Fort Lewis College was already at a disadvantage when it came to depth at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament. A day after playing two sudden-death overtimes in the opening round, exhausted legs put the Skyhawks in an even bigger hole against the second-ranked team in the nation.
FLC (7-7) fell 18-8 to tournament top-seed Lindenwood (18-0) on Friday in the RMAC semifinals played in Denver. FLC was down 11-4 at halftime and held scoreless for nearly 10 minutes to open the second half, as the Lions turned the advantage into a 14-4 lead.
“We were tired,” said FLC first-year head coach Sean Claussen. “We beat ourselves at that point. We were not able to get groundballs off the draw, and we were definitely feeling yesterday at the start of the second half. Lindenwood is an amazing team, and you have to play to your potential to capitalize.”
While FLC beat Westminster 12-11 in double overtime Thursday, the top-seeded Lions had a bye in the first round and was able to play the semifinals on rested legs. Now, Lindenwood, which has won the RMAC regular season for five consecutive seasons, will face second-seed Regis at noon Sunday for the championships. Regis also had a bye Thursday before it beat third-seeded Colorado Mesa University on Friday afternoon.
“Getting that bye is huge, no doubt,” Claussen said. “Having a day of rest, especially with our numbers, is key to being successful in this tournament. Since they expanded the tournament to six teams, it is obviously ideal to be in the top two and get to sit and watch your competition. Then you get a nice rest day Saturday before the championship.”
Claussen took over the program last summer and inherited a team with only 17 players. Without any real time to recruit before the season, the Skyhawks did their best with the limited numbers, but lingering injuries, especially in the midfield, made it increasingly difficult for FLC to compete.
Still, they never gave up down the stretch with three consecutive wins before Friday and in the semifinal against a team loaded with All-American talent. FLC scored four times in the final 6:30 of the second half with an attack that wouldn’t quit even with the match out of reach.
“Lindenwood’s key players didn’t produce the way they typically do, and they had to have a bunch of other players step up and fill roles their All-Americans usually fill,” Claussen said. “We fought hard against them and until the very end. The girls didn’t let up and gave it their all.”
Kelli Warmouth scored three goals for FLC. Abby Escandon finished with two goals and one assist. Delaney Benson, Brooke Galle and Regan Olson had one goal apiece. Escandon and Galle each had one assist.
Hailey Gallant led Lindenwood with three goals and one assist. Hannah Doughty, Carly Federowski, Ellie Faulk, Garland Fisher and Cassie Stucklen each had two goals for the Lions.
Lindenwood won the groundball battle 24-11 and outshot FLC 31-18. Daris Wienk made six saves for FLC. Rachel Ortell made six saves for Lindenwood, and Aly Smith made three.
Claussen will recruit as hard as he can this offseason to try to help FLC continue to thrive as a women’s lacrosse school.
“We are going to get the best players we can get and see if we can still sign any from the 2018 class,” he said. “We are making a huge push on the 2019 class, and a lot of our scholarships and resources will be tied up in trying to make the 2019 class the best in FLC history.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
