Fort Falls to Montana State in RMLC Fight

The Fort Lewis College Skyhawks came out firing against RMLC rival Montana State, but ran out of gas on the way to a 16-10 defeat.  The loss drops FLC to 6-3 on the season, and the victory puts MSU in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the RMLC D2 playoff hunt.  Many factors contributed to the Fort loss, such as a long road trip that saw them play 4 games in 7 days and lose several players to injury along the way.  In the end, those are just excuses, and the Skyhawks failed to execute when they needed to.  Tired legs were evident in the second half, as the Skyhawk defense was exposed by a strong and hard shooting Bobcat attack unit, and a hard dodging midfield.  Fort Lax never gave up, as Max Segal returned to form with 3G and 3A and the offense got goals from backup attackmen Trevor Leahy and Zane Bilgrav.  Faceoff man Brooks Wilcox won 12 of 18 faceoffs (66%) to help keep FLC in the contest.  The Fort must regroup quickly, as their next RMLC showdown comes in Greeley, CO this Saturday at 2:30pm.  Two losses in a row will likely move the Skyhawks out of the top 25 for the first time this season, but the goal of a RMLC championship remains the same, and the team’s most likely route to the MCLA National Championships.

The Fort jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring 3 times in the first 5 minutes of the game, but couldn’t manage another goal in the first quarter.  MSU made some critical adjustments on both sides and showed why they had 4 of their last 5 games end in one-goal losses, they never stopped working.  While it was not the cleanest lacrosse game, it was a great improvement from the Fort’s last game, where violent play went uncalled and players got hurt.  Both teams played with class while still being physical and showing why they have some of the best talent in RMLC D2.  Hopefully, a playoff rematch will see a meeting of both teams in the RMLC championship game.  To get there, the Fort will likely have to win twice against the rival UNC Bears.  It is going to be an exciting final month in the RMLC, stay tuned!