary “a handful,” and said that his size makes him a difficult player to mark.
“He’s a nuisance up top, and I think he thinks he should have had a hat trick on the day,” Padgett said. “The first goal was a simple ball over the top and he was able to be clever enough and score, and the second goal was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. He’s a big body and a dimension that, honestly, we haven’t had in the last several years, so it’s nice to score from set pieces.”
The Skyhawks responded with a goal in the 79th minute after the referee pointed to the penalty spot when Nicolas Perez was tackled inside the box. Perez’s penalty kick was initially saved, but the rebound bounced off of a Mesa defender and in, tying the game at 2.
However, as the saying goes in soccer, the most vulnerable time to give up a goal is directly after scoring. And that’s exactly what the Skyhawks did in just 20 seconds, conceding their own penalty kick. Mesa’s Kevin Del Mazo converted, giving the Mavericks a 3-2 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.
That’s when the Dirks Field magic struck. In search of an equalizer, the Skyhawks found it through senior captain Marshall Metzger. After a free kick was conceded by Mesa, Skyhawks forward Hakeem Rabiu flicked it on to Metzger, who fired it into the bottom left corner of the net, making it 3-3.
In the overtime, neither side was able to equalize and it finished level at 3-3.
Fort Lewis finished with a 21-18 shot advantage and the teams’ animosity toward one another was noticed, particularly in the fouls department, with 37 fouls between them and four yellow cards issued.
Skyhawks head coach David Oberholtzer said the result was deserved but also thought his side could have come out with a win.
“I thought it was a fair result,” Oberholtzer said. “Obviously, getting the early result was huge, and then I thought we just kind of fell back into a shell a little bit and were comfortable with the lead, as opposed to continuing with the urgency and pushing forward.
“I feel like we’ve got a team that’s strong enough to win the game,” Oberholtzer continued. “So even after the extra time, we were a little disappointed to not get the win. Like I said, it’s a fair result, but right now, we’re thinking about Sunday and start moving on.”
Mavericks head coach Todd Padgett echoed the sentiments of Oberholtzer and said that after 110 minutes, it was an exciting way to kick off the RMAC season.
“At the end of the day, what you’re looking to do early on is improve, and I think both teams improved on the day,” Padgett said. “I don’t think there’s going to be too many teams that come here and get a result against Fort Lewis this year, so all in all, I am pretty proud of the guys for getting a draw.”
Fort Lewis will be back in action when the team travels to Alamosa to play Adams State at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
