The Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team played like it didn’t want its season to end Wednesday.
So did star midfielder Yannis Becker, who is playing every game like it might be his last with the Skyhawks.
Together, Becker and the Skyhawks sent the team to a 3-0 win at Metropolitan State University-Denver in the opening round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament in Denver.
“The big thing for us was we were more clinical in front of goal,” FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “It’s kind of been a stumbling block the last three games. Once we were clinical, we gave ourselves a great start and had something to build from.”
Becker had a goal and two assists in the win and displayed remarkable footwork on the turf field.
“When it comes to big moments, big players step up, and he did that,” Kennedy said of Becker. “He’s our leader by example. When he’s on form, it’s special.”
The win sent the Skyhawks to the RMAC Tournament semifinals, where they will face No. 1 Colorado Mines at 1:30 p.m. Friday with a trip to Sunday’s championship on the line. The Orediggers and Skyhawks (12-5-2, 6-3-1 RMAC) have tied both times they’ve met this season, with the Orediggers yet to loser a match this year at 14-0-3 and 9-0-1 in conference play.
“We have confidence. We’ve played them close twice and walked away after both games feeling we should’ve got victories. This is a chance to show how well we can play,” Kennedy said.
Becker’s fellow German Tamino Kroeger put FLC on the board quickly, scoring only 2 minutes, 8 seconds into Wednesday’s match. He took a pass from Becker inside the box and put it to the far post for a quick score.
Becker followed with his seventh goal of the season when he fired a long-range strike that bent across the frame of goal before going in the net. He is a junior when it comes to eligibility but will graduate and leave the college this year.
“He hit it from about 25 yards out, left foot and put it over the goalkeeper’s head top corner,” Kennedy said. “A lot of people see a goal from that far out and think it was the goalkeeper’s fault, but it was just a beautiful strike.”
Becker was at it again in the second half, beautifully setting up Kroeger for another goal. Kroeger put his ninth goal of the season away after breaking away from the defense on Becker’s through ball.
Becker and Kroeger nearly set up another beautiful goal earlier in the second half. Becker dazzled the defense on a counter and found Kroeger up the sideline. Kroeger took a few touches and passed to the middle of the box to Austin Derksen, but Derksen’s chip shot on a wide-open goal hit the crossbar and bounced away.
It was Kroeger’s first start in a few weeks as he dealt with a nagging injury, but he proved to be healthy Wednesday.
“They looked really sharp,” Kennedy said of Becker and Kroeger. “It shows ya what we can do when Tamino is healthy. Every game he starts he’s probably scored. Yannis was supplying him, and he’s fit now scoring goals.”
FLC goalkeeper Elliot Chadderton collected his seventh shutout of the season by making five saves. He showed poise between the posts for a freshman and made one incredible save in the second half diving to his right and extending his arm up to knock away a head-high shot against a wide-open Metro State forward. He made another brilliant save in the first half on a one-on-one opportunity for the Roadrunners.
“Two brilliant saves,” Kennedy said. “That second half was an unbelievable save back post. Cat-like reflexes, and he came up big.”
FLC suffered a lull at the end of the season after letting a chance at a conference title slip away with a draw to Colorado Mines at home Oct. 16. The Skyhawks finished the season 2-2-1 after that, including losses in their final two games. One of those losses was a 2-1 home defeat to the same Metro State Roadrunners (13-4-2, 8-2 RMAC).
Those losses kept Fort Lewis out of the top four in the NCAA Division II South Central Region at No. 6, and Metro State was at No. 5. Only the top four teams in the region advance to the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re doing the match, and, honestly, I think it’s gonna take some real results to go our way to get in,” Kennedy said. “But we won’t know until we get through. Right now, we have to concentrate on winning Friday and trying again Sunday.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
