FLC soccer

Congratulations to two skilled teams

Article Last Updated; Wednesday, November 25, 2009 12:00AM

The Fort Lewis College soccer team will be in Tampa, Fla., next week ranked number one in the Division II final-four competition. On Sunday under blue skies and with light snow on the backdrop La Plata Mountains, Fort Lewis defeated last year's champion, Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1-0, to travel to Tampa.

Goalkeeper Zane Wells played superbly in the shutout, and was named most valuable player for multiple regions for his post-season play.

Because of its winning record, Fort Lewis had home-field advantage in the playoffs. It defeated a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rival, Colorado School of Mines, 3-0, and then West Texas A&M. West Texas was ranked number three.

Local spectators, as many as 1,500 for the Dominguez Hills game, have seen some very good soccer played this fall.

Fort Lewis hopes to repeat as Division II champion in Tampa. Four years ago in Wichita Falls, Texas, Fort Lewis was the national champion. A year later, in 2006, the team was runner-up.

On Dec. 3, Fort Lewis will play the number six team, Le Moyne, a private college in Syracuse, N.Y. on a field at the University of Tampa.

The winner will play either Lees-McRae, ranked ninth, or Lewis, ranked 20th, on Dec. 5.

We wish the Fort Lewis team well. Team members have played skilled and aggressive soccer, with excellent defense and with a front line that can score. Those characteristics should result in two victories.

And, congratulations to the Fort Lewis College women's team, which had its best season yet with 18 wins, three losses and three ties. The team played one tournament game.

Soccer is the worldwide sport, and it is a credit to Fort Lewis that its play is of national quality.