Last year, the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team got the top seed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament and therefore had two home games in the conference tournament. The women’s soccer team lost on the road in the first round. Volleyball did not make the RMAC tournament.
This year, all three teams’ paths and potential outcomes are unclear. Here’s a look at where the Skyhawks’ men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams stand in the RMAC as the regular season winds down.
Men’s soccer:
The FLC men’s soccer squad is 8-2-5 overall and 4-2-1 in the RMAC. The Skyhawks’ only two losses are to Colorado School of Mines and Regis. FLC is in a great spot to not only make the RMAC tournament but also have a home game.
FLC is fifth in the RMAC standings with three games to go. Regis is first at 6-0-2 in the conference with 20 points (three points for a win, a point for a tie, zero points for a loss). UCCS is second at 6-1-1 with 19 points, CSU Pueblo is third at 6-1-1 with 19 points and Colorado School of Mines is fourth with 17 points. The Skyhawks have 13 points in fifth.
The Skyhawks have three games to go, the most out of anyone in the top five. FLC plays Westminster today at 6 p.m. at home, Colorado Mesa at home and Adams State at home. These are the three worst teams in the RMAC. Colorado Mesa is 1-5-1 in conference play, Westminster is 0-4-3 and Adams State is last at 0-6-1.
Therefore, FLC should win all three of these games and get up to 22 points. Colorado School of Mines only has one game left and can only finish with 20 points. If the Skyhawks win these games, they will have a top-four seed in the RMAC tournament and an RMAC tournament home game locked up.
How high could FLC finish? First-place Regis and second place UCCS still have to play each other so one of those teams will lose. If UCCS loses, the Skyhawks will have the potential tiebreaker with their win over UCCS and could overtake the Mountain Lions.
UCCS also has a game against CSU Pueblo. If UCCS loses both games, FLC would have to go 2-1 in its last three. If UCCS ties a game and loses a game, FLC would need to go 2-0-1.
A lot of things would have to go right for the Skyhawks to win the league. It’s likely FLC will finish second or third and will have a home RMAC tournament game.
Women’s soccer:
The women’s soccer team is 7-5-3 overall and 4-4-2 in the RMAC. FLC has 14 points and is in seventh in the conference. The Skyhawks should get into the conference tournament but it will be tough for FLC to get a top-four seed.
FLC has two games left after losing to Colorado Christian University 2-0 on Friday. The Skyhawks play at MSU Denver and then at home against Western Colorado.
MSU Denver is 7-2 in the RMAC so that will be a tough game to win. Western Colorado is no pushover at 3-4-2 in conference play.
If FLC somehow won both games, the Skyhawks would finish with 20 points. Colorado School of Mines already has 28 points, Colorado Mesa has 27 points and MSU Denver has 21 points. So the best spot would be fourth but everything would have to go FLC’s way as Colorado Christian has 16 points, Westminster and UCCS each have 15 points. Each of those teams has multiple games left.
It’s most likely FLC will make the RMAC tournament but has to hit the road for the first round.
Volleyball:
The FLC volleyball team has come on strong lately to make a push for the RMAC tournament. The Skyhawks are currently ninth in the RMAC at 5-6 overall.
Volleyball is the toughest to project because FLC still has five games left. Colorado School of Mines, Adams State, CSU Pueblo and UCCS are winnable games. MSU Denver should be a loss since the Roadrunners are 10-0 in the RMAC and 20-1 overall.
If the volleyball team can go 3-2 in its final five games, the Skyhawks should have a good shot at finishing in the top eight and making the RMAC tournament.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
