Fort Lewis College’s Robbie Young picked a nice time to score the first goal of his collegiate career.
After 74 minutes of dominance by Fort Lewis, and nothing to show for it on the scoreboard, Young’s blast from 15 yards out was the difference-maker as FLC beat Westminster 1-0. The win is the fourth consecutive road victory for Fort Lewis.
“It was a really solid performance from our guys,” Fort Lewis head coach David Oberholzter said. “The team showed patience and stuck to the gameplan and didn’t get anxious. I felt like we had a good grasp the whole match and Robbie finally got one to go for us.”
The Skyhawks (5-5-0, 4-2-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) were in such control of the match that goalkeeper Elliot Chadderton needed only one save to secure his first shutout of the season. The action was very one-sided, as the Skyhawks led the shots battle 20-4 and had eight attempts on frame to one for the home team.
FLC peppered the Westminster keeper and nearly took the lead several times before Young got the job done late in the second half.
“The ball popped up high in the air and Robbie got some space in the box,” Oberhotlzer said. “He struck it sweetly in the bottom corner. It was huge for him and for the whole team.”
Fort Lewis will try to bring the success they’ve had out of town back to Dirks Field, where they’ll host a 3 p.m. Wednesday match against Adams State. FLC is 1-3 at home so far this season.
Women’s Soccer
Women’s SoccerThe FLC women’s soccer team scored what head coach Jimmy Hall called his “favorite goal of the season” to come away with a victory in Gunnison on Sunday afternoon.
With the score tied 1-1 and less than 10 minutes to play, Andonia Apergis, like Young in the men’s win, picked an excellent time for her first career goal as the Skyhawks came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat the Mountaineers 2-1.
“It was just a simple play,” Hall said. “Shayla (Malecki) hit her with a simple pass and Nia finished to the back post under the keeper. It was a beautiful goal.”
The Skyhawks fell behind in the 41st minute as Western State’s Kimberlee Bourelle beat FLC goalkeeper Kaylee Mickens to give the Mountaineers (4-5-1, 2-3-0 RMAC) a 1-0 lead.
Hall and the Skyhawks made some adjustments at halftime, and the strategy worked as FLC’s Courtney Riley’s 67th minute score evened the match.
“We were allowing them too much time to make decisions,” Hall said. “We just had to start taking their space away and applying more pressure.”
Mickens made five saves in net for FLC, and kept the home team subdued while FLC orchestrated the comeback. In the 83rd minute, Apergis finished the job to give the Skyhawks their second consecutive road win.
Fort Lewis (5-4-1, 4-2-0 RMAC) will be back in action Friday at Dirks Field for a 12:30 p.m. homecoming game against Black Hills State.
Volleyball
VolleyballAfter two sets, things were looking grim for the Fort Lewis College volleyball team Saturday night against Western State University.
However, it takes three to win, and the Skyhawks rallied to make sure they were the first to get there.
After dropping the first 25-20 and the second 25-17, FLC took the next three sets 25-19, 25-22 and 15-8 to complete the 3-2 comeback win.
Matisse Monty was a force for FLC, leading the team with 14 kills while adding 13 digs. Kendra Swackenberg was feeding the Skyhawks hitters all night and racked up 38 assists. Ally Dell’Amico led the team with 20 digs.
Fort Lewis will start a long road trip with a 7 p.m. Friday matchup at Colorado Mines.
jfries@durangoherald.com
