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

Colo. Sch. of Mines MINES (19-0-1, 11-0-1)

Fort Lewis FLC

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

Final

Nov. 16, 2024

Colo. Sch. of Mines MINES

(19-0-1, 11-0-1)

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	0	0	0
Colo. Sch. of Mines MINES	1	0	1

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | 11/16/2024 8:50:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications

Skyhawks women's soccer falls to #1 Orediggers in RMAC Tournament Championship

GOLDEN, Colo. – The postseason run for the Fort Lewis College women's soccer team came to an end on Saturday evening with a tightly-contested 1-0 loss to No. 1-ranked Colorado School of Mines in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship match from Stermole Soccer Stadium.

Fort Lewis ends the season with a 9-6-6 record while Mines improves to 19-0-1 overall.

Fort Lewis had four players named to the RMAC All-Tournament Team, including fifth-year defender McKenna Ford, senior midfielder Sabrina Reyes, sophomore defender Amber Otts, and sophomore forward Ashlyn Salas.

Mines held an 18-9 advantage in shots for the match but had a narrow 5-4 lead in shots on goal. The Skyhawks had three corner kicks compared to two for the Orediggers. The teams were whistled for three fouls apiece and combined for three cards on the night.

Sophomore Haley Stafford and senior Sabrina Reyes led the Skyhawks with two shots and one shot on goal each, and junior Rachel Peebles was responsible for the team's third shot on goal. Defense was the highlight for Fort Lewis, much like it had been for the entire month of November. Fort Lewis had six players on the field for the entire 90 minutes, including fifth-year McKenna Ford, seniors Gabi Meraz-Fishbein, Danielle Gonzales, and Sabrina Reyes, junior Rachel Peebles, and sophomore Amber Otts. Fifth-year goalkeepers Riley Bravin and Katlyn Rosenbaum combined for four saves.

The Orediggers had a promising look early in the match after a cross found the foot of a Mines player inside the box. Solid defense from Peebles provided enough pressure to send the ball out of play for a goal kick. Mines recorded its first shot in the third minute after a few failed attempts, but the chance missed high. The Skyhawks managed to gain possession on a pair of occasions, allowing for runs from Coulter to apply pressure on the opposing keeper.

Mines earned two more chances, first with a header that missed just over the crossbar, and then with the first corner kick of the match in the 12^th minute. The service looked to have a chance to find the back of the net, but Bravin punched it out to hold the score. The scoreless play would last just one more minute, though, as back-to-back RMAC Player of the Year Reese McDermott found an inch of space off her defender to score from just outside the box.

The Skyhawks found some life after surrendering the goal, notching back-to-back shots from Coulter and Reyes to set up a corner kick. Bravin made her first save of the match in the 22^nd minute after a well-struck ball at the top of the box was destined for the top corner before the hands of Bravin knocked it out. Peebles placed Fort Lewis' first shot on goal of the match, this one coming in the 32^nd minute off a long-range boot that was saved high-left.

The Orediggers continued to apply pressure and looked to have a chance to double the lead in the 35th minute. A through ball led Bella Campos into the box and out of Gonzales's reach for a low shot on goal. Bravin read the development correctly and made an impressive save low left to hold the score. Bravin made another quality save after a point-blank shot from eight yards out made its way on target. The fifth-year keeper positioned herself well and made her third save to send the teams to halftime in a 1-0 score.

Mines began the second half with a header shot off the post following an intercepted pass and then added another shot that would drift high to mark the first five minutes of the half. The next eight minutes of play featured throw-ins mainly in favor of Mines before another Oredigger shot sailed high in the 58^th minute. Momentum swung in favor of Fort Lewis for a handful of minutes, but a yellow card called against the Skyhawks set up a free kick near the top of the circle. The Orediggers attempted a trick play of sorts on the free kick, but the shot missed wide.

Salas capped off a solid offensive threat for the Skyhawks with a shot that missed just wide of goal in the 69^th minute. The 73^rd minute saw Rosenbaum's first save since entering the match in the second half with a long-range shot taking one hop into the arms of the Skyhawks' keeper. Mines set up another free kick in the near corner in the 80^th minute, but the Fort Lewis defense came through with a clear to eliminate the threat.

Fort Lewis had another chance moments later after a great through ball by Reyes led Anna Tucker into the box. The Mines keeper abandoned the net to meet Tucker near the top of the box, and an eventual offside call gave the Orediggers a free kick. Mines quickly made its way downfield following the whistle and rattled another shot off the crossbar—its third of the match. The Skyhawks followed with back-to-back shots from Stafford, including a left-footed jab that missed high in the 84^th minute. The offensive uptick carried into the 85^th minute when a header by Meraz-Fishbein missed wide off a corner kick.

Reyes was credited with the Skyhawks second shot on goal of the half, resulting in a bouncing shot for the Mines keeper. Fort Lewis had a free kick opportunity with under one minute on the clock thanks to a yellow card against Mines, but the final minute featured four throw-ins for Fort Lewis thanks to stifling defense by the nation's top team to run the clock out on the RMAC Tournament Championship match.

The 1-0 loss marked the end of the careers for nine Skyhawks, including Katlyn Rosenbaum, Riley Bravin, Elizabeth David, Hannah Paschke, McKenna Ford, Julia Johnson, Anika Scherer, Gabi Meraz-Fishbein, and Sabrina Reyes.

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