Men lose to powerful Ft. Lewis

The CSU-Pueblo men’s soccer team saw its road trip come to a disappointing conclusion when the squad lost 3-0 to Fort Lewis.  After battling the Skyhawks to a 0-0 halftime score, the Thunderwolves surrendered three second half goals.  The men’s record is now 2-4.

The Fort Lewis men were ranked last week as the #13 team in the nation in Division II soccer, so it came as no surprise to Coach Roy Stanley how physical and smart the Skyhawks were.  Despite the quality of their opposition, the CSU-Pueblo men were able to take a 0-0 score line to halftime.

“They didn’t pressure us too much in the first half,” said Stanley.  “We had three or four good opportunities in the first half, and we even had what I thought was a penalty waved off pretty early on, so we were able to create some things.”

The CSU-Pueblo defense was probed but never broken through in the first half, so the Pack had reason to be optimistic after the break.

The Skyhawks, though, had other ideas.  “They came out and put an extra player up high in the second half, and that really hurt us.  They were able to put a lot of pressure on us, and we made some mistakes.”  After fouling a Fort Lewis player inside their own half, the Thunderwolves surrendered the first Skyhawk goal while defending the ensuing free kick.  A second goal followed ten minutes later, and the third came after a piece of counterattacking play caught the Pack off-guard.

“They’re a good team, and when you make mistakes in the final third, bad things happen,” said Stanley.  “As far as we’re concerned, I think that Chris Smith (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) had a good game, and he didn’t do anything wrong.  They’re just a good team.”

Stanley indicated that the team is a bit road weary after consecutive weekend road trips.  “We’re going to be glad to be home, that’s for sure,” he said.  The team will face off against Regis University on Friday, Sept. 19, at the friendly confines of the Rawlings Complex.