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Thomas Kirkham vs. #9 CSU Pueblo
Kaitlyn Silva
Thomas Kirkham (18) dribbles near the No. 9 ThunderWolves penalty box on Dirks Field (Sep. 26, 2024)

No. 11 Fort Lewis opens conference play on the road at Colorado Christian

10/3/2024 12:30:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
No. 11 Fort Lewis at Colorado Christian
Friday, Oct. 4, 12 p.m. | Trailblazer Stadium | Lakewood, Colo.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | FLC Match Notes
 
DURANGO, Colo. – The No. 11-ranked Fort Lewis men's soccer team opens Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this week as the nationally ranked Skyhawks carry an unbeaten 4-0-4 record into Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood, Colo., for a noon matchup with the Cougars from Colorado Christian (2-1-5).
 
Non-Conference Finale
Fort Lewis is not just coming off a pair of matches to close out its non-conference schedule, but also a pair of pivotal in-region matchups against opponents ranked or receiving votes on the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. Last Thursday, the Skyhawks battled previously No. 9-ranked CSU Pueblo (5-2-1) to the ThunderWolves first draw of the season, 2-2, on the back of goals from Jacob Ramos and Gabriel Legendre. In Sunday's non-conference finale, Fort Lewis went into Grand Junction, Colo., and posted a 1-0 shutout over the Mavericks, who have received votes on the national poll for two consecutive weeks, on Community Hospital Unity Field. Tomas Duenes netted the only goal of the afternoon in the third minute on a defensive mistake by CMU.  
 
Defense is Key
Through eight matches, Fort Lewis is averaging 1.75 goals per game and 0.75 goals-against average with a goal differential of plus eight. Those marks are good for the fourth-best offense in the RMAC and fifth-best in the south-central region, the top defense in the league and region, and the conference's second-best and region's third-best goal differential. In addition, sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Martin is tied for the most shutouts in the region (4), good for the sixth-most in DII, and leads the region while ranking 20th in NCAA DII in save percentage at 83.8 percent. Martin also averages the fourth-most saves per game in the league at 3.88 and owns a 0.75 goals-against average.
 
It Takes a Village
While early-season injuries have plagued the Skyhawks, young talents have stepped up and delivered. Up and down the roster, 13 different players have registered at least one point this season, with nine different goal scorers and eight different Skyhawks having provided an assist. Duenes leads all players with three goals and two assists, while David Citron has scored two goals and added a team-leading four assists to match Duenes with eight points on the year. Gabriel Legendre, who also has one assist this season, and Fabrizio Aguilera have each scored two goals, while Casey Stracher has recorded a goal and an assist thus far.
 
History with the Cougars
The Skyhawks own a record of 52-6-3 over the Cougars dating back to the team's first matchup on Sep. 14, 1990, in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Soccer League. On the road, Fort Lewis also owns the 26-3-2 advantage, however, Colorado Christian owns the last win in the series with a 3-2 victory over FLC at Trailblazer Stadium back on Sep. 23, 2022. Last season, FLC and CCU battled to a 1-1 draw on Dirks Field in Durango. Fifth-year head coach Brad Camp owns a career record of 32-40-16, including a 1-4-1 record against Fort Lewis and the Cougars only draw and victory over FLC since Sep. 13, 2002.
 
A Focused Offense
Colorado Christian is averaging 1.50 goals per game with a 1.00 goals-against average. Most notably, while taking only 9.4 shots per game, the Cougars rank 14th in DII with a 54.7 percent shots-on-goal percentage. While six players have scored one goal thus far, its junior Lucas Peruzo who leads the roster with four goals and one assist for nine points. Lucca Casci, who owns the game-winning goal from CCU's 3-2 victory over FLC in 2022, trails Peruzo with two goals and two assists on the year. In goal, graduate student Jailon Gillespie has started in seven of eight matches and owns a 0.86 goals-against average and 72.7 percent save percentage with six goals allowed and 16 saves made against 70 shots faced.
 
Nike N7 and Pink Game
Next week, Fort Lewis will host a pair of home RMAC matches up on Dirks Field. On Friday, Oct. 11, the Skyhawks will host South Dakota Mines (0-7) for its annual Nike N7 match at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, the Rangers from Regis (1-2-5) will invade for FLC's Pink Game presented by CommonSpirirt, Alpine Bank, and the Wells Group and Durango Team at 2:30 p.m.
 
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