DURANGO, Colo. — Jordan Alexander scored twice and Thomas Hoang added a goal and an assist as Fort Lewis (1-0-0 overall) defeated Montana State-Billings (0-1-0) 3-0 today at Dirks Field in the season opener for both teams.

After a scoreless opening frame, Alexander and Hoang worked some give-and-go magic early in the second stanza to give FLC a 1-0 lead. Alexander sent a ball down the right flank to Hoang, who centered a pass back to Alexander. His shot from the top of the box curled past the outstretched hands of MSUB goalkeeper Eoin Hurley into the upper left corner at 57:09.

Hoang buried his first goal of the season less than three minutes later when he sent a shot just inside the left post from 10 yards out. Hoang’s tally was set up by Casey Dean.

Alexander provided some insurance when he one-timed a right-to-left cross from Grant Duke at 78:27.

“We kind of expected the start we had because we had so many new guys,” said third-year Skyhawk skipper Oige Kennedy. “Not just our freshmen, but guys who were starting their first game. I thought in the second half we did a much better job of imposing ourselves on them.”

Alexander’s offensive outburst came as no surprise to Skyhawk fans, given he had a pair of markers in FLC’s intrasquad scrimmage two weeks ago and a goal in last Saturday’s alumni game.

“One of the biggest draws in the recruiting process was his ability to score,” Kennedy said of Alexander, who tallied five times as a true freshman in 2010. “Last season when he came off the bench and during our spring season, he scored goals. He’ll keep working to get better.”

Hoang, who was named to Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last month, made the most of limited minutes. Nagging injuries forced him out of the starting lineup, but the senior midfielder made an immediate impression by sending a shot just over the crossbar moments after entering the game during the waning minutes of the first half.

“I thought he had a great impact on the game,” Kennedy said of Hoang. “Last year he struggled a bit trying to carry the scoring burden. He’s carrying that burden a lot better this year and seems to be enjoying himself out there.”

FLC’s Ryan Wirth stopped made two saves in the first half, including a solid one on MSUB’s Garion Holian in the second minute after a defensive breakdown by FLC — the best scoring chance the Yellowjackets would muster. The shutout was the fourth of Wirth’s career.

Hurley made four saves for the Yellowjackets, including two acrobatic ones in the first half.

Fort Lewis outshot the Yellowjackets 19-2 overall, 7-2 in shots on frame. No cards were issued in the contest.

The Skyhawks nearly took a 1-0 lead just 20 minutes into the game when Fabian Kling’s free kick rang off the right post and across the goal mouth after blistering past the MSUB wall.

Today’s game marked the opener of the three-match Dirks Classic. Montana State-Billings will face Hawaii Pacific (0-0-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Dirks Field. Fort Lewis then faces Hawaii Pacific at 3:30 p.m. Monday.

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