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Emmett Layman vs MSU Denver - Oct. 22, 2023
Kaitlyn Silva
Emmett Layman (16) picked up his first career assist last week against Mines to pair with his three goals scored this season.

No. 23 Skyhawks to face Griffins, No. 17 Mavericks in paramount regular season finale

10/25/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – Holding the first-place ranking in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings, the future lies in the hands of the 23rd-ranked Skyhawks as the Fort Lewis men's soccer team (9-3-3, 5-1-2 RMAC) heads northwest to take on Westminster University (7-5-4, 4-2-2 RMAC) and Colorado Mesa University (9-2-5, 4-0-4 RMAC) for a chance to capture its first conference championship since 2011.
 
First up on the docket are the Griffins on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:00 p.m. FLC will then play its regular-season finale on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 12:00 p.m. in Grand Junction, Colo. Skyhawks fans can watch both games live on the RMAC Network.
 
Last Time Out
Fort Lewis posted a 1-0-1 split last week after routing Colorado School of Mines (5-5-5, 4-3-1 RMAC) 5-2 and forcing a 1-1 tie with Metropolitan State University of Denver (6-7-3, 4-3-1 RMAC) on Sunday. Anton Hjalmarsson was the driving force across the week recording two goals and three assists across both contests. Aymaro Vargas was the hero in game two with the Roadrunners as he forced the equalizing goal in the 60th minute.
 
Three of the RMAC's Best
With his two goals and three assists last week, Hjalmarsson has now registered the third-most goals and second-most assists in the conference at eight each, respectively. Hjalmarsson's efforts also earned him a week eight RMAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honor. Gabriel Legendre still leads the roster in total goals scored with ten and recently etched his name as tenth all-time in the Fort Lewis record books with 25 in his career. Tomas Duenes rounds out the dangerous trio for the Skyhawks as the junior has scored six goals and made six assists, marks that rank seventh and fourth in the league.
 
Scouting Westminster
The Griffins are fresh off of a 3-2 loss at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (7-4-5, 3-2-3 RMAC) after matching FLC with a 2-0 victory over fifth-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo (11-3-2, 5-2-1 RMAC). As a unit, Westminster ranks seventh in the league with 1.18 goals per game while allowing 1.06 goals to its opponents.
 
Jack Cardwell has headlined the Griffins' attack this season scoring four goals and handing out two assists. The six-foot-two sophomore has taken a team-leading 28 shots this year while placing 11 on frame. Armin Hasanovic has provided another two goals and two assists each while six others have scored at least one goal. Roark Looney and Noah Larkin split duties in goal for WU and each has posted four shutouts. Looney leads the pair with a 1.00 goals-against average while Larkin owns the higher save percentage at 82.2%.  
 
Scouting No. 17 Colorado Mesa
The Mavericks, who enter the week following back-to-back ties, will have a match against Adams State University (0-14, 0-8 RMAC) prior to Sunday's season finale. Colorado Mesa had tied UCCS 3-3 last Thursday before battling to a 0-0 draw against CSU Pueblo on the Pack's home pitch. The Mavs boast the third-highest-scoring offense in the league averaging 1.94 goals per game while conceding just over one goal per match (1.06).
 
The Mavs are the only other team in the conference to match Fort Lewis with three individuals among the league's top-ten goal scorers. Manuel Ponce Casas and Fernando Morales have each scored seven goals while Alec Fronapfel has added another six alongside two assists. Ponce Casas has also racked up five assists while eight other Mavs have recorded at least one goal. Diego Chavez, the RMAC leader in total saves (72), stands in goal for CMU. The redshirt sophomore owns a 1.06 goals against average and five shutouts.  
 
Postseason Plans
Only the postseason lies beyond Colorado Mesa. Up first is the RMAC Tournament scheduled to take place from Nov. 2-12 featuring the top six teams from the final conference standings. The higher remaining seed will host each match. The winner of the conference tournament will capture one of three automatic conference bids among 12 teams in Super Region 4 to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection date for men's soccer is scheduled for Nov. 13.  
 
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