#1 Rangers Defeat Fort Lewis 5-2
Maybin and Tarnoczi Net Two Apiece, #1 Rangers Defeat Defending National Champs Fort Lewis 5-2
DENVER, Colo.: Nationally ranked #1 Regis University men's soccer defeated the defending national champions Fort Lewis College 5-2 in an intense RMAC showdown Friday afternoon. The Rangers outshot the Skyhawks 17-6 on the day, while putting eight on goal.
Regis advanced their overall record to 12-0-1 and their RMAC record to 10-0, while remaining the only undefeated NCAA Division II men's soccer team.
Sophomore Adam Tormoehlen started the scoring momentum for the Rangers in the 12th minute of play. The ball was crossed and deflected, and Tormoehlen broght the ball down, finishing to the far post to put the Rangers up 1-0.
The Rangers brought the score to 2-0 in the 26th minute after Tormoehlen crossed in to senior Alex Tarnoczi. The forward took one touch to beat his defender and then beat the keeper to the near post from six yards out.
Before the half was over, the Skyhawks put one in of their own, bringing the score to 2-1. Fort Lewis evened the score 2-2 three minutes into the second half, but the goal would be the last they would see from their side for the rest of the match.
Shortly after Fort Lewis' goal, two Skyhawks were red carded and ejected from the match. The ejections would leave Fort Lewis with nine men on the field for the rest of the match.
It took sophomore Martin Maybin just 11 seconds in the 57th minute of play to score two goals, bringing the Rangers to 4-2. The first from Maybin came off a cross from Tormoehlen, his third assist on the day. He made a run to the center of the goal, finishing with a shot through to the back of the net.
"They are not as good as they have been, but this isn't just any game," commented Maybin. "We knew it would be a battle so it was good to get the first goal in."
On his second goal of the match and 11th of the season, junior Justin Ortinau served through to Maybin who beat the Skyhawk goalkeeper one-on-one and scored into an open net.
Tarnoczi would bring the score to 5-2 in the 64th minute. The Skyhawk keeper took a bad touch on the ball, which Tarnoczi saw as an opportunity. He won the ball and scored through an unattended goal.
"We were able to come out, keep the ball on the ground, move it around, and pressure their back to create those turnovers that led to our goals," stated Tarnoczi. "We are not going to look past this because we have a game on Sunday; we're going to enjoy it for the weekend and come out hard on Sunday."
Freshman Christian Nicolosi made one save during his 90:00 minutes in goal.
"The score line is flattering due to the circumstances we had in the game, but we are very pleased with how we played," commented head coach Tony McCall. "Playing against a team that is down two players is very difficult at times."
"I'm very pleased overall. It's a big game whenever we play Fort Lewis and as they are the current national champions, it was good to test ourselves against them today."
The Rangers travel to Grand Junction, Colo. on Sunday, October 21 to take on Colorado Mesa University at 3:00 PM.
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