It was another tough loss in a season that’s had more of them than the Skyhawks would like.
Colorado Mesa scored twice after halftime and held off a late rally to down the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team 2-1 on Saturday at Dirks Field.
It was far from FLC’s best showing of the year. Touches were a bit off; play at times was more direct than the Skyhawks’ norm.
FLC (8-6-1, 5-6-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) did have its chances – finally cashing in on Jordan Alexander’s goal in the 87th minute after holding a 10-7 edge in shots – but only a handful appeared to be truly threatening.
“I think that one of the things we struggled with was the quality overall (Saturday),” FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said. “I think our final pass, our passing in general, wasn’t quality. And when you don’t have that, and you don’t work as hard as the other team, you’re going to lose.”
Alan Hernandez broke through first for the Mavericks (8-4-3, 6-2-3 RMAC). Stevie Palma found the ball near the goal line about halfway between the penalty area and the sideline on the right side and lofted a cross that found Hernandez’s head, then the back of the net in the 51st minute.
Legofi Crawford tallied a beauty in the 73rd minute to double the lead. He took a pass from just outside of the penalty area on the left, had enough time to touch it to his right foot, then unleased a shot that deftly bent inside the far right post for a 2-0 lead.
“I think we were just not tight enough on both goals,” Kennedy said of an FLC defense missing center back Johannes Sander after a red card last week against Regis. “I think that we need to be more switched-on defensively.”
Alexander responded when he took a flick from Tamino Kroeger, settled it and fired it into the lower left-hand corner of the net to give FLC some late life, but Mesa managed to hold on.
The game got physical and chippy in the second half. A total of five yellow cards were issued, including three on one play. Mesa’s Oliver Querin and FLC’s Artur Piperkov both were carded for extra-curricular activity in the 70th minute, then Kennedy received one for dissent after expressing displeasure in Piperkov’s card and seemingly the color of Querin’s. Kennedy declined comment on the play, and no players were available for comment.
Montezuma-Cortez High School alumnus Micah Conrads stopped a trio of shots, including a blistering turn-and-fire effort from Piperkov, to earn the victory in goal for the Mavericks. Ryan Schaul sent aside two shots for the Skyhawks.
Conrads is 5-0-2 this season, and it’s the second consecutive season the Durango Demons’ former rival has led the Mavericks to an upset over the Skyhawks at Dirks Field.
The game was rescheduled from Friday after a long lightning delay pushed back the start of the women’s game long enough to force postponement of the men’s for lack of light. The schedule switch creates a quick turnaround for FLC, which will host Metro State at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
And for a thin roster dealing with injuries, including the latest season-ending setback for Elliot Prost, the back-to-back games could prove a challenge.
“That’s been the tough one for us, obviously. Continuing to lose players, and the injuries are starting to mount up,” Kennedy said. “But no excuses. It was 11 against 11, and we should’ve done better (Saturday).”
rowens@durnangoherald.com
