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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Kacey Ownensby
Maureen Pasley, FLC Athletics
FLC junior midfielder Kacey Owensby (No. 8) slips past a tackle in Friday's game against Colorado Mesa.
0
Colorado Mesa CMU (9-4-3, 7-3-3)
0
Fort Lewis FLC (9-4-4, 6-4-2)
Colorado Mesa CMU
(9-4-3, 7-3-3)
0
Final
0
Fort Lewis FLC
(9-4-4, 6-4-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Colorado Mesa CMU 0 0 0 0 0
Fort Lewis FLC 0 0 0 0 0

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

Skyhawks earn a point in Friday's scoreless draw against Colorado Mesa

DURANGO, Colorado — For the second time in as many meetings this season, the Fort Lewis College men's soccer team and rival Colorado Mesa University played each other to a draw, with the latest being a scoreless tie Friday afternoon at Dirks Field.

A win for each team would have all but sealed their spot in next week's RMAC Tournament as Colorado Mesa (9-4-3 overall, 7-3-3 RMAC) sits in three-way tie for third place with 24 points, while the Skyhawks (9-4-4 overall, 7-4-2 RMAC) currently holds the sixth and final playoff spot with 23 points — two points ahead of Colorado State University-Pueblo, who the Skyhawks will see in Sunday's regular season finale.

The two teams finished in a 1-1 tie during their first meeting of the season back on Sept. 20 in Grand Junction.

"I thought we created plenty of chances to win the game and win it comfortably, but that final piece just didn't fall," said Fort Lewis head men's soccer coach, David Oberholtzer. "I thought the guys played well, another hard-fought overtime game, just unfortunate not to get the win in this one… We wanted three points and we were pushing at the end," Oberholtzer said. "I thought we did enough to win the game, but just didn't score."

Fort Lewis owned a 21-15 shots advantage, including 10-8 in shots on goal, while also dominating the corner kick opportunities, 10-3.

Redshirt sophomore Loic Jean-Baptiste was extremely active up top for the Skyhawks, producing game-highs in shots (8) and shots on goal (5).

Jean-Baptiste nearly sent the FLC faithful home happy in the final minutes of regulation as he and junior midfielder Max Fuentes Carrera each had shots sail just wide at the 87:57 mark and 89:13 mark, respectively, summing up an afternoon of near misses for the Skyhawks' attack.

"I thought we had more clear-cut opportunities, but you have to finish it," Oberholtzer said.

Defensively, the Skyhawks were stifling as they were consistently able to push up and pressure the MSU back line, relegating the Mavericks to 51% of the match on their end of the pitch and just 11% on attack inside FLC's defensive fourth.

"I thought we gave them a little too much room in the first half and they kept looking for the big one over the top," Oberholtzer said. "In the second half, we tried to get a little more pressure on their outside backs and center backs because we kind of knew what to expect. We didn't want them to have a free opportunity to walk up the field and hit it. It was a good adjustment and we had them deeper in their end."

When tested, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Peter Byrne, the reigning RMAC Men's Goalkeeper of the Week, responded as he stopped all eight shots on goal he faced en route to his eighth clean sheet of the season.

"It was just normal Peter," Oberholtzer said of Byrne. "Just the comfort level and confidence he gives the rest of the group is huge with him back there. He's extremely solid, a vocal voice and a strong leader. He's usually up to any task put in front of him."

Up next for the Skyhawks will be their Senior Day at 1:30 p.m. Sunday against Colorado State University-Pueblo.

With a two-point lead over CSU-Pueblo for sixth in the standings, a tie would guarantee FLC a spot in the RMAC Tournament. But the Skyhawks, who are currently one point out of a potential top-3 finish and first-round hosting rights, they have no interest in just earning a tie in Sunday's regular season finale.

"It's a must-win. We need to get three points," Oberholtzer said. "The guys know that and there isn't a whole lot that needs to be said. We mentioned, and the group knows as well, that we didn't put our best foot forward from the start (Friday) and play all 110 minutes with that energy. The group knows what they need to do and we'll come out and do it."
 
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