Kordistos scores twice to lead Skyhawks to 3-0 win over Sea Warriors
DURANGO, Colo. — Kosta Kordistos scored twice to lead Fort Lewis (2-0-0 overall) to a 3-0 win over Hawaii Pacific (1-1-0) today in the finale of the Dirks Men’s Soccer Classic at Dirks Field.
The freshman midfielder from Lippstadt, Germany, scored once with his head and another time with his foot to add insurance goals.
“Kosta came in and took advantage of his opportunities and put the ball in the goal,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy, who added that Kordistos saw increased playing time because illness limited the minutes of starting forward Jordan Alexander to just 25 minutes. Kordistos replaced Alexander in the lineup and never left the pitch.
All the offense the Skyhawks would need, though, was some nifty footwork from senior midfielder Joey Madigan early in the game. Fabian Kling, FLC’s senior captain who was chosen as the Preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, sent a ball over the top of the Sea Warriors’ defense that Madigan ran onto. Two touches later, he drilled a shot from the left side past HPU goalkeeper Mael Lefebvre to give FLC a 1-0 lead 17:05 into the contest. The goal was Madigan’s first of the season.
Ten minutes later, Kordistos would strike for the first time, heading a pass from Casey Dean past Lefebvre to make the score 2-0 at 27:06.
His second marker, which came in the 76th minute, was a blast from the center of the box after a receiving a tricky pass from senior midfielder Thomas Hoang.
The real story of the game, though, was FLC’s ability to shut down the potent HPU attack. The Sea Warriors failed to register a shot on goal and only launched three shots total.
The Skyhawk with the loneliest job on the field was Ryan Wirth, who didn’t face a shot on frame while extending his personal shutout streak to 295:45. The senior goalkeeper hasn’t allowed a goal since the 15:15 mark of the 2010 RMAC semifinals.
“I’m really proud of the defenders for limiting them to very few opportunities and making sure Ryan wasn’t the busiest guy on the field,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy.
Fort Lewis outshot Hawaii Pacific 23-3 overall, 9-3 in shots on frame. Lefebvre made six shots for HPU, including a spectacular diving stop on a blast off of Hoang’s foot in the early minutes of the game.
The physical contest saw 23 fouls whistled (12 by the Sea Warriors) and five cards issued. HPU’s George Fochive was sent off at 68:43 after picking up his second yellow card in less than five minutes.
The start of the game was delayed by 20 minutes due to lightning and heavy rains, but the contest was played under sunny skies and gusty winds as the seasonal afternoon monsoon blew through the area quickly.
Fort Lewis finished the Dirks Men’s Soccer Classic with a 2-0-0 record, having beaten both Montana State-Billings and Hawaii Pacific by 3-0 scores. The Sea Warriors finished 1-1-0, beating MSUB 2-0 on Saturday.
The Skyhawks continue their homestand this coming weekend with two matches against nationally ranked teams. Fort Lewis faces No. 15 Truman State (Mo.) (1-1-0 overall) at 3:30 p.m. Friday and arch rival and No. 9 Colorado Mines (2-0-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Dirks Field to conclude their nonconference schedule.
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