DENVER – The Roadrunners dropped three points to the #13 Fort Lewis Skyhawks in their final home game of the regular season in a 3-4 loss.
While the result may not have gone as they had hoped, there were still plenty of positives for the Roadrunners to take away from the day.
"We played great today. We battled a top-25 team and kept responding when they scored," head coach Nick Kirchhof said.
The game started quickly after senior defender Nicco Schiappa put the Roadrunners ahead in the fifth minute with a strong header into the back of the net off of the corner kick from Luke Bone.
Three of the next six goals all came within four minutes of each other. The Skyhawks evened things up at 1-1 in the 17th minute of the match, but it took sophomore midfielder Charlie Matsumoto just one minute and 11 seconds to put the Roadrunners back on top. Matsumoto received a pass from Dallas Baer at the top of the 18-yard box and danced his way through a pair of Fort Lewis defenders before sending the ball to the top-left corner of the net in the 18th minute of the match.
It took the Skyhawks only two minutes to tie things up once again at 2-2 in the 21st minute, and they would score once more just ten minutes later in the 31st minute – sending both teams into halftime with a 2-3 score.
Once the second half started, the Roadrunners dominated on possession and chances, outshooting the Skyhawks 13-2. The Roadrunners' third goal came in the 60th minute after forward Dallas Bear snuck the ball past the keeper on his first touch off of the assist from Luke Bone – his second assist for the day.
The Roadrunners continued to accrue chances as the game pressed on, but it was the Skyhawks who broke the tie in the 84th minute, the game-winner coming from Skyhawk midfielder Fabrizio Aguilera, who scored the team's third and fourth goals.
The Roadrunners finished with 17 shots (four on goal), the Skyhawks finished with 12 shots (five on goal).
"In the second half we dominated on the ball and created so many chances," said Kirchhof. "We were unlucky not to put a fourth goal past them."
Prior to the start of the game, defender Jonas Votaw, midfielder Parker Landry, defender Jackson Vander Ven, midfielder Noah Hannula, defender David Pena, defender Nicco Schiappa, defender Andres Arcila Saenz, and midfielder Luke Bone were all honored for Senior Day.
"I'm proud of this team and these seniors who have given everything they have to the program," said Kirchhof.
The main goal for the Roadrunners now is clear: get into the RMAC Tournament.
"We have a week to regroup and then fight to get into the conference tournament. I think we are a very dangerous team, we just need to make the playoffs now," said Kirchhof.
The Roadrunners (6-7-3 overall, 3-3-2 in the RMAC), will be on the road for the remainder of the regular season for a pair of local games. MSU Denver will take on Colorado Christian on Sunday, November 3, and then they will travel to Golden, Colorado to take on Colorado School of Mines on Wednesday, November 6.
