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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

1
Fort Lewis FLC (1-0-1, 0-0-0)
1
Eastern N.M. ENMU (1-0-1, 0-0-0)
Fort Lewis FLC
(1-0-1, 0-0-0)
1
Final
1
Eastern N.M. ENMU
(1-0-1, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fort Lewis FLC 0 1 1
Eastern N.M. ENMU 1 0 1
Casey Stracher vs. Trinidad State Junior College
Kaitlyn Silva
Casey Stracher (3) drives to the open space past three defenders against Trinidad State College on Dirks Field (Aug. 21, 2024)

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

No. 21 Fort Lewis forces draw with Eastern New Mexico on Stracher’s second-half goal

Casey Stracher secures the 1-1 draw with his first goal as a Skyhawk

PORTALES, N.M. – Despite controlling the pace for much of the contest and leading in nearly all categories, the No. 21-ranked Fort Lewis men's soccer team found itself trailing for over 58 minutes of the contest before a perfectly placed header from Casey Stracher equalized resulting in a 1-1 draw on the road at Eastern New Mexico on Saturday afternoon.
 
Fort Lewis and Eastern New Mexico now stand at an identical 1-0-1 following the opening weekend of play with the Skyhawks still holding the 2-0-1 edge in the all-time series.
 
"I'm disappointed in the result today. I think we got out-worked in the first half, and great teams don't allow that to happen," head coach David Oberholster commented. "We'll have to make that adjustment moving forward, but it was great to see us fight back, keep [Eastern New Mexico] under pressure, and score the equalizer. We lacked in many of the little details today and we'll be sure to improve on those moving forward."
   
Looking to avenge last season's 3-1 loss up in Durango, Eastern New Mexico came out of the gates in full force and nearly found the net in the opening minutes, but Thomas Kirkham saved the day with a sliding save that cleared the ball with inches to spare on the goal line.
 
Shortly after recapturing possession at mid-field, the Greyhounds connected back-to-back passes giving Ben Sauerlander an open lane down the right side after leaping over a Skyhawks tackle. Sauerlander then drove from 20 yards out, and upon crossing into the penalty box, bounced a shot into the left side for the early score.
 
Fort Lewis out-shot the Greyhounds 8-to-1 in the opening half and kicked five corners to ENMU's one, but still found themselves heading into the locker facing a 1-0 deficit. FLC would finish the match with 18 shots against Eastern New Mexico's five, including eight shots on goal to the Greyhounds three.
 
Out of the half, the Skyhawks maintained control of the pace and slowly pushed the Greyhounds into its own back line. Finally, in the 73rd minute, Stracher bolted towards the open space in the penalty box, and with service from David Citron, angled a header off the turf into the goal just inside the left post to equalize.
 
Notables
-With his goal in the 73rd minute, junior Casey Stracher picks up his first goal in a Skyhawks uniform and the seventh of his collegiate career.
-David Citron, who provided service on Stracher's goal, earned his second assist of the season and the ninth of his career.
-Lucas Martin picked up two saves in the match.
-Fort Lewis still leads Eastern New Mexico 2-0-1 in the all-time series and earned a tie on its first trip to Portales, N.M.
-Eight starting field players for the Skyhawks saw action in 80+ minutes while Cole Wood saw significant time off the bench with 60 total minutes.
 
A Brief Return to Dirks Field
Fort Lewis will now focus on Wednesday's home fixture against St. Mary's (Texas). The Skyhawks and Rattlers will square off in a non-conference match on Wednesday, Sep. 11, at 7:00 p.m. on Dirks Field.
 
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Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Team Scoring Play
14:53
ENMU Ben Sauerländer (1)
Assisted By: Teddy McIntyre , Kevin Nunez
Tight passing in middle of field, through ball in right channel. Low driven shot in bottom corner.
73:35
FLC Casey Stracher (1)
Assisted By: David Citron
Quick corner taken on right wing, glancing header on cross into bottom left corner.

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