No. 18 Skyhawks hold on for 2-1 win over Orediggers

September 11, 2011

DURANGO, Colo. — No. 18 Fort Lewis (4-0-0 overall) scored in the second minute, added some second half insurance, then withstood a furious rally to defeat No. 8 Colorado Mines (2-1-0) 2-1 today before 473 fans at Dirks Field.

Freshman Kosta Kordistos started the scoring early, slipping a shot past CSM goalkeeper Manville Strand and inside the far post just 1:43 into the game. Kordistos, who netted his third marker of the year, was sprung by a deft through ball off the foot of senior Thomas Hoang.

“We tried to make sure we had a good, positive start,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy. “Last year we had such a bad start against Mines at home, we had something to prove.”

In 2010, Mines struck paydirt three times in the first 32 minutes on their way to an eventual 4-2 win at Dirks Field. The Orediggers were 2-0-1 against the Skyhawks in three meetings a year ago.

The Skyhawks nearly made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when freshman midfielder Alberto Capdepon Rodriguez beat Strand on a one-v-one opportunity, but rang his shot off the far post. The ball skipped across the goal line and Kordistos collided with a Mines defender while scrambling for the rebound. The collision forced the freshman from the game with a leg injury.

Fort Lewis dominated Colorado Mines throughout the first half, launching nine shots, including seven on target. Strandt answered the call, making six saves during the frame.

The field tilted in the Orediggers’ favor in the second stanza, though, as the preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference favorite peppered the FLC defense with 12 shots.

“In sports, you lose confidence a lot quicker than you gain it,” said Kennedy. “All credit to them. They’re a good, strong team ranked in the Top 10 in the nation — a place they deserve to be.”

Redshirt freshman midfielder Aaron Kloer scored what proved to be the game-winner when he headed home a perfect cross from Joey Madigan at 65:34 from point-blank range. Kloer’s marker was the first of his collegiate career.

The Orediggers were finally able to break through at 72:49, when Preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year Chike Sullivan buried a pass by Tesho Akindele.

The score cut the Skyhawk lead in half and ended FLC goalkeeper Ryan Wirth’s shutout streak at 457:34 — one that extended to the 15:15 mark of the 2010 RMAC semifinals and stretched over parts of six games.

“He was very commanding back there,” Kennedy said of Wirth, who finished with three saves and was on his toes all day long beating Oredigger defenders to balls over the top and loose balls in the box. “The guys in front of Ryan have a lot of confidence in him.”

Wirth’s counterpart, Strand, made nine saves for the Orediggers. None was bigger than a sprawling save off a header by freshman defender Artur Piperkov in the 80th. In a near carbon copy of Kloer’s goal, Piperkov raced in on the right side and headed a ball toward the far post. Strand dove hard right and just got his fingertips on Piperkov’s shot that was ticketed for the side netting.

Mines owned an 18-14 advantage in overall shots, but FLC had a commanding 11-4 lead in shots on frame. Corner kicks were level at seven apiece.

Although the meeting between the two RMAC arch-rivals doesn’t count in the league standings, it was certainly a spirited affair. Thirty fouls were whistled (19 against FLC) and four yellow cards were issued (three against the Skyhawks).

Fort Lewis finished its nonconference slate with a perfect 4-0-0 record, outscoring its opponents 10-1.

“I think it’s a reward for how hard we’ve worked in preseason,” said Kennedy. “The guys came back in good shape and have been working really hard.”

The Skyhawks open RMAC play next Sunday when they travel to Pueblo to face Colorado State-Pueblo at 2:30 p.m.