The nation’s 10th-ranked Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team came to Fort Lewis College on Friday and proved why the Orediggers are at the top of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.
The Skyhawks were outshot 16-2 and had a difficult time creating any quality chances against the very impressive back line of Colorado Mines. Eventually, the Orediggers (15-2, 9-2 RMAC) broke through with a second-half goal by Haley Cole that ended up being the decisive tally, as Colorado Mines beat Fort Lewis 1-0.
“That was really a team goal,” Cole said. “It was a pure effort goal from all of us. It got flicked up in the air and bounced off a head or two and it was right on the goal line. I just kind of gave it the ceiling finish with my head.”
At the outset, it looked like Fort Lewis was the team giving the most effort. The Skyhawks (6-7-2, 5-5-1 RMAC) pushed the pace early and created a few decent chances before the Orediggers got their legs under them.
Kaylee Mickens made six saves in the game for FLC and kept Mines scoreless in the first half with a few good saves.
The second half started much like the first, with Fort Lewis controlling possession but having every quality chance interrupted by the Colorado Mines defense. In the 70th minute, Orediggers center back Emily Garnier lobbed a free kick into heavy traffic in front of Mickens that bounced around and found Cole on the goal line to give the team a 1-0 lead.
“We were playing well for awhile there, but giving up the goal on the free kick was definitely deflating,” Fort Lewis head coach Jimmy Hall said. “They are very talented on that back line and have great instincts to go along with their size, so getting the first goal was a big key for them.”
Mines’ Garnier, Kortney DesCamp, Emily Townshend and Holly Weyand continued to thwart any potential Skyhawks chances in front of goalkeeper Sam Zumbro, who made just two saves in the shutout win.
“We’re a young team for the most part, so that’s something to be proud of and something we need to recognize in ourselves as well,” Colorado Mines head coach Kevin Fickes said. “We do some silly things sometimes and need to grow up a bit, but it’s hard not to be pleased with where we’re at.”
Fort Lewis will try to bounce back in the regular season’s final game at 1:30 p.m. Sunday against Colorado Christian at Dirks Field. The Skyhawks are currently seventh in the RMAC standings, and need to win Sunday as the league’s top six teams make the RMAC Tournament.
Men’s Soccer
Men’s SoccerFor the third game in row, Fort Lewis shut out the opponents for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, an extra-time goal for UC-Colorado Springs meant it was a loss this time around.
The two teams, deadlocked in the standings and trying to gain prime position for RMAC Tournament seedings, played a tightly contested match in which both refused to budge in regulation time. However, six minutes into extra time, Mountain Lions’ Austin Siefert broke the scoreless tie to beat the Skyhawks 1-0.
With the win, UC-Colorado Springs (10-6-1, 9-4-0 RMAC) swapped position with Fort Lewis (9-7-1, 8-4-1 RMAC) in the standings heading into the final day of the regular season.
Elliot Chadderton made three saves in FLC’s first loss since Oct. 7. The Mountain Lions led the shot count 13-12 and took five corner kicks to the Skyhawks’ four.
Both teams are securely set in the conference’s top six teams and will playin the RMAC Tournament. Sunday’s matches will determine the final seedings, and Fort Lewis can leapfrog Metro State if it can beat the Roadrunners at 11 a.m. Sunday in Denver.
If the Skyhawks win, it could set up another matchup with UC-Colorado Springs in the opening round of the RMAC Tournament.
jfries@durangoherald.com
