Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

1
Western Colo. WCU (6-10-2, 4-7-1)
1
Fort Lewis FLC (6-10-2, 5-6-1)
Western Colo. WCU
(6-10-2, 4-7-1)
1
Final
1
Fort Lewis FLC
(6-10-2, 5-6-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Colo. WCU 1 0 1
Fort Lewis FLC 0 1 1
McKenna Ford
Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
McKenna Thompson scored her first goal of the season to earn a 1-1 tie against Western Colorado

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications

Ford’s first finds Fort Lewis in RMAC Tournament

DURANGO, Colo. – Needing at least a tie to advance to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, the Fort Lewis College women's soccer team got what it needed in a hard-fought 1-1 draw versus Western Colorado University to end the regular season. Fort Lewis moves to 6-10-2 overall and ends the conference portion of its schedule with a  5-6-1 mark.

Sophomore McKenna Ford was the hero of the match, scoring her first goal of the season in the 81st minute of the corner service by sophomore Julia Johnson. The Skyhawks had plenty of near misses throughout the match, outshooting the Mountaineers by a 22-5 margin and hitting post on multiple occasions down the stretch.

Senior Madyson Barela led the team with seven shots (two on goal) and was the unlucky recipient of a crossbar redirect in the waning minutes of the match. She was followed by sophomore Aubrey Swindle who had a season-high six shots in 73 minutes—one minute shy of a season-best. Despite giving up an early goal, the defensive efforts of sophomore Elizabeth David and freshmen Rachel Peebles, Cecelia Marlowe, and Dannon Yake limited Western Colorado to just four shots on goal.

"This was a match where I felt we outplayed Western, but they got ahead with a great goal that was unsavable," said head coach Damian Clarke. "I'm happy with the persistent effort from our players to continue getting after it until we found a late answer. So many young players played huge minutes for us today."

The opponents took the 1-0 advantage after 26 minutes of even play off the foot of Caileen Sienknecht. The play developed as the Mountaineers were attempting to play through the middle from 35 yards out. Sienknecht took a chance and fired a towering shot over the hands of Rosenbaum for the advantage with 18 minutes to play in the half.

Fort Lewis spent the final minutes of the half working a pair of corner kicks with no luck on the other end of the play. Johnson put up the final shot of the half for the Skyhawks, sprinting downfield and striking one across from just outside of the box and into the arms of the awaiting keeper. Fort Lewis held a 9-3 edge in shots for the half.

The message out of the half was clear, and Barela took it upon herself to rifle a shot from 25 yards out just 11 seconds into play. Though the shot was saved, a presence was immediately established for the Skyhawks who were looking to knot it up. Sophomore Sabrina Reyes and senior Hannah Paschke followed with a pair of shots on goal, but the keeper remained stout between the pipes to hold it scoreless after 54 minutes of play.

Fort Lewis continued to dominate the pace of play in the second half, but nothing could find the back of the net as time began to dwindle. Playing through an onslaught of near misses on corner kick chances, the Skyhawks caught an eventual break on their fifth try of the afternoon. Johnson, the team's corner taker, dished a beautiful ball to force the keeper to make a move. The deflection landed near the feet of Ford who poked it to the top left pocket to tie the match.

Rejuvenated from the late goal, Fort Lewis continued to pester the opposing defense and keeper in the late minutes of the match. First, it was Swindle whose attempt in the 83rd minute found the crossbar. Next, Barela was the unlucky recipient of a crossbar redirect on an attempt from distance. The Mountaineers faced a similar situation in the 87th minute with a strike that found post to keep it tied. Katie Dunbabin was tested in goal once more, this attempt in the 89th minute, but a routine save allowed the match to end in a key 1-1 draw.

The tie secures the Skyhawks a spot in the RMAC Tournament which kicks off on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the high seed. The team's opponent has yet to be determined with matches yet to complete this evening. Fort Lewis ends the regular season with a home record of 6-1-2.

"We had an impressive season at Dirks Field, and we are excited to keep the momentum rolling into postseason play," acknowledged Clarke. "This is the time of year when we are playing our best soccer, and I feel like we can beat anybody in the league."
 
Print Friendly Version

Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Team Scoring Play
26:25
WCU Caileen Sienknecht (2)
GOAL by WCU Sienknecht, Caileen.
80:56
FLC McKenna Ford (1)
Assisted By: Julia Johnson
GOAL by FLC Ford, McKenna Assist by Johnson, Julia.

Related Headlines