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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Dunbabin 10.20
Peyton Rutkowski
Freshman goalkeeper Katherine Dunbabin leaps to make one of her 11 saves in Sunday's tie against Dixie State.
0
Dixie St. DSU (5-3-4, 3-2-3)
0
Fort Lewis FLC (3-6-3, 2-4-3)
Dixie St. DSU
(5-3-4, 3-2-3)
0
Final
0
Fort Lewis FLC
(3-6-3, 2-4-3)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Dixie St. DSU 0 0 0 0 0
Fort Lewis FLC 0 0 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Dunbabin shines in first career start, Skyhawks earn scoreless tie against Dixie State

DURANGO, Colorado — Behind a breakout performance by freshman goalkeeper Katherine Dunbabin, the Fort Lewis College women's soccer team picked up a key point against Dixie State University, playing the Trailblazers to a scoreless draw on a windy Sunday afternoon at Dirks Field.

"We needed to earn a point this weekend to not completely have our backs against the wall next week," said Fort Lewis head coach Damian Clarke, referring to a potential berth in RMAC Tournament. "We did enough to get a little bit better against a really good team in Dixie State."

The Skyhawks (3-6-3 overall, 2-4-3 RMAC) were led by a sensational performance from Dunbabin, who recorded her first career shutout in her first collegiate start.

Dunbabin had seen time in five previous games for Fort Lewis as she continues a healthy goalkeeper battle with senior Britt Blomso.

The Broomfield native stopped all 11 shots she faced Sunday, setting a new career-high in saves, and bringing her total numbers to 36 saves on the season with a 1.01 goals' against average and 90% save percentage.

"It's obvious that we have two really great goalkeepers and Katie was awesome (Sunday)," Clarke said. "The balls she grabbed out of the air, as a freshman against a big team like Dixie, was phenomenal. For a freshman kid to remain that composed in a game that was this important to our group is pretty rare. This might be one of the best freshman performances that we've seen here."

Dixie State finished the afternoon with a 21-12 shots advantage, 10 of which came during the second half.

But after weathering the second-half storm from the Trailblazers, Fort Lewis nearly claimed the three points with a golden scoring opportunity deep into the second overtime period.

In the 107th minute, Sophomore midfielder Katie Smith had her initial shot from just inside the Trailblazers' box ring off the crossbar. She was able to corral the rebound and get a second shot off, but had the would-be game winner turned away by DSU goalkeeper, Adelle Brown.

As a team, the Skyhawks put six of their 11 shots on goal, led by the four from Smith. Senior forwards Valerie Maestas and Bailey Webster each recorded shots on goal Sunday, as well.

"We're creating chances and really dangerous chances. You have to have practice in those situations to finish a game and we're giving ourselves practice right now in that situation inside the six," Clarke said. "I'd like to think now in the next couple of games we'll be composed enough to turn those chances into goals."

A big key to the Skyhawks' ability to create chances Saturday was the play of freshman Ashley Strader, who was moved from her defensive position to up top to better utilize her speed.

"I think now that we've found we can defend without having Ashley in the back, we're creating those opportunities because of the way she stretches other teams out helps us in all other facets," Clarke said. "When you have a player that fast, other things begin to open up because defenses have to respect her speed and compensate."

Up next for the Skyhawks will be another pair of home games next weekend against Western Colorado University (1 p.m. Friday) and Colorado Mesa University (12 p.m. Sunday).

They are two big games in a crucial four-game stretch to end the regular season for the Skyhawks, who sit in 10th place in the RMAC standings and are hunting a top-six finish to make the RMAC Tournament.

"I think we probably need three wins, three of our next four, to give ourselves a guaranteed spot in the tournament," Clarke said. "Getting this point (Sunday) was important to give ourselves that chance."
 
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