DURANGO, Colo. – Senior Marissa LaCivita scored a career-high three goals on Senior Day, but the Skyhawks fell 14-7 to UCCS in their home finale.
Fort Lewis dropped to 0-9 overall and 0-7 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play, while UCCS improved to 7-5 overall and 1-7 in the RMAC.
The Mountain Lions outshot the Skyhawks 33-20, including a 26-14 edge in shots on goal. Fort Lewis committed 25 turnovers and finished 14-of-21 on clears. UCCS also held a 32-24 advantage in ground balls.
LaCivita led all scorers with three goals, followed by sophomore Jasmine Nguyen with two. Seniors Diamond Velasco and Zoi Delgado added one goal apiece. Seniors Samantha Rodgers and Sydney Tannaci each collected five ground balls, with Rodgers also recording a team-high four caused turnovers. Junior goalkeeper [Name] made 12 saves, marking her sixth game this season with double-digit stops.
After five scoreless minutes to open the game, UCCS broke through with a woman-up, free-position goal. Fort Lewis answered at the 7:43 mark of the first quarter, as Delgado capitalized on a turnover to tie the game. The Mountain Lions regained the lead late in the quarter and held a 2-1 advantage heading into the second.
Early turnovers and fouls by Fort Lewis led to another UCCS goal to start the second quarter. The Skyhawks responded with LaCivita's first goal to cut the deficit to one, but UCCS pulled away to take a 6-3 lead into halftime. Goalkeeper Tilbury added two key saves during the stretch to keep Fort Lewis within reach.
LaCivita opened the third quarter with her second goal following a caused turnover by Tannaci, narrowing the score to 6-4. UCCS answered with a free-position goal before both teams went scoreless for several minutes. LaCivita completed her hat trick on a woman-up opportunity to make it 7-5. Tilbury added another save late in the quarter to keep the deficit at two heading into the fourth.
Nguyen opened the fourth quarter with a shot on goal, but UCCS responded with two quick goals to extend its lead to 9-5. Velasco scored midway through the period off a ground ball by Tannaci to bring Fort Lewis within three. However, the Mountain Lions closed the game on a 5-1 run to secure the 14-7 win.
Fort Lewis (0-9, 0-7 RMAC) closes its season on the road, beginning Sunday, April 12 at CSU Pueblo. Opening draw is set for noon at Art and Lorraine Gonzales Stadium.
