Fort Lewis Flc (9-3-6, 5-3-4)

Western Colo. WCU (4-11-3, 4-7-1)

Fort Lewis Flc

(9-3-6, 5-3-4)

Final

Nov. 01, 2023

Western Colo. WCU

(4-11-3, 4-7-1)

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis Flc	1	0	1
Western Colo. WCU	0	0	0

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Senior Aubrey Swindle scored her fourth goal of the season in the win over Western Colorado

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | 11/1/2023 5:21:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications

Swindle’s score sends Skyhawks to RMAC Tournament

GUNNISON, Colo. – Senior Aubrey Swindle scored early, and the Fort Lewis College women's soccer team never looked back en route to its ninth win of the season and a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament. Nine wins in the regular season are the most for a Skyhawks squad since 2015.

"We played a really tough game today. Western has been playing really well in its last four matches leading up to today," recognized head coach Damian Clarke. "We dealt with a team that constantly changed their shape which forced us to adapt. In the end, I think our team is continuing to grow tactically, and congrats to Aubrey on a critical goal."

Fort Lewis improved to 9-3-6 on the year and 5-3-4 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play while Western Colorado dropped to 4-11-3 overall and 4-7-1 in league play.

The win marks the team's 10^th shutout of the season which ranks fifth all-time in single season program history. The senior goalkeeping duo of Riley Bravin and Katlyn Rosenbaum, along with a stingy defense, have lowered their goals-against average to .67 this season, allowing just 12 goals through 18 matches—the best mark since 2015 and significantly better than the 1.32 average from 2022.

Fort Lewis outshot Western Colorado by an 18-7 margin, including a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. The Skyhawks had four corner kicks compared to one for the Mountaineers and the teams combined for 14 fouls. Swindle was the difference maker for Fort Lewis as she scored her fourth goal of the season, and freshman Ann Spence tallied her second career assist on the play. Four Skyhawks played the full 90 minutes, including freshman Amber Otts, sophomore Rachel Peebles, junior Gabi Meraz-Fishbein, and Spence.

The teams played seven minutes of scoreless soccer before Swindle found her opportunity to strike. Spence worked in tandem with Swindle, sending a pass effortlessly forward from 30 yards out. The freshman's pass gave Swindle a narrow-angle to shoot, but the senior took on the keeper and sent her fourth goal of the season past the sprawling Mountaineer. Western Colorado attempted to respond to the early deficit in the ninth minute, but Bravin easily collected the long-range shot for her first save of the match.

The offensive prowess continued for Fort Lewis with shots from senior McKenna Ford and Swindle testing the opposing defense. Bravin had her second save of the match in the 32^nd minute as she read her opposing forward well and collected a one-hopper. In the final 10 minutes of the half, the Skyhawks' offense was active, but the Mountaineers blocked three shots to make it 1-0 as time expired. Fort Lewis outshot Western Colorado 11-4 in the first 45 minutes of play.

In the second half, Meraz-Fishbein lined up a pair of shots in the early goings—both missing just high to preserve the score. The Skyhawks had a great look in the 77^th minute when freshman Haley Stafford crossed a beautiful ball from the far sideline into the box. Ford took a one-touch shot, but the attempt missed left to maintain the one-goal advantage. Ford saw the team's final look of the match in the 82^nd minute, but the opposing keeper made the save low-right. The Skyhawks defense held the Mountaineers without a shot on goal in the second half to wrap up the road win to close out the regular season.

Up Next
Fort Lewis (9-3-6, 5-3-4 RMAC) has secured its spot in the 2023 RMAC Tournament but will await the results from around the league to determine its seed. The quarterfinal round will begin on Sunday, November 5 with a time and location to be determined.

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