A couple of posts here, a big save there.
No. 18 Metro State hung on with all of its might against a No. 1 Fort Lewis College mens soccer team bent on not losing its perfect record. The end result gave the Roadrunners something no other team has had all year: a win over the Skyhawks.
Josh Buysses penalty-kick goal in the 46th minute put Metro State up 1-0 after an evenly matched first half, and thats how it ended Friday at Dirks Field.
The Roadrunners were able to battle the Skyhawks neck and neck throughout, pressuring Fort Lewis possession game into some uncharacteristic turnovers.
Always tough games, physical games against Metro, and to be honest, they deserved to win (Friday). They played better than we did, Fort Lewis head coach Oige Kennedy said.
Off of one of those giveaways, T.J. Thiebaut, who was a thorn in FLCs side all afternoon with his speed and pressure at striker, found himself in the penalty area and was taken down.
Buysse stepped to the line and fired low to the left side, and although FLC goalkeeper Ryan Wirth guessed correctly, he couldnt alter the shot as it buried itself in the back of the net.
Im not really sure how the ball ended up in the box, but (Scott) Grode ended up getting free, splitting between me and Jones (Johannes Sander). I slid and poked it out. It fell to one of their players, and from there they called the penalty, FLC defender Berekk Blackwell said.
Fort Lewis (13-1-0, 9-1-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) tried mightily to find an equalizer. Casey Deans cross in the 62nd minute found Thomas Hoangs head, but Metro keeper Shalier Thomas got a piece of the shot to tip it over the crossbar, and Thomas snuffed Hoangs volley attempt three minutes later.
Artur Piperkovs shot from distance ricocheted off Thomas, who made seven saves, but FLC couldnt quite get a shot off in the ensuing scramble in the 74th minute. Alberto Capdepon-Rodriguezs free kick for the Skyhawks in the 78th minute found just enough of Thomas fingers to deflect off the crossbar.
It just didnt seem to be our day; the ball wasnt going to go in for us, Kennedy said. But youre playing against the No. 18 team in the country. They arent going to be any pushovers.
To add insult to injury, Hoang took his second yellow card of the game in the 81st minute and was ejected, meaning hell be unavailable for Sundays key RMAC matchup with Regis. Seven cards were issued, with four to Fort Lewis and three to Metro State (8-5-1, 6-4-0 RMAC), which held an 18-15 advantage in shots.
A bit of petulance on his side. Really dont want to see that ill discipline with our players, Kennedy said about Hoang.
With another tough test looming with the Rangers, the Skyhawks have little time to dwell on the first adverse result of their season. Blackwell said FLC, which still sits first in the RMAC, will have to forget quickly in order to get a result in a game without Hoang, captain Fabian Kling and Kosta Kordistos.
We do need to show a little bit of amnesia and come out and forget this one quickly, Blackwell said.
rowens@durangoherald.com
Reader Comments