One lapse of discipline led to the first loss of the season for the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team.
The FLC Skyhawks welcomed South Central Region foe St. Edward’s to Dirks Field for the second game of the season Sunday and their second game in three days on their home pitch. The two teams played a solid first half, but a late red card in the first half tipped the balance of the match.
FLC senior midfielder Aaron Kloer was late on a slide-tackle challenge, and he toppled a St. Edward’s Hilltopper. Though there was no malicious intent, and the tackle simply was poorly timed, the referee still showed Kloer a red card that removed him from the game and forced the Skyhawks to play a man down for the final 50 minutes of the match.
The two teams went into halftime scoreless, but a brilliant run by Primo Covarrubias produced a goal for the Hilltoppers in the 75th minute that sent St. Edward’s (1-1-0) to a 1-0 victory against the Skyhawks (1-1-0).
“The whole piece of discipline cost us. Play the whole game with 50 minutes, more than half the game, with a man down is hard,” FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said. “I’m super proud of the way the guys battled back, and I thought we were the better team in the second half.”
FLC junior captain Yannis Becker, a midfielder who played the entire 90 minutes Sunday, said the team still was confident in its ability to win at halftime, even playing with 10 men and its keeper.
“I think we did well. We conceded the goal, but overall I can say I’m proud of the team,” Becker said. “We gave them still a great battle, especially at the end.”
Covarrubias, a freshman midfielder, split two FLC center backs on his run toward the goal, drawing FLC freshman goalkeeper Niall Burdon out of the shadows of his goalposts and 12 yards out into the box. Covarrubias had no problem tapping a shot past Burdon for the Hilltoppers’ goal.
“It’s a tough one for a goalie. He has to come and be proactive,” Kennedy said. “I’m just not happy with the way (Covarrubias) was able got between the two center backs, but that’s something we can address.”
St. Edward’s head coach Brian Young called Covarrubias a cerebral player capable of creating great runs. He liked the way his team attacked against the Skyhawks’ four men on the back line and four men at midfield.
“Going down a guy certainly didn’t help Fort Lewis. It changed it a little bit, but I think our guys held the ball and eventually broke them down with a good run by Primo,” Young said. “It was a well-timed run. Fort Lewis did a good job having two blocks of four and trying to counterattack us, but Primo wasn’t marked on that run, and it became a very difficult ball for the Fort Lewis keeper.”
FLC outshot St. Edward’s 14-12, and the two teams were even with nine shots each in the second half. St. Edward’s was unable to convert on its seven corner kicks, but Young was pleased with how his team stopped the dangerous FLC set pieces.
“Fort Lewis does a good job serving balls into the box, and we reiterated that in pregame to make sure we had numbers in the box to defend, and I am happy we had everyone marked up and didn’t give up anything on any of those serves in,” Young said.
Burdon made three saves in the game, and St. Edward’s goalie Kevin Leib made six saves, including a pair of chances by FLC sophomore forward Luke Lawrence in the game’s final two minutes.
“The guys battled like warriors. Unfortunately, we gave one up and couldn’t get ourselves back in,” Kennedy said. “That’s sport, and it’s how you deal with adversity that matters.
“This won’t be our defining moment of the season. It’s how we react that’s important right now. I know my guys, and I know they are going to come out strong.”
FLC won’t return to their home pitch until Sept. 26 against University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. The Skyhawks will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Mary’s in Laredo, Texas, before a game at 1:30 p.m. Sunday against Texas A&M International, also in Laredo.
“We gotta come out strong in Texas and win two games, two-for-two,” Becker said. “And then it’s all good.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
Skyhawks’ IR
Fort Lewis played without two of its starters from the season opener: Senior midfidler Alberto Capdepon missed the game after he suffered a minor knee injury against Midwestern State on Friday, and freshman defender Isaac Currie missed the game with a foot injury. Currie remained on crutches and is expected to miss a lengthy period of time.
