Box score

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — For the second year in a row, No. 2 Fort Lewis (3-0-1 overall, 0-0-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) left Walker Field with a 0-0 draw against Colorado Mesa (3-0-2, 0-0-1). This time around, though, FLC head coach Damian Clarke couldn't be prouder.
 
“Not too many people will come into Mesa and get a point,” said the sixth-year Skyhawk skipper. “For us to steal a point on the road was good.”
 
The scoreless tie saw each team's goalkeeper play extremely well. Sarah Schnetzler made six saves in 110 minutes of work for the Mavs, while her Skyhawk counterpart, Amanda Raso, made eight stops. Raso has yet to be scored upon in more than 309 minutes of action this season and shares the NCAA Division II lead in goals against average (0.00) and save percentage (1.000).
 
“Amanda played well and their goalkeeper had an excellent game,” said Clarke, who shared much of the credit with his starting back four: outside defenders Rachael Budagher and Grace Sheridan and central defenders Lauren Riley and Madyson Wellcome.
 
“I think in all reality, the defense just grew tremendously.” He said. “All four backs really just played their butts off. The two center backs are just tremendous. Madyson was tough and Lauren headed the ball really well. Both were big time today. Mesa definitely forced them to get better. If the back four keeps getting better, then we're all going to get better.”
 
The game was a tale of two halves. Colorado built a 7-2 shooting lead in the first frame. In the second stanza, FLC outshot CMU 9-6. The Skyhawks dominated the extra frames with a 6-2 advantage in shots, finishing the game with a slight, 17-15 lead in overall shots. CMU led 8-7 lead in shots on target.
 
 
“To be honest, the stats are pretty true,” said Clarke. “In the first half, they had the better of us. They're a good team — real dynamic, strong, and athletic. Their center mids are very good.
 
“In the second half, we came into it and started playing well — on the flanks and in the spaces we need to play well in,” he added. “We had a lot of chances to win the game. We just committed ourselves to keeping the ball a little better and passing out of their pressure. We were forced to get better and we did. I can't complain.”
 
The Skyhawks lead the all-time series with CMU 15-12-5. Strangely, the Mavs haven't scored on their home pitch against Fort Lewis since 2007 — a five-game span that has seen FLC win three times (all by 2-0 margins from 2008-10) and play scoreless ties each of the past two years. Mesa hasn't beaten Fort Lewis since 2007 — a nine-game stretch that has seen FLC go 7-0-2 against their chief West Slope rivals, outscoring CMU 14-2.
                                                                                                                
The Skyhawks return home to host Colorado Mines (4-1-0, 1-0-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Dirks Field. The Orediggers defeated Colorado State-Pueblo 2-0 on the road earlier today.
 
While it doesn't quite have the fierceness of the men's rivalry between the two schools, Fort Lewis and Colorado Mines have emerged as RMAC and regional powerhouses the past three years. The all-time series is level at 5-5-1, but the Orediggers have knocked FLC out of the NCAA playoffs twice in the past three years. CSM took two out of three against the Skyhawks a year ago (4-0 in Golden in the RMAC regular season and 1-0 in Golden in the NCAA Central Region championship tilt). The other contest ended in a 1-1 draw in the RMAC semifinals at Regis, with the Orediggers advancing to the league championship game by virtue of winning the penalty kick shootout that followed the game.