The Skyhawks matched the No. 7 Hilltoppers in shots but couldn’t match them in goals.
St. Edward’s defeated the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team 1-0 Sunday at Dirks Field in Durango. An 8th-minute shot from Dylan Armstrong deflected off an FLC defender and past goalkeeper Peter Byrne, and that would stand as the game-winning goal.
FLC outshot St. Edward’s 14-11, but both teams had five on goal. William Tuffin made five saves to record the shutout in goal for the Hilltoppers. Byrne made four saves in the loss.
Chuchill Onumonu led FLC in shots with five, and he put two on frame. Nicolas Perez took three shots and put one on goal. Hakeem Rabiu came off the bench and had two shots, both on target.
FLC is now 0-2-2 with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener looming Friday at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. St. Edward’s improved to 3-1 after suffering a 2-0 loss at No. 16 Colorado Mesa on Friday. Colorado Mesa is the highest-ranked team in the RMAC and the only team in the conference receiving votes.
FLC hit the road Sunday to face RMAC foe Western State in a non-conference game. The Skyhawks came up empty with a 1-0 loss in Gunnison.
Like the men, the women’s team conceded an 8th-minute goal in the 1-0 loss. Ingrid Alvarez came up with the score for the Mountaineers (1-2-1) with an assist from Paige Massey.
Both teams peppered each other with shots, as Western State totaled 17 and the Skyhawks fired 16. FLC put 10 shots on goal, but none got past either Emilie Eckhart or Katie Simpson-Johnson, who both played one half.
“The team was very dangerous attacking the ball today,” FLC head coach Jimmy Hall said in a news release. “We’re seeing the attacking and the play going better for us. They were fast in the wide ranges and created a good goal early on. We had plenty of chances to build back and get back in the game. I’m pretty happy with the kids and their effort today.”
Ali Miller played in goal for the Skyhawks and made eight saves in the loss.
FLC (0-2-1) will face CSU-Pueblo in the conference opener Friday.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
