The Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team is in the midst of a major transition.
Head coach David Oberholtzer overhauled the Skyhawks’ roster during the summer in hopes of changing the culture within the program. The changes ended with 12 players who were eligible to return leaving the team and left the program with some holes to fill.
But, if Saturday’s annual alumni game is any indication, the team is on the right track heading into the season.
“We take it like it’s any other game – like a regular season game. We’ve been prepping for the last two weeks in preseason for it,” FLC senior defender Nathan Roberts said. “Just because they’re alums you look at it no differently than any other game. These guys have won national championships, they’re national runners-up, they’re All-Americans. Playing against these guys is an honor, but you have to go at it like it’s a real game.”
After about 30 minutes into the first half, the Skyhawks took control and dominated most of the game en route to a 3-1 victory over their predecessors, who played with 12 men for a good portion of the second half.
Oberholtzer said he thought the Skyhawks played with some nervous energy in the first half but noticed a big difference in the team’s approach in the second half.
“There was a clear difference in the first half and the second half, and it wasn’t anything tactical. I think it was more so getting the nerves out,” Oberholtzer said. “For a lot of them it was the first time putting on the jersey and playing a 90-minute game.”
The match was FLC’s final test before the season gets underway Friday when the Skyhawks travel to Wichita Falls, Texas, to take on Midwestern State, the preseason No. 6 team in the nation.
“This was a good building block for us,” Oberholtzer said of the alumni game. “We’re just about two weeks into the preseason and we’re still working on some things and want to see some things take place, but at the same time we want to compete.”
Roberts is one of two seniors listed on FLC’s roster – forward Salifu Jatta being the other – while the rest of the roster is flooded with underclassmen. Of the 28 players listed on the team’s roster for the alumni game, 17 were freshmen.
Oberholtzer and Roberts both said they like the way the team is mixing together with the upper and underclassmen building chemistry and using good communication on the field.
“I think the boys are doing really well. We have a good mix of returners and a bunch of new guys coming in, but I think everyone is mixed really well and we’re pushing really hard,” Roberts said. “There are a couple of things we need to work on, but after seeing our performance in the second half I really think we have something we can work with here.”
The Skyhawks’ freshmen performed well in the win. Cole Stevenson, from Aurora, netted the team’s first goal about 38 minutes into the match, then Castle Rock product Ryan Lee made it 2-0 a couple minutes before halftime.
Spaniard Raul Pescador, a returning junior midfielder, stretched the lead to 3-0 in the opening minutes of the second half.
The alumni scored their loan goal about 12 minutes into the second half.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
