If any fans left Friday’s soccer game between Fort Lewis College and CSU-Pueblo at halftime, they would have a hard time believing the outcome turned out the way it did.
The Skyhawks (6-6, 5-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) played a dominant first half, outshooting the opponents 10-4 and creating numerous opportunities that went by the wayside. The home team came away scoreless after the first 45 minutes, and the Thunderwolves (4-7, 2-5 RMAC) turned the tables completely in the second half before winning 1-0 in extra time.
Miles Sanchez’s game-winning goal came only 35 seconds into extra time to give the Thunderwolves a big road win after a rough start to the season. Sanchez’s header careened off the left post, and the excessive english allowed it to spin across the line, past FLC goalkeeper Elliot Chadderton, to upset the homecoming crowd at Dirks Field.
“We really wanted this win and I’m proud of the guys for sticking with it after playing less than 48 hours ago,” said CSU-Pueblo head coach Roy Stanley. “Fort Lewis played a great first half, but I felt like we had a step and a half on them after we got it going.”
The Skyhawks controlled all facets of the match in the opening half except for an advantage on the scoreboard. Though the shots advantage heavily favored FLC, the Skyhawks forced the Thunderwolves keeper to make only one save as several chances sailed just wide and Raul Pescador blasted a free kick off the post.
Though Stanley insisted that no strategic changes happened at the intermission, his team looked like a new one after the break.
In the second half and overtime period, the Thunderwolves didn’t just make up the shot deficit, they took control of it with a 10-3 advantage in the final 45-and-a-half minutes.
“We’d been working the ball down the sidelines to (Dycus Kelly) and that created a few chances,” Stanley said. “He wanted the ball and we kept getting it to him in that space, and it paid off.”
Shortly into the first extra time session, Kelly made the play that made the difference. His slick touch to Lorenz Delaney, who sent a perfect cross to Sanchez, set up the decisive goal.
“I had one guy in front of me and one guy behind me and they played a perfect ball,” Sanchez said. “I got my head on it and that was it. We felt like it was going to happen and that we were controlling the flow of the action. We just kept working and finally it came.”
Fort Lewis will try to turn things around at noon Saturday against Colorado Christian.
jfries@durangoherald.com
