Box score
DURANGO, Colo. — Sam Weiss scored in the second minute of overtime to lift No. 2 Fort Lewis (4-0-1 overall, 1-0-1 in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to a 1-0 win over Colorado Mines (4-2-0, 1-1-0).
Emma Cannis fed a through ball through the right side of the Oredigger defense that Weiss ran onto and slotted a perfect shot inside the near post at 91:52 for her seventh marker of the season and third game-winner.
“It's a different game if you don't have (CSM goalkeeper Jayln) Yates in there making saves,” said sixth-year FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “Sam had no choice but to put the ball where it went. Yates gave her no other place to score.”
The Skyhawk skipper praised Cannis for creating the scoring chance and for her efforts throughout the game.
“To be honest with you, the unsung hero is probably Emma,” he said. “She's the one that is doing so much work to create the opportunities for Sam. She's the one coming to get the ball and connecting with the midfield from the forward line. It's well-deserved.”
The goal ended a classic match at Dirks Field.
“It was as complete of a performance that we've put on in some time,” said Clarke. “It was definitely the best performance that we've put on in a full game all year. Possession was tremendous, defense was fantastic, and we finally put things together from the back to the front.”
Yates and her FLC counterpart,
Amanda Raso, put on a goalkeeping clinic on the sunny, 79-degree late summer afternoon.
Raso recorded her third straight shutout, making four saves including one of the spectacular variety when she dove right to knock down a shot from close range by Deidre Johnson after Rachel Turner slid a pass across the middle of the box from the left side at 72:37.
“She's a big piece of it,” Clarke said of Raso. “Her communication is fantastic and she's done really well to make the saves when she's called upon.”
The junior goalie ran her shutout streak — which dates back to the seventh minute of FLC's 1-0 loss at Colorado Mines in the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen on Nov. 18, 2011 — to 484:55. The streak is the third longest in FLC history. Christine Schmelzle had one of 561:29 from Aug. 29-Sept. 18, 2009, while Skyhawk assistant coach Bree Baker had a 522:53 shutout stretch from Oct. 22-Nov. 9, 2007.
Yates was perhaps even more spectacular. In the 81st minute, Cannis controlled the ball in the right side of the box, juked one way, turned to the other, and fired a shot to the upper 90 of the left side of the goal. The 5-foot-11 Yates used all of her length and then some to not make the save, but catch the ball leaving the Skyhawks no rebound to knock into the goal.
“I've not seen a female athlete make any sort of play in any sport similar to that. It was unreal,” said Clarke. “That's a goal at any level.”
Yates finished with six saves.
Fort Lewis outshot the Orediggers 15-12 overall and 7-4 in shots on target.
With the victory, Fort Lewis set two new school records: longest home winning streak (11 games, dating back to Sept. 16, 2011) and longest home unbeaten streak (12 games, dating back to Nov. 14, 2010). The previous marks were a 10-game home winning streak (Sept. 3-Nov. 5, 2010) and an 11-game home unbeaten streak (Nov. 5, 2008-Nov. 4, 2009).
“I think the atmosphere here is special,” Clarke said of his home pitch that has seen Fort Lewis lose just twice — both coming in postseason — in the past three full seasons plus two games in 2012 (a 30-2-2 mark). “I think the kids have also grown a lot in terms of learning to play with the pressure of being good and being on our field next to a program like our men.”
He also said that playing in front of the field's namesake — longtime FLC benefactor and Athletic Hall of Famer Martin Dirks — today added extra incentive. “It's a special one for the girls to perform in front of the person who has helped us build this program.”
The Skyhawks continue their homestand by hosting two of the RMAC's biggest surprises next week at Dirks Field. Adams State (3-2-0, 2-0-0) visits Durango at 1 p.m. Friday, while UC-Colorado Springs (6-0-0, 2-0-0) comes to town at 1 p.m. next Sunday.
