The score of a soccer game isn’t always indicative of what happened on the field. Thursday night’s match at Dirks Field in Durango between Fort Lewis College and Simon Fraser University was an example of that.
FLC dominated for most of the first half, possessing the ball and combining beautifully for chance after chance. The Skyhawks were up 2-0 at the half and continued the offensive onslaught with their possession in the second half. FLC could’ve been up 4-0 after a few close misses.
However, Simon Fraser capitalized late on a sloppy possession from FLC, ruining what could’ve been the Skyhawks’ first shutout of the year. FLC held on for the 2-1 victory.
“I was satisfied with probably 75 minutes of it,” FLC head coach David Oberholtzer said. “The goal for the group was a shutout. We had the game in complete control and giving away a goal like that late and then all of a sudden, they've got some momentum and we have to kind of scramble a little bit. Apart from that, it was really good performance from the guys with some great goals. We were probably unlucky to not get a few more.”
FLC improved to 2-0-2 overall with the win. Freshman forward Alessio Andreottola led the Skyhawks offense with a goal and an assist. Senior Casey Stracher had a goal and freshman midfielder Francisco Pinto had an assist. Junior goalkeeper Lucas Martin finished with two saves.
Simon Fraser dropped to 0-2-2 overall with the loss. Francesco Troisi had the lone goal for the Red Leafs. Goalkeeper Jordan Thorsen had five saves.
The Skyhawks have had an issue with slow starts, according to Oberholtzer, but he was happy with FLC’s start Thursday night. The Skyhawks took control of the game early, gaining more and more momentum with each possession and corner. The momentum paid off with the first goal of the game, 20 minutes into the first half.
FLC worked the ball on the right side, Stracher found some open space just inside the 18-yard box and played the ball deeper into the right box to Andreottola, who played a ball back Stracher, who hit a slow, but well placed shot into the lower left corner from about 10 yards out.
The Skyhawks continued their offensive attack with dominant possession and beautiful combinations. The ball was moving so fast that sometimes it felt like the viewer needed instant replay. This quick ball movement led to a few incredible looks, including a shot by freshman forward Yohann Fila that just missed the top right corner from about 18 yards out.
FLC’s elite ball movement quickly paid off with a second goal. The Skyhawks continued to use the right side. Andreottola and Pinto combined on a give-and-go which ended in a sliding shot from close range by Andreottola that sneaked in the goal between the keeper and the right post. FLC led 2-0 with 15 minutes left in the first half.
“We have really good attacking players,” Oberholtzer said. “We knew that there would be space out wide and we wanted to exploit it.”
Skyhawks fans are realizing Andreottola is a highlight waiting to happen when he gets the ball. The FLC faithful roared when he got the ball on the right side. Andreottola gave the crowd an incredible feat of skill with a rainbow move, which involves a player flicking the ball from behind his body, over his and the defender’s body, for the player to chase after. Andreottola’s slick move almost resulted in a third goal.
Martin wasn’t put under too much pressure from the Simon Fraser offense. When he was called upon, he stepped up. Martin made two quality diving stops, including one right before the half, to keep the clean sheet.
FLC was happy to hold possession to start the second half and take its time moving the ball up the field. When FLC did lose the ball, it quickly won it back with some nice tackles, specifically by Stracher.
The Skyhawks had their first great chance of the second half. Sophomore midfielder Raul Baptista Filipe played a ball into freshman forward Lorenz Guintini, who somehow controlled it in the 18-yard box while surrounded. He turned and played a clever shot that hit the right post with 36 minutes left. Only two minutes later, Andreottola shot a free kick from about 22 yards out that hit the bottom of the crossbar and nearly crossed the goal line before being cleared away.
FLC got a little complacent toward the end of the game and it cost the Skyhawks. Stracher waited too long to play a pass deep in FLC territory and it was blocked. The Red Leafs capitalized on a blocked shot after. Martin didn’t have the chance to react to a rocket of shot into the top left corner by Troisi with nine minutes left.
Simon Fraser had some momentum after its second goal and pressed the Skyhawks with a few corner kicks. However, the FLC defense full of veterans, stood strong for the victory.
“We've been talking about trying to build a full, 90-minute performance,” Oberholtzer said. “We haven’t gotten there yet; we've been closer to 40 or 45 minutes This was a really positive step forward.”
FLC plays at home on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Northwest Nazarene University.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
