After two losses and a draw, the Fort Lewis College women’s soccer team needed a win to get some confidence back before the end of the regular season ended.
The Skyhawks did exactly that Friday, winning 2-1 thanks to two first-half goals after going down 1-0 early at UC-Colorado Springs (10-5-2, 6-3-2 RMAC).
“It’s a big confidence booster,” FLC head coach Jimmy Hall said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “The girls see the result and know UCCS is a very good and dangerous team.”
The win gave FLC (11-4-2, 8-2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) a season sweep of the Mountain Lions after earning a 1-0 win in overtime earlier this season at Dirks Field in Durango.
The Skyhawks peppered the net with seven shots on goal Friday. Both teams fired 17 shots, but UC-Colorado Springs put only four on target.
Michaela Mansfield scored in the 15th minute for the Mountain Lions, but FLC answered right back in the 19th with a goal from Alicia Sanchez. Only 12 minutes later, Courtney Riley was on the board with another goal for the Skyhawks.
It was the fourth goal of the season for Riley and her third game winner. Sanchez scored her sixth goal of the year.
“We did a good job playing in the wide areas with the outside backs joining the attack,” Hall said. “We got crosses across the face of goal and got two goals from there. The kids picked out their teammates, and they scored.”
The Skyhawks solidified their hold on second place in the conference with UC-Colorado Springs third. FLC is looking for one more win Sunday at Western State (7-7-3, 4-5-2 RMAC) to help solidify the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II South Central Region.
“It’s another big game for us,” Hall said. “We need to get those regional results to stay No. 2 in the region and get a national tournament bid.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
