Down to four home games remaining in the regular season, no two will be as important as this weekend’s set for the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team.
The FLC Skyhawks (7-3, 5-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) will host No. 19 Metro State (7-2, 4-2 RMAC) at 3 p.m. Friday at Dirks Field before they will host Colorado Mines (6-4, 4-2 RMAC) at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“I think for Fort Lewis, getting to play Metro and Mines is exciting. They are two big rival schools of ours, and we always want to play in the big games and against quality opponents,” FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said.
At 5-1 in conference play, the Skyhawks sit atop the RMAC standings along with No. 8 Regis (8-1, 5-1 RMAC) and Colorado Mesa (7-2-1, 5-1 RMAC). Colorado Mines and Metro State both are right behind FLC at 4-2 in the RMAC.
“These games go a long way to deciding who wins the conference. These next few weeks, all the teams at the top are playing each other, and those are the games you want to be involved in and get excited for,” Kennedy said.
Metro State is the most difficult team to score against in the RMAC with just seven goals allowed this season. Goalkeeper James Tanner has an RMAC-leading .833 save percentage and ranks second in the conference with a 0.65 goals against average.
But the Skyhawks believe something has to give, as they are tied with Regis for the most points (57) and goals (21) in the RMAC this season.
FLC is ranked 30th in all of Division II in goals scored, and its 2.1 goals-per-game average is good for 46th in the nation.
“Not only are we one of the top-scoring teams in the RMAC but also nationally with the goals we’ve scored,” Kennedy said. “We definitely are confident in it going into this weekend. We want to create some good positive chances when we have possession and put the ball in the back of the net like we have all season.”
Josh Belfrage is second in the RMAC with 14 points on six goals and two assists for the Roadrunners. Danny Arrubla has four more Metro State goals to go with three assists, which ranks him sixth in the RMAC in total points.
FLC has four players in the top 10 in points in the RMAC this season, led by sophomore midfielder Tamino Kroeger, who is tied with Belfrage in second with 14 points. FLC junior midfielder Yannis Becker is fourth with 13 points, senior midfielder Cesar Castillo is eighth with nine points, and sophomore forward Luke Lawrence is 10th with seven points.
Metro State suffered back-to-back losses last week at the hands of Colorado Mesa and CSU-Pueblo but responded with a 1-0 home win against Colorado Mines, the Roadrunners’ first win against the Orediggers since 2011.
FLC is 18-9-1 against Metro State at Dirks Field and leads the all-time series 32-20-3. The last time the two teams met, FLC beat the Roadrunners in the conference tournament semifinals, which snapped a four-game losing streak against Metro State.
“Metro is No. 19 in the country with a good start to their season, and we know they want to continue that,” Kennedy said. “For us, it is making sure we keep the field of fortress here at home and making sure we come out focused on our side and what we want to do.”
Colorado Mines will enter Dirks Field having won four of the last five contests against FLC. Still, FLC leads the all-time series 29-14-5 and is 17-4-3 against the Orediggers at Dirks Field.
The defensive back line of Colorado Mines also is stingy, having allowed the third fewest goals in the RMAC this season.
“We will do what we do best: Wait back, and get goals. We don’t want to change much. We know how many top players we have,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said he expects a lot of fan support for both games this weekend, especially with the rivalry history between the teams.
“We are looking for a big crowd and good environment with everybody rearing and ready to go,” he said. “Everyone is pretty excited to get out and actually play. We’re all familiar with these teams, and we know they’re always intense.”
jlivingston@ durangoherald.com
