After a close loss Thursday night, the Skyhawks men’s soccer team responded in a big way by upsetting fifth-ranked CSU Pueblo 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Dirks Field.
Fort Lewis improved to 8-3-2 overall and 4-1-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after the win. CSU Pueblo fell to 11-2-1 overall and 5-1 in RMAC play.
“So we really kept them quiet the first half and honestly, I thought even going into the second half after we got the third I thought it could have been could have been four or five,” Skyhawks coach David Oberholtzer said. “I thought really it was top to bottom just a really strong overall performance from everybody.”
Junior forward Tomas Duentes opened up the scoring in the 20th minute with a free kick from 25 yards out.
The Skyhawks cashed in another set piece in the 44th minute. Sophomore midfielder David Citron finished a loose ball in the box off a corner to give Fort Lewis a 2-0 halftime lead.
After intermission, the Skyhawks came out attacking again and capitalized. Junior forward Gabriel Legendre finished a one-on-one opportunity against CSU Pueblo goalkeeper Ruben Volkert in the 48th minute, putting Fort Lewis up 3-0.
CSU Pueblo attempted a comeback with goals in the 52nd and 86th minutes, respectively, but Fort Lewis prevailed.
Women’s soccer back in win column
Despite being outshot 16-12, Fort Lewis secured a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon at home against Westminster University.
The Skyhawks improved to 6-2-5 overall and 2-2-3 in RMAC play with the win. After the loss, Westminster fell to 5-5-2 overall and 3-3-1 in RMAC play.
Most of the first half was scoreless, until a header by junior midfielder Gabi Meraz-Fishbein in the 38th minute gave the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead. Meraz-Fishbein then scored on a penalty kick in the 39th minute after senior forward Aubrey Swindle was taken down in the box. Fort Lewis led 2-0 at halftime.
Xevani Salanoa scored a goal for Westminster in the 58th minute to make it 2-1. No other Westminster players were able to get a shot past Skyhawks’ goalkeeper Katlyn Rosenbaum.
The Skyhawks scored their first goal in five games and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Football still winless
The Skyhawks remain winless after losing to Colorado Mesa, 62-14, on Saturday afternoon on Ray Dennison Memorial Field.
Fort Lewis fell to 0-7 overall and 0-5 in the RMAC. Colorado Mesa improved to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in RMAC play.
Mavericks quarterback Gavin Herberg completed 8 of 12 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Colorado Mesa rushed for 273 yards and six rushing touchdowns by six different players. For Lewis quarterback Braden Wingle completed 26 of 43 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore wide receiver Christopher Thomas Jr. caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown for the Skyhawks. Redshirt sophomore receiver Calvin Raab caught four passes for 94 yards, which included an 84-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Colorado Mesa had two big touchdowns in the first quarter. Marvin Jones had a 48-yard run to make it 7-0, and David O’Connell had a 53-yard touchdown reception to make it 14-0.
The Mavericks stretched the lead to 34-0 midway through the second quarter and Colorado Mesa led 55-7 at halftime before taking its foot off the gas in the second half.
Fort Lewis has been outscored 204-41 in its last three games. The Skyhawks last win was on Oct. 5, 2019.
Fort Lewis volleyball picks up another win
The Skyhawks topped New Mexico Highlands in four sets on Saturday afternoon.
Fort Lewis (9-9, 6-4 in the RMAC) has won five of its last six matches.
New Mexico Highlands fell to 1-17 overall and 0-9 in the RMAC.
After losing the first set 25-20, the Skyhawks won the next three sets 25-21, 25-14 and 25-17.
Junior outside hitter Alexis Hobie led Fort Lewis with 18 kills. Senior outside hitter Chay Swenson had 14 kills, and senior right side Lauren Shea had six kills. Hobie also had four aces and led the Skyhawks with three blocks.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
