The Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team earned its third consecutive win after the Skyhawks scored in both halves to top Metropolitan State University-Denver 2-0 Sunday in Denver.
“We’re still trying to get better each time we come out,” said Fort Lewis head coach David Oberholtzer. “We played pretty well Friday and had some progression from that game. We made some good decisions as we were building, were able to get a few good goals and we didn’t give up much defensively.”
The Skyhawks (5-0-3, 3-0-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) got goals from senior captain Marshall Metzger and Kacey Owensby in the win. Peter Byrne and Fort Lewis’ back line preserved its third consecutive clean sheet, its fifth of the season.
Metzger headed home the opening goal in the 34th minute after fellow senior captain Ty Lang delivered in a good service from a corner kick, and Metzger placed it into the top right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Late in the second half with under 20 minutes remaining, Loic Jean-Baptiste had his shot saved, but it fell to Owensby, who tapped in first-career goal for Fort Lewis for the 2-0 lead.
Metro State (3-5-0, 1-3 RMAC) manged nine shots, but only two were on goal and Byrne was able to make comfortable saves.
Fort Lewis moved up to second in the RMAC table, as it has earned 10 out of a possible 12 points through the opening four matches. The Skyhawks will have a huge test when they host first-place Westminster (6-2, 4-0 RMAC) at 3 p.m. Friday at Dirks Field.
Women’s soccer
Women’s soccerThe Fort Lewis College women’s soccer team ended its longest road trip of the season with a bright spot, as the Skyhawks scored two first-half goals and did just enough to hold on to a 2-1 win over Adams State Sunday in Alamosa.
“We didn’t play our best, but at the end of the day, we found a way to win in a tough environment,” said FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “It was one of those wins you just had to grind out. Adams put a lot of pressure on us late, and they had a few corner kicks in the final few minutes, but we did just enough defensively to hold on.”
Corinne Sanderson opened the scoring with her first goal of the 2019 season in the 11th minute of the match. Valerie Maestas delivered a good through ball, Sanderson received it at the top of the 18-yard box, took two touches and scored to make it 1-0.
Adams State (2-4, 0-3 RMAC) responded 20 minutes later with a goal from Jordyn Maes to knot the game at 1-1 in the 33rd minute. Just 19 seconds before the halftime whistle sounded, the Skyhawks scored their second goal of the half, after Madyson Barela found the back of the net.
In the second half, Fort Lewis (2-3-1, 1-1-1 RMAC) managed to hold on after the Grizzlies poured on the pressure. Katie Smith, the always-dangerous central defender, played 70 minutes in a holding midfielder role to help Fort Lewis control possession.
“We ended up changing some things around, and realistically, we still have work to do and feel comfortable the way we were defending,” Clarke said. “Surviving a system change and our strongest defender playing up field, it was brave of the team to trust us and find a way to get the result.”
The win wrapped up a five-game road trip in which the Skyhawks traveled over 2,500 miles, played in four states and went 1-1-2, with and one game that was ruled a no contest.
Fort Lewis will host Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. Friday at Dirks Field.
bploen@durangoherald.com
