Richard Hallick 2023

Skyhawks return home, welcome Nike N7 to Dirks Field

9/28/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's soccer team makes its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference home debut this week with matches on Friday and Sunday. Friday's contest will be the inaugural Nike N7 game, honoring native American heritage, followed by Sunday's inaugural "Pink Game" in support of breast cancer awareness.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks remain undefeated after opening conference play with a 1-1 tie against CSU Pueblo on the road. Freshman Ashlyn Salas provided the equalizer in the 75^th minute for her first career goal. Fort Lewis held a 12-8 advantage in shots for the match, including a 9-2 edge in shots on goal. The Skyhawks benefitted from four corner kicks, including one from junior Sabrina Reyes who earned her first assist of the season on Salas' goal. Seniors Aubrey Swindle and Julia Johnson each put up a pair of shots while Salas led all players with two shots on goal. Senior goalkeepers Riley Bravin and Katlyn Rosenbaum split time between the pipes.

About Nike N7
Since its creation in 2009, the Nike N7 Fund has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants to 259 Native American and Aboriginal communities and organizations, reaching more than 500,000 youths. The N7 Fund supports organizations that provide sports and physical activity programming to youth in these communities.

This year marks the first time that the Skyhawks soccer programs are participating in the event. Fort Lewis College is one of only 11 institutions nationwide — Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Gonzaga, Florida State, Marquette, University of New Mexico, San Diego State, Stanford, Haskell Indian Nations, Mesa Community College, and Fort Lewis College — to participate in the games.

Scouting New Mexico Highlands
The Cowgirls are 0-5-1 this season and are coming off a conference-opening 5-0 loss to Colorado Mesa University. NMHU is averaging .67 goals per game while allowing 3.83 per game from their opponents. Paige Gowen is the team leader with two goals, followed by two players who have scored one apiece. Mia Ortiz holds the lone assist this season. The team splits time between a pair of goalkeepers who have combined for 51 saves.

Fort Lewis is 34-5-5 all-time against NMHU. The Skyhawks have won six in a row and are 18-1-2 at home against the Cowgirls. Last season, Fort Lewis earned a 3-1 home win thanks to goals from Madyson Barela, Elizabeth David, and Dannon Yake.

Scouting Adams State University
The Grizzlies are 1-4-2 this season and 0-2 in conference play. The team will face Western Colorado on Thursday in Gunnison. Last time out, Adams State narrowly fell to No. 5 Colorado Mesa by a final score of 1-0. This season, the Grizzlies are averaging .86 goals per game compared to 1.29 per game from their foes. Karlee Caballero leads the way with three goals, followed by three players with one. Brissa Toribio and Athena Huggins each have two assists. Ashlyn Bartley is the primary goalkeeper and has 26 saves and a 1.09 goals-against average.

Fort Lewis and Adams State met in a nonconference bout in early September with the Skyhawks running away with a 2-1 win. Josie Coulter and Abila Tapia scored in the win and Jenna Salazar and Haley Stafford were credited with assists. The Grizzlies' goal came on a penalty kick in the 69^th minute.

Fort Lewis is 26-4-5 all-time against Adams State with a 12-1-3 mark at home. The Skyhawks earned a 1-0 home win last season. Hannah Paschke was responsible for the game-winner, drilling a penalty kick in the 64th minute to secure the victory.

Around the RMAC
The league is represented on the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll by Colorado Mesa which sits at No. 5 with a 7-0 record. Mines dropped from 15th to 20th following a loss and a tie last week. In the South Central Region, Colorado Mesa and Mines are first and third, respectively, followed by UCCS (4^th), Regis (5^th), Westminster (6^th), MSU Denver (9^th), and Fort Lewis (10^th).

Mesa leads the conference in goals per game (3.14) and goals allowed per game (.29). Fort Lewis ranks second in goals allowed per game (.57). Colorado Mesa's Sauvelyne Randel leads the conference with seven goals, followed by Natalie Bunch who has six. Swindle is tied for second in the league with two game-winning goals.

Inside the Numbers
Fort Lewis is off to a promising start in 2023, averaging 1.57 goals per game compared to a mark of less than one goal per game last season. The Skyhawks are also holding their opponents to an impressive average of .57 goals per game. Ten players have scored goals this season, led by Swindle who has two. Elizabeth David, Haley Stafford, and Swindle are leading the way with two assists apiece. Katlyn Rosenbaum and Bravin have split time at goalkeeper and combine for a .57 goals-against average. Bravin has faced 33 shots and owns a 3-0-1 record.

Free Admission for Native Americans
Fort Lewis College Athletics offers free admission to all regular season home athletic events for Native Americans with a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) card or Tribal Identification Card. The motion is an effort to welcome more of our local communities to campus to support the blue and gold and experience college athletics, academics, and everything that the Skyhawks experience has to offer.

Up Next
Fort Lewis is back on the road next week with matches against No. 22 Colorado School of Mines and UCCS. The Skyhawks begin the trip with a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Orediggers on Thursday, October 5 from Stermole Soccer Stadium. The team wraps up the trip on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. first whistle against UCCS at Mountain Lion Stadium.

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