DURANGO, Colo. – Amidst a neck-and-neck race for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament with only four matches remaining, the Fort Lewis College men's soccer team (8-3-2, 4-1-1 RMAC) will need to maintain their confidence and momentum as Colorado School of Mines (4-4-5, 3-2-1 RMAC) and Metropolitan State University of Denver (5-7-2, 3-3 RMAC) head to Dirks Field for the final two regular season home matches of this season this Friday and Sunday.
 
First up on the docket is a matchup with Orediggers for Community Night on Friday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 p.m. FLC will host Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 22, in a critical rematch with the Roadrunners at 1:00 p.m. Fort Lewis will honor the five following seniors prior to Sunday's match: Matt Baldridge, Loic Jean-Baptiste, Ciaran Feeney, Jakob Maurek, and Aymaro Vargas.
 
Last Time Out
The Skyhawks are flying high after a tremendous victory over fifth-ranked and previously unbeaten in conference play Colorado State University Pueblo (11-2-1, 5-1 RMAC). Fort Lewis overwhelmed the Pack early with a 2-0 advantage before tacking on a third goal in the second half and holding off the ThunderWolves, 3-2. FLC edged CSUP in total shots 13-12 and shots on goal nine-to-five in the match.

Numbers to Know
Scoring the third goal for FLC against CSU Pueblo last Sunday, Gabriel Legendre tallied his ninth goal of the season to hold the second-most goals scored in the conference. In addition, Anton Hjalmarsson continues to rank fourth in goals scored with six and after adding a pair of assists against the ThunderWolves, now ranks third across the league in total assists. Tomas Duenes has matched Hjalmarsson with six goals this season but leads Fort Lewis and ranks second in the RMAC with an equal six assists.
 
Scouting the Orediggers
Mines enters the week with momentum on a three-game winning streak and back-to-back shutouts over conference foes. The Orediggers handled South Dakota Mines (3-11, 1-5 RMAC) 4-0 at home last Sunday after downing Regis University (4-9-2, 2-4-1 RMAC) 2-0 the Thursday prior. Chris Seery and Marc Zimmerman headline the Mines offense with four goals each while six other Orediggers have tallied a single goal. In goal, Caden Allaire owns a 1.26 goals-against average and 0.742 save percentage having allowed 16 goals while making 46 saves against 167 shots faced.  
 
Round Two with the Roadrunners
MSU Denver, who the Skyhawks felled 2-1 in Denver, Colo., back on Sep. 24, also enters the week riding back-to-back wins over South Dakota Mines and Regis. The Roadrunners downed South Dakota 2-0, and narrowly evaded Regis 2-1. In the first go-around earlier this season, a non-conference bout, The Roadrunners out-shot Fort Lewis 16-8 and nine-to-three in shots on frame but Lucas Martin made eight saves in the Skyhawks goal. Aaron Biggerstaff owns six of MSUD's 25 total goals. Ross Miller, who allowed goals from Legendre and Hjalmarsson, has allowed 22 goals this season while making 45 saves against 146 shots.
 
Final Test Ahead
Fort Lewis will close out its 2023 regular season schedule on the road next week against Westminster University (6-4-4, 3-1-2 RMAC) and 18^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University (9-2-3, 4-0-2 RMAC). The Skyhawks will open the week on Friday, Oct. 27, on the Griffins home pitch at 6:30 p.m. before challenging the Mavericks in Grand Junction, Colo., at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29.