DURANGO, Colo. – The final two home games of the regular season are here for the Fort Lewis College men's soccer team as they will face Westminster on Friday at 3 p.m. and Dixie State on Sunday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day at Dirks Field.
The Skyhawks played a couple of heart-pounding games this past weekend, going to overtime in both. Regis was able to score a couple with just over a minute to play in the second overtime for a 1-0 win on Friday and then UC-Colorado Springs scored just over a minute into the first overtime Sunday for a 2-1 win. That came after Coleman Kane scored a goal with just 10 seconds to play in regulation.
FLC is 5-4-2 overall on the season and 3-4-1 in RMAC play. The Skyhawks have scored 23 goals and allowed 16, taking 201 shots and landing 91 on goal, while opponents have 122 shots, with 52 on goal. Bar Hazut leads the team with 13 points, scoring five goals and adding three assists. Ryan Lee has 11 points with five goals and an assist. Ty Lang also has double-digits in points with 10, tallying four goals and two assists. Hazut and Lee lead the team with five goals apiece, followed by Lang's four. Lang has logged 1,031 minutes to lead the team, followed by 1,007 from Ventura Salcido and 980 from Marshall Metzger. In net, Salcido has played every game posting a 1.37 goals against average and 34 saves.
FLC ranks high in several RMAC and national categories including first in the RMAC and 16th nationally in assists per game (2.27), second in the RMAC and 42nd nationally in corner kicks per game (5.64), fourth and 34th nationally in points per game (6.45), fourth in the RMAC and 51st nationally in scoring offense per game (2.09), second in the RMAC and ninth nationally in shots per game (18.27), second in the RMAC and 20th nationally in shots on goal per game (8.27), fifth in the RMAC and 87th nationally in team goals against average (1.368), first in the RMAC and 18th nationally in total assists (25), fourth in the RMAC and 50th nationally in total goals (23), fourth in the RMAC and 30th nationally in total points (71), fifth in the RMAC and 86th nationally in win-loss percentage (.545). Individually, Nicolas Perez and Hakeem Rabiu are tied for fifth in the RMAC in assists per game (0.36), while Steen Shober is ninth in the same category (0.30). Lee is third in the RMAC and 65th nationally in game-winning goals (2), Salcido is fourth in the RMAC and 30th nationally in minutes played, while he is seventh in the RMAC and 91st nationally in goals against average (1.368). He also ranks 10th in the RMAC in save percentage (0.686), ninth in saves per game (3.18), fifth in the RMAC and 83rd nationally in shutouts (2) and seventh in the RMAC in total saves (35). Hazut and Lee are tied for seventh in the RMAC in goals per game (0.45), while Hazut is sixth in the RMAC and Lee eighth in points per game with Hazut at 1.18 and Lee at 1.00. Hazut is fifth in the RMAC and 67th nationally in shots per game (3.18), while Rabiu is sixth in the RMAC and 75th nationally in the same category (3.09). Perez and Rabiu are tied for fifth in the RMAC and 77th nationally in total assists (4), while Max Fuentes Carrera, Hazut and Shober are tied for ninth in the RMAC with three apiece. Hazut and Lee are tied for seventh in the RMAC in total goals (5), Hazut is sixth in the RMAC in total points (13), while Lee is 10th in the RMAC in the same category (11).
Below is information on the five seniors: Lucas Matelich, Nicolas Perez, Raul Pescador, Steen Shober and Coleman Kane. Senior day festivities will take place on Sunday at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Matelich joined the Skyhawks for just the 2018 season as a graduate student having previously played at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. He played at Hellgate High School in Missoula, Mont. This season he's played in every game on defense helping the team to a pair of shutouts against Adams State and Colorado Christian, while holding five other teams to just one goal. He played a season-high 93 minutes against UT Permian Basin and added an assist against Colorado Christian.
Shober, like Matelich, attended Hellgate High School in Missoula, Mont. He arrived at Fort Lewis in 2017 after playing two seasons at Pacific University. During his career in Durango he's played 30 games entering this weekend, starting every one of those games. He has three assists and has logged over 2,500 minutes as a Skyhawk. This season, the defender tallied five shots against UT Permian Basin, landed two on goal against Dixie State, had an assist against UT Permian Basin, Colorado Christian and Dixie State, while playing a season-high 110 minutes against Northwest Nazarene. Last year he logged 1,734 minutes and is at 828 entering this weekend.
