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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Haley Stafford
Kaitlyn Silva
Freshman Haley Stafford (2) has one goal and three assists this season

Skyhawks gear up for RMAC Tournament Quarterfinal against second-seeded Orediggers

11/3/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's soccer team has earned the No. 7 seed in the 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament and will match up with the No. 2 seed Colorado School of Mines in the Quarterfinal round on Sunday from Stermole Soccer Stadium in Golden.

Fort Lewis closed out the regular season with a 9-3-6 overall record and a 5-3-4 mark in conference play while Mines, the No. 7-ranked team in NCAA Division II, ended the regular season at 13-2-3 and 9-1-2 in league play. The Orediggers are riding a seven-match win streak heading into Sunday's Quarterfinal.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks earned an important 1-0 win over Western Colorado to close out the RMAC portion of their schedule. Senior Aubrey Swindle scored her fourth goal of the season early in the match, assisted by freshman Ann Spence. The win marks the team's 10th 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.

Scouting No. 7 Mines
The Orediggers rank first in the conference in goals per game (2.89), assists per game (2.61), and goals allowed per game (.44). Mines averages 22.7 shots per game compared to 6.7 for their opponents. The team has tallied 47 assists versus just six for their foes. Freshman Bella Campos leads the team with 12 goals and three assists for 27 points. Junior Reese McDermott follows with 10 goals and seven assists to match the team lead with 27 points. Sadie Wolf has started 15 matches at goalkeeper and ranks second in the conference with a .44 goals-against average.

The Fort Lewis and Mines faced in the regular season, the match ended in a scoreless draw. Mines outshot Fort Lewis 27-5 for the match but held just a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The teams combined for 18 fouls. The senior goalkeeper duo of Bravin and Rosenbaum combined for the shutout and earned five saves along the way. Freshman Ann Spence led the team with two shots on goal, followed by senior Aubrey Swindle who had one. Five players played the full 90 minutes. Since the draw, Mines has gone off to win seven in a row.

Inside the Numbers
Defense and goalkeeping have been incredible for Fort Lewis in 2023, leading the team to 10 shutouts and a goals-against average of .67. Complimenting the defense has been a diverse offense that has seen 16 players score. Junior Gabi Meraz-Fishbein and Swindle lead the way with four goals apiece while Swindle is the leading point scorer at 11 (4g, 3a). 10 players have been credited with assists, led by senior Elizabeth David and freshman Haley Stafford who each have three. Freshmen Amber Otts, Ann Spence, and Haley Stafford have each played in more than 1000 minutes. Bravin leads the conference with a saves percentage of .914 and a goals-against average of .313.

Around the RMAC
In this week's version of the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, the league was represented by three RMAC programs. Mines jumped seven spots to No. 7, followed by Colorado Mesa which fell from No. 4 to No. 18. UCCS, the regular season RMAC Champions, and Regis University are receiving votes. In the South Central Region, Mines and Mesa are first and third, respectively, followed by UCCS (4th), Regis (5th), MSU Denver (8th), and Fort Lewis (10th).

RMAC Network Pay-Per-View
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference has announced the addition of a subscription model to all 2023-24 RMAC championship broadcasts on the RMAC Network, the league announced Wednesday. The announcement comes after support from league leadership in the summer to implement the pay-per-view concept as a manner to offset the league's broadcasting initiatives and operations associated with championship events.

Fans will be able to purchase day passes for each day of tournament play, priced at $9.95 per day. To purchase the day pass, fans will navigate to www.rmacnetwork.com and will be directed to select the institution that they are supporting through their viewership. Once the payment submission is complete, fans will have access to any RMAC championship contest available for that specific sport. Day passes will expire within 24 hours of the purchase.

Up Next
The winner of Sunday's match will advance to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday, November 5. Matches will kick off on the campus of the high seed in the head-to-head semifinal.
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