The show is back in town.
For the fourth time in five years, the Fort Lewis College women’s soccer team will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament after earning the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region when the brackets were revealed Monday.
The Skyhawks (16-5-0) will host the winner of the 2 p.m. Friday contest between third-seeded St. Edward’s (16-0-2) and sixth-seeded Texas A&M-Commerce (11-5-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday, with both games to take place at Dirks Field.
“Being on your own field is a luxury,” FLC head coach Damian Clarke said.
The other half of the South Central Region bracket will take place in Golden, where top-seeded Colorado Mines (19-0-1) awaits the winner of Friday’s game between No. 4 seed Midwestern State (13-3-3) and No. 5 seed Metro State (12-4-3).
Fort Lewis already has faced one of its potential Sunday foes. The Skyhawks met Texas A&M-Commerce in Grand Junction to open the season, claiming a 1-0 victory on Therese Romero’s double-overtime goal.
“No one walks away from that game (against TAMU-Commerce) without a battle. ... I know St. Ed’s is a dominant program. They score a lot of goals, that’s for sure,” Clarke said.
FLC also tangled with Midwestern State in September, winning 2-0, leaving St. Edward’s as the only team in the regional bracket the Skyhawks have yet to play this year.
Besides the obvious perks of playing at home – no travel, no hotels, less eating out – earning the No. 2 seed provides the Skyhawks with another added benefit. The first-round bye gives Fort Lewis not only the chance to scout both teams Friday but also more time to recuperate after the last couple of weeks have seen FLC accrue more than the usual bumps and bruises.
“At this point it’s crucial to make sure that our bodies are ready to perform at our best,” senior defender Nicole Schumacher said. “Those extra days are definitely going to be needed.”
FLC has turned in good results in recent NCAA Tournament games at Dirks Field. The Skyhawks opened the 2011 tournament with a 1-0 win over Regis before falling in the Sweet 16. In 2010, they topped Metro State in penalty kicks in Durango before advancing to the Elite Eight.
In 2009, however, FLC fell 2-1 to Colorado Mines at home.
It’s the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history for the Skyhawks, all coming since 2007. After missing out a season ago despite a 13-4-3 record, the Skyhawks are excited about the opportunity to return to the NCAA field as they try to improve upon the school-best Elite Eight appearance in 2010.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us. I think we definitely have the talent to take us far. ... Mentally, we’re ready to definitely win and go farther than we ever have before,” Schumacher said.
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