Pescador also has played his entire collegiate career at Fort Lewis arriving in 2015 after attending IES La Hoya de Bunol high school in Salamanca, Spain. During his career he has played in 58 games entering this weekend with seven assists, five goals and has logged over 1,000 minutes each of the past two seasons. Pescador scored three game-winning goals over the past two seasons, including two last year. This season he tallied four shots against Regis, two on goal versus UT Permian Basin and an assist against UT Permian Basin. He played 106 minutes against Regis.
Perez has spent his entire collegiate career with the Skyhawks, arriving in 2015 after playing at Colegio Americana de Quito high school in Quito, Ecuador. During his career, he has played in 69 games entering this weekend at midfield, recording six goals, eight assists and two game-winning goals. He was named to the RMAC Honorable Mention Team each of the past two seasons and was tabbed as the team's Most Valuable Player his sophomore year. This season, Perez logged a season-high 108 minutes against Regis, tallied a goal against Eastern New Mexico, added an assist against Eastern New Mexico, Adams State, Colorado Christian and UC-Colorado Springs and had two shots on goal against Eastern New Mexico. He's helped the team to two shutouts this year and five other games limiting teams to just one goal.
Kane has played his entire collegiate career at Fort Lewis, arriving in 2014 after playing at Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins, Colo. After a redshirt season in 2014, he's been a regular on the team since the 2015 campaign. Following the first two years playing defender, Kane moved to forward as a junior. For his career he's played in 54 games, starting 39 entering this weekend. He has three goals, four assists and has logged over 3,500 minutes as a Skyhawk. He was named to the RMAC honorable mention team in 2015 after playing in 20 games and logging 1,703 minutes. This season, he tallied four shots against Colorado Mesa, two on goal against Eastern New Mexico, has a goal against both Colorado Mesa and UC-Colorado Springs (which sent the game into overtime), an assist against Northwest Nazarene and played 80 minutes versus Northwest Nazarene. He's also served as one of the captains on the team as well.
FLC just faced both Dixie State and Westminster on Sep. 28 and 30 in Utah. The Skyhawks will open the week on Friday at 3 p.m. against Westminster. The two played each other in Salt Lake City on Sep. 30 with the Griffins taking the 1-0 victory. Westminster held a 14-8 edge on shots, while both teams had four shots on goal. The Griffins recorded the only goal in the 65th minute. Pescador had two shots in the game.
Westminster is 9-2-1 on the season and 5-2-1 in RMAC play with their losses coming against Colorado Mesa and Colorado School of Mines. This past weekend, after defeating South Dakota School of Mines 2-0, they went right down to the final minutes with Colorado School of Mines before the Orediggers claimed a 1-0 win. They've scored 29 goals and allowed 12, while firing 182 shots, with 87 on goal, while opponents have 116 shits, with 46 on goal. Danny Darelli leads the team in points with 16, scoring seven goals and adding two assists. Amit Hefer has 11 points with three goals and five assists, while Kaden Amano has 10 points, with five goals. Zach Nielsen has logged 1,092 minutes, while Bridger Hansen has 1,072 minutes and Hefer adds 1,028 minutes. In net, Will Desantis has played six games and has a 0.82 goals against average with 17 saves and a .773 save percentage. Max Medley has also played six games, collecting a 1.13 goals against average and 16 saves with a .696 save percentage.
To close the weekend on Senior Day Sunday, FLC will face Dixie State at 1 p.m. The two teams played in St. George back on Sep. 28 with the TrailBlazers taking the 4-1 win. Lang had the goal for the Skyhawks in the 51st minute. Overall, Dixie State had a 14-13 edge on shots, with FLC landing eight on goal to five for Dixie State.
Dixie State is 3-7-2 overall on the season and 1-5-2 in RMAC play. This past weekend, they fell to Colorado School of Mines 1-0 and then tied South Dakota School of Mines 0-0. Dixie State has 15 goals on the year, compared to 20 for the opposition. They've taken 160 shots, landing 59, while opponents have taken 171, with 66 being on goal.
Moises Medina leads the team with nine points, recording four goals and an assist. Tony Foulger has three goals, while Gustavo Ortega and Idris Alabi have two goals apiece. Zach Nielson has played 1,024 minutes in net, posting a 3-5-2 record with a 1.32 goals against average and 42 saves, along with a .737 save percentage.
A look around the RMAC has Colorado School of Mines in first at 8-0, followed by Colorado Mesa (6-0-2), Regis (5-1-2), Westminster (5-2-1) MSU Denver (5-3), UCCS (4-3-1), Fort Lewis (3-4-1) and CSU-Pueblo (2-5-1) round out the top-eight.
Live video and stats will be available for both games.
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