Fort Lewis College men’s soccer coach David Oberholtzer added another achievement to his long list of coaching accolades: Beating two top-10 teams in Division II in a week.
After a dominant 3-1 win against No. 4 University Colorado Colorado Springs on Thursday, the Skyhawks traveled to No. 7 CSU Pueblo on Sunday for a crucial rematch against the Thunderwolves.
Senior defender Jakob Larson provided the game-winning goal in the 16th minute as the Skyhawks won 1-0.
FLC improved to 7-1-5 overall and 3-1-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with the win. CSU Pueblo fell to 9-3-1 overall and 4-1 in the RMAC with the loss.
“In the first half we were really good,” Oberholtzer said. “We were unfortunate not to create some more distance between us. We got in behind two or three other times where it felt like we should have scored. But it was a really good first half performance, we were really dominant … The big difference between the first time we played them at home and this time was obviously we kept him off the scoreboard. From a maturity standpoint, we dealt with it really well.”
The Skyhawks had nine shots compared to 12 shots for the Thunderwolves. CSU Pueblo had five shots on goal compared to four for FLC.
Oberholtzer said Larson’s goal was set up on a corner kick. The Skyhawks set up like they usually do on corner kicks where they try and play the ball to the far post. This time, junior midfielder David Citron played a ball to the near post. Larson found some space and headed the ball past the keeper for the score.
Skyhawks junior goalkeeper Aidan Hartman started his second consecutive game and finished with five saves. Oberholtzer loves the play and competition between the two keepers. He said Hartman has seized his opportunity so far.
A familiar sight so far this season for Skyhawks fans has been sophomore forward Anton Hjalmarsson in and out of the lineup. Hjalmarsson didn’t play against CSU Pueblo due to a hamstring injury. Oberholtzer doesn’t think Hjalmarsson will play this weekend and wants him to be healthy for the playoffs.
FLC plays at Colorado School of Mines on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Football can’t stop Chadron State on road
The Chadron State football team ran for 197 yards and four touchdowns as it dominated FLC 55-13 on Saturday.
FLC fell to 1-6 overall and 0-5 in RMAC play with the loss. Chadron State improved to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the RMAC with the win.
“We had untimely breakdowns that cost us great opportunities,” FLC football head coach Johnny Cox said. “Big swings of momentum happen when we don't make those plays. So we can't have five or six of those in a game. But at times, both sides of the ball had flashes of doing things right, but then we got the turnover bug and then not stopping them in critical situations kept the drives alive. They have a tradition there, and they've established that you’re really going to have to play a mistake-free game to beat them at their place. We didn't do that.”
Skyhawks quarterback redshirt sophomore Sam Jones and quarterback redshirt freshman Jacob Morris combined for 82 yards passing and four interceptions. Junior running back Cameron Mack had the lone touchdown for FLC.
Chadron State led 24-0 at halftime and then outscored FLC 24-3 in the third quarter. The Skyhawks outscored Chadron State 10-7 in the fourth.
FLC returns home to play Colorado Mesa on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Women’s soccer ties Westminster on the road
Fans who enjoy penalty kicks were in for a treat on Sunday in Salt Lake City. The FLC women’s soccer team tied Westminster 1-1. Both teams scored on penalty kicks in the same half for the tie.
Senior midfielder Gabi Meraz-Fishbein scored her penalty kick in 52nd minute to put FLC up 1-0. Westminster’s Kim Hendrickson scored on her penalty kick in the 78th minute to tie the game 1-1.
FLC moved to 6-4-2 overall and 3-3-1 in RMAC play after the tie. Westminster moved to 5-2-4 overall and 3-1-3.
The Skyhawks also played the final 14 minutes without sophomore Ashlyn Salas, who was sent off after receiving her second yellow card.
FLC outshot Westminster 13-10 but Westminster had the edge 5-4 with shots on goal. Both Skyhawks fifth-year goalkeepers Riley Bravin and Katlyn Rosenbaum had two saves.
Next up for the Skyhawks is a home game against Black Hills State on Friday at 7 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
