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  Home Page » Sports » College » Fort Women To Play For RMAC Title

Fort women to play for RMAC title

Herald Staff Report Only one team has beaten Metro State College more than once at Auraria Field in Denver in the Roadrunners' last 100 games.

Fort Lewis College will get another shot to add to that legacy.

The FLC women's soccer team came from behind in the second half Friday to defeat Colorado School of Mines 3-2 in the semifinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at Auraria Field in Denver.

"Honestly, the girls played well the first 10 minutes of the game, but when they scored their first goal, we just kind of sat down," Skyhawks coach Damian Clarke said. "We didn't do a whole lot after that.

"Realistically, we had no energy in the first half. The kids weren't really competitive. We were losing 50/50 balls, not playing physical. It could've been a 3-1 game really." Hayley Hollenga scored the game's first goal in the fourth minute.

"Unbelievable. Unbelievable," Clarke said of the goal. "It was just one of those, 'Are you kidding me?' I mean, I never scored a goal like that.

"She definitely earned her keep (Friday)." Hollenga dribbled through the defense on the right side of the pitch. She found space, then curled a shot into the side netting for a 1-0 lead.

Clarke, an FLC soccer alum, marveled at the goal.

Jessica Stark scored unanswered goals in the 18th and 36th minutes, respectively, to give Colorado Mines a 2-0 lead.

"We weren't marking up on the inside," Clarke said. "We looked bad." Fort Lewis, trailing 2-1 at halftime, tied the game on a goal by senior co-captain Jamie MacArthur in the 53rd minute of play. Erika Shisler, a former Durango High School standout, provided the centering pass that led to the tying goal.

"Come the second half, we were a whole lot more organized," Clarke said. "We just tore 'em apart. The ball started finding the feet of Jamie and Sam (Smith), and we were able to grab a hold of the game. When we found ways to get the ball to their feet, we just killed their will.

"After we scored that second goal, it was just a matter of time before we won that game." The teams stayed in a 2-2 stalemate until Hollenga scored on a header in the 83rd minute of the match.

The victory moves the FLC women's soccer team into the RMAC Tournament championship match at noon Sunday against rival Metro State, the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the 2004 and 2006 national champs.

Metro State beat No. 4 Regis 5-1 on Friday in Denver.

FLC (18-2-2) defeated Metro State in '06 to win the tournament and in '07 in the semifinals before winning the tournament title, both times in Denver.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com