DURANGO, Colo. – Junior Jenna Salazar recorded her first multi-goal performance in a Fort Lewis College jersey on Saturday night, lifting the Skyhawks (3-0-1) to a 2-0 win over Lubbock Christian University (2-2-0). The victory marked the team's fourth shutout of the season, extending its scoreless streak to 360 minutes.
Fort Lewis outshot the Chaps 19-12, holding a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. In a clean, physical matchup, the teams combined for just eight fouls and no cards.
Salazar played the full 90 minutes, striking twice to headline a rock-solid team effort. She was joined in going the distance by seniors Renee Junna, Josie Coulter, and Dannon Yake, juniors Ann Spence and Amber Otts, and freshman goalkeeper Trinity Lujan—who delivered her best outing of the season with five crucial saves.
The Skyhawks wasted no time applying pressure, with senior Anna Tucker forcing a save in the second minute. Seniors Abigail Nkrumah and Coulter added shots in the opening frame before the breakthrough finally came in the 36th minute. Spence fired from 18 yards, and although the Chaps keeper made the initial stop, the rebound fell to Salazar, who buried the opener into the top-left corner. The Skyhawks carried their 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Lubbock Christian came out strong in the second half, controlling play early. But Fort Lewis quickly turned the tide, and Salazar struck again—this time pouncing on a misplayed clearance inside the box and finishing high left in the 51st minute to double the lead.
The Chaps pushed hard in response, nearly breaking through in the 53rd minute with a curling shot from the far corner of the box. Lujan, however, made a brilliant diving save to her left to preserve the clean sheet. Fort Lewis' back line sealed the win down the stretch, highlighted by a perfectly timed defensive header from Junna in the 70th minute. Lujan capped the performance with her fifth save in the 89th minute to lock up her third victory of the year.
The Skyhawks now turn to their toughest nonconference road trip in recent memory. Fort Lewis will face defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, September 18, at 7:00 p.m. before heading to San Diego to take on Point Loma Nazarene on Saturday. Point Loma opened the year ranked No. 9 nationally but has since fallen out of the poll.
