DURANGO – The Skyhawks suffered their first loss in conference play Saturday as the #15 Metro State Roadrunners defeated Fort Lewis 9-3. The defensive battle was the first game the Skyhawks have hosted on the newly constructed Smith Complex on the north side of campus.
As soon as the opening whistle blew, the snow started coming down. Sometimes driving snow, the winter storm which had breezed past the city all day, consumed the field once the sun went down, drenching players and the field alike.
Despite the weather, the players seemed undeterred. After multiple possessions without points, Metro finally opened scoring with a fast break goal late in the first quarter. Metro would add another two in the second quarter before Ian Bragdon found the far corner to bring the Skyhawks back within two. Metro would get one more before half to bring the score to 4-1 after two quarters. The grudge match continued in the second half as both defenses refused to budge. Eventually Metro was able to pull away behind four goals from Anthony SanFilippo.
Both defenses played well through out the game with the difference being transition goals for Metro State. The Roadrunners were able to score twice in settled offense, with the other seven coming in transition or man up.
“I thought our defense played a great game tonight,” Head Coach Tom Mudrak said, “but on offense we have to shoot the ball better. Their goalie played well but we didn’t shoot well enough to win.”
Fort goaltender Hayden Pike finished with 14 saves in net for the Skyhawks. Meanwhile, Corey Henricksen scooped four groundballs in the losing effort.
The Skyhawks will travel to Denver this week to take on CU-Denver on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
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