DURANGO, Colo. — Thomas Hoang had a goal and an assist and Ryan Wirth recorded his 12th shutout of the season as No. 3 Fort Lewis (20-1-0 overall) defeated No. 19 Metro State (14-7-1) 3-0 today in the opening round of the NCAA Division II men’s soccer tournament.

“We got there in the end,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy. “I think we had five shots and three goals which is a good return. We were a bit more clinical in front of the game than we have been in the last few games. I was slightly disappointed with our possession. I thought we went north to south too quickly and didn’t allow the play to develop.”

The Skyhawks took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute when Hoang headed a crossing pass from the left flank by Alberto Capdepon-Rodriguez to Cory Dean, who collected it and fired a low shot from the top of the box that curled past Metro State goalkeeper Shailer Thomas. The marker was Dean’s second of the season and proved to be all the offense Fort Lewis would need.

Thomas kept the deficit one goal for the remainder of the first half, stopping Casey Dean on a pair of chances from the right side.

Fort Lewis added insurance in the 57th minute when Berekk Blackwell played a ball over the top of Metro’s line that Hoang fought off the defense and broke free for a one-on-one chance with Thomas that he converted for his eighth goal of the season.

Joey Madigan slid a free kick from 25 yards out past the wall and inside the far post at 64:19 to make the final margin 3-0 — his seventh of the year.

Shots favored the Roadrunners 17-9, but the Skyhawks were efficient, putting five on goal to just three for Metro State.

“We restricted them to long range efforts and I really don’t remember Ryan making a big save,” said Kennedy. The back four did a nice job keeping them from getting a lot of opportunities.”

Wirth stopped all three Roadrunner shots, while Thomas made a pair of saves for Metro State.

Fort Lewis will host the winner of tonight’s contest between No. 9 Incarnate Word (Texas) (13-2-3) and No. 4 Midwestern State (Texas) (13-3-1), being played at 6:30 p.m. (MST) in San Antonio. Kickoff for Sunday’s second round matchup is slated for 2:30 p.m. (MST) at Dirks Field.

Fort Lewis also hosts NCAA Division II Central Region women’s games this weekend. At 2 p.m. tomorrow, No. 16 Regis (14-5-0), seeded third, will face sixth seed Colorado Mesa (10-7-4) at Dirks Field. Tickets for Friday’s game cost $10 for adults, $5 for students (with ID), senior citizens (age 65 and older), and children (ages 6-12). Children five and younger are admitted free of charge.

Fans will be treated to a doubleheader Sunday, as the FLC women, seeded second in the Central Region, host the winner of tomorrow’s Regis vs. Colorado Mesa tilt at 11:30 a.m. at Dirks Field with the men’s game between the Skyhawks and either Incarnate Word or Midwestern State at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for the doubleheader cost $15 for adults, $8 for students (with ID), senior citizens (age 65 and older), and children (ages 6-12). Children five and younger are admitted free of charge. No single-game tickets will be sold on Sunday.

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