The Fort Lewis College women's soccer team will close out its regular-season at home with a trio of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matches set to kick off Friday. The Skyhawks have been tough to contain on Dirks Field and boast a 4-1-1 home record this fall.
First, the team will face Black Hills State at 7 p.m. Friday.
At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, FLC will play MSU Denver for the team's senior day celebration. Four graduating seniors, Madyson Barela, Katie Dunbabin, Meredith Satre and McKenna Thompson, will be honored before kickoff.
The regular season will then wrap up at 7 p.m. on Wednesday with a match versus Western Colorado set to take place under the lights.
Though the team went winless on the road last week, the final scores don't tell the whole story. Fort Lewis faced off against the league's top teams, No. 10 Colorado School of Mines and Regis University, narrowly falling in both matches.
In the Mines contest, the Orediggers outshot the Skyhawks 18-8 for the match, including a 10-4 edge in shots on goal. Sabrina Reyes netted her second goal of the season while sophomores Julia Johnson and McKenna Ford chipped in shots for the match. Senior Madyson Barela came off the bench and led the team with two shots. Sophomore Katlyn Rosenbaum played all 90 minutes between the pipes and had six saves along the way.
In the Regis match, it was a go-ahead strike in the 70th minute that ended up being the difference in a 1-0 final. Regis held a 25-12 shots advantage for the match, including an 8-4 edge in shots on goal. Sophomore Riley Bravin was a key force between the pipes and earned a career-high 10 saves in 90 minutes of play. Sophomore McKenna Ford led the team with three shots, one on goal, in 90 minutes. The defensive trio of Elizabeth David, Rachel Peebles, and Cecilia Marlowe played the entirety of the match and held the Rangers below their RMAC goals per game average of 2.4.
BHSU sits at 1-10-2 overall and 1-8 in league play to rank 12th in the conference standings. The Yellow Jackets opened up RMAC play with a 1-0 shutout of Colorado Christian and have since been outscored 26-0 in a seven-match skid.
The Yellow Jackets are averaging .23 goals per game while allowing 2.38 from the opposition.
Fort Lewis is 4-0-1 all-time against BHSU, including a 2-0 shutout last season. Danielle Gonzales scored both goals.
MSU Denver is 9-2-4 overall and 5-1-3 in the conference, ranking fifth overall while riding a four-match win streak. The Roadrunners have held the opposition scoreless through the last four matches while racking up 12 goals.
The team averages 1.67 goals per game compared with a .60 goals per game average for their opponents. Jaimy Sawaged leads MSU Denver with six goals and two assists.
Fort Lewis is 4-7-1 all-time versus MSU Denver, falling in five straight matches including last season's meeting, 1-0.
Western Colorado is 5-9-1 on the year and 3-6 in league play, ranking just ahead of Fort Lewis (4-10-1, 3-6-0). The Mountaineers have been shut out in their last four matches.
The Mountaineers average .87 goals per game compared to 1.87 goals per game from their opponents. Taylor Bottoms and Laura Pelino each have two goals to lead the team.
Fort Lewis is 8-2-2 all-time against Western Colorado and claimed a 1-0 victory in last year's regular-season finale. The win was the catalyst that the Skyhawks need to make the RMAC Tournament as the No. 8-seed, and that story line has the potential of playing out again this season.
Some young Skyhawks have impressed this season. Dannon Yake ranks third on the team with 1,070 minutes played on defense and is joined by Rachel Peebles at 1,015 total minutes. Anna Tucker and Rozlin Gomez have each played in all 15 matches this season. The roster boasts 13 freshmen and two transfer players which gives fans much to look forward to in years to come.
If the Skyhawks make the RMAC tournament, they’ll play in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Oct. 30. The semifinals are set for Nov. 2 and the championships Nov. 5.
