DURANGO, Colo. – Sunday afternoon at Dirks Field was a special one as Fort Lewis College women's soccer head coach Damian Clarke earned the 200th win of his career with a 2-0 shutout of Adams State University.
The win improved Fort Lewis to 3-0-2 on the year while handing Adams State its first loss of the season, dropping the Grizzlies to 4-1-1. The Skyhawks collected their third shutout of the season while extending their home shutout streak to 12 consecutive matches, dating back to November 9, 2024.
A pair of freshmen provided the offense on Sunday, highlighted by the game-winner from Kadyn Begay for the first goal of her career. Emma Gurule added her team-leading third goal of the season. Senior Jenna Salazar and sophomore Addyson Carpentier each contributed an assist.
The defense continued to roll in its third-straight shutout, led by senior Amber Otts, juniors Lucy Bernino and Kailin Gudewicz, and Carpentier who each played the full 90 minutes. Sophomore goalkeeper Trinity Lujan added three saves while lowering her goals-against average to 0.40. Lujan leads the conference in the category among goalkeepers with at least 200 minutes played.
The Skyhawks applied pressure immediately in the opening half. Salazar started things with a shot high in the fourth minute, followed by an impressive sequence between the senior and Gurule that forced a save from the Adams State goalkeeper. Fort Lewis added two more shots in the 23rd minute and was whistled offside twice shortly after.
Fort Lewis finally broke through in the 31st minute when a well-placed pass from Carpentier in the midfield found Begay near the top of the box. The freshman weaved through two defenders before sending a right-footed shot into the upper-left corner for the first goal of her career and a 1-0 lead.
The second half opened with a shot from sophomore Tristen Fought in the 48th minute, forcing another save from the Grizzlies. The teams battled through the midfield over the next stretch before Fort Lewis doubled its lead in the 59th minute.
Salazar started the scoring sequence with a perfectly timed steal near midfield before pushing the ball ahead to Gurule. The freshman found herself between a pair of defenders with the Adams State goalkeeper charging off her line to challenge. Gurule made a move to her right to create space before slotting her third goal of the season into the lower-right corner for a 2-0 advantage.
The Grizzlies increased the pressure over the final 12 minutes, accounting for all three of Lujan's saves in the match. Adams State produced its most dangerous chances in the 87th minute with a pair of shots on goal just 10 seconds apart. Lujan remained poised, turning away both attempts to preserve the 2-0 shutout.
Fort Lewis (3-0-2) remains home next week for a pair of highly anticipated matches against No. 8 UCCS and Colorado School of Mines. The Skyhawks kick off against UCCS at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, before closing out the week against Mines at noon on Sunday.
