KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team (14-1-0 overall, 10-1-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) dropped two spots to No. 3 in eighth NCAA Division II poll of the season, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Continental Tire announced earlier today.

The Skyhawks, who were ranked No. 1 in the past two polls, went 2-1-0 last week, sandwiching a 1-0 loss to then No. 18 Metro State between a pair of victories over Colorado Mesa (1-0 last Wednesday) and Regis (4-0 last Sunday.

“Obviously, we suffered our first loss of the season, but it was to a good opponent,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy. “We’re happy to still be ranked near the top,.”

The Skyhawks conclude their regular season home schedule with a pair of games this coming weekend. They host Colorado Christian (0-13-1, 0-10-0) at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Colorado State-Pueblo (4-8-3, 4-5-2) at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Fort Lewis has a commanding eight-point lead with two weekends remaining in the chase for the RMAC regular season championship. (Three points are awarded for a victory, one point for a tie.) FLC’s magic number to clinch is two points, meaning a win on Friday sews up the RMAC regular season crown.

“The big thing for us is knowing that another win puts the conference title in the bag for us,” said Kennedy. “Our seniors will be represented before the game on Sunday, so it’s a big occasion for them and something we’re looking forward to.”

Berekk Blackwell, Cory Dean, Thomas Hoang, Fabian Kling, Joey Madigan, and Markus Lux will all don the home whites for the final regular season game of their careers. Additionally, Ryan Wirth is listed as a senior on the roster, but could return for a fifth season next year should he choose.

The RMAC continued to place three teams in the Top 25 in the sixth coaches’ poll of the season: No. 3 Fort Lewis, No. 19 Metro State (9-5-1, 7-4-0), and No. 23 Colorado Mines (9-4-1, 7-3-1). Regis (9-3-1, 6-3-1) also received votes.

The Skyhawks rank highly amongst NCAA Division II leaders. Wirth leads the nation in goals against average (0.333) and save percentage (.904). Hoang ranks second in assists (10) and third in assists per game (0.71).

As a team, Fort Lewis leads the nation in goals against average (0.333) and save percentage (.904), ranks third in shutout percentage (0.67), third in won-loss-tied percentage (.933), and seventh in total goals (36).

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