Fort Lewis College head men's soccer coach Oige Kennedy was named the 2011 NSCAA/MONDO National
Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America
announced last week at its annual convention and awards banquet.
"Recognition by your peers is always special," said FLC Director of Athletics Gary Hunter.
Fort Lewis College men's soccer coach Oige Kennedy announced that English-born player Sameth
Al-Basith has enrolled in classes this semester and has joined the Skyhawks in their defense of the
NCAA Division II national championship.
"Sameth is a player that we are extremely excited to add to our roster for the upcoming spring,"
said Kennedy, who guided the Skyhawks to their third NCAA Division II title since 2005 last
month.
- Carly Nelson, left, makes an leaping effort to connect with the ball against Skyhawk Sara Egbom
during an Oct. 9 match in December. Metro State and Fort Lewis each made it into the women's NCAA
Division II tournament. (Photograph by Joel Baud/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
The NCAA Division II soccer tournament will have plenty of Colorado representatives after
announcing the brackets for the men's and women's tournaments on Monday evening.
- Carly Nelson, left, makes an leaping effort to connect with the ball against Skyhawk Sara Egbom
during an Oct. 9 match in December. Metro State and Fort Lewis each made it into the women's NCAA
Division II tournament. (Photograph by Joel Baud/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
The NCAA Division II soccer tournament will have plenty of Colorado representatives after
announcing the brackets for the men's and women's tournaments on Monday evening.
After two straight losses, the Colorado School of Mines squad made sure that senior night
included a win to remember.
Five players scored as the Orediggers pounded the Adams State Grizzlies 8-1 on Friday night in
Golden. Tesho Akindele led the assault, scoring his first goal in the fifth minute, en route to his
sixth career hat trick.
Marc Herschberger scored 3:44 into the first overtime as Metro State upset No. 11 Colorado Mines
2-1 on Sunday at home.
It was the second win over a top-25 team in the past week for the Roadrunners, who improved to
6-2-1 overall and 4-1-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. CSM fell to 6-2-0 and 4-1-0.
Metropolitan State College of Denver and the Colorado School of Mines played into the dark and
into a second overtime period before someone finally found a goal on Friday night.
The game, which started in Golden at 7:30 p.m., looked like it could stretch into days before
someone found a difference maker.
Megan Striedel headed a perfectly-placed corner kick into the center of the net with 2:37
remaining to lift No. 18 Fort Lewis (6-0-1 overall, 3-0-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic
Conference) to a 2-1 win over a spirited Colorado Mesa (3-4-0, 2-1-0) squad Wednesday at Dirks
Field.
"I knew it was obviously going to be a very tough game," said FLC head coach Damian Clarke.
Mash Shaswar scored 2:30 into the second overtime to lift the University of Colorado Colorado
Springs to a 2-1 victory over the Colorado State-Pueblo Thunderwolves Wednesday evening at the
Rawlings Soccer Complex.
A UCCS throw-in in the second extra period turned into a free-for-all in front of the CSU-Pueblo
net.
Kaylee Smith scored her first goal of the 2011 season on Wednesday night as the Grizzlies won
their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game of the season 1-0 over the New Mexico Highlands
University Cowgirls.
Smith's goal, which came in the 61st minute, came on one of her six shots she had during the
contest.
Megan Striedel scored a pair of goals and Emma Cannis notched three assists as No. 3 Fort Lewis
(5-0-1 overall, 2-0-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) defeated Nebraska-Kearney (2-4-0,
0-2-0) 4-2 Sunday at Dirks Field.
Forward Hayley Hollenga — FLC's career leader in goals (36), assists (25), and total points
(97) — had a goal and an assist on a day that saw her accept an award as the fan choice for best
Skyhawk player ever at the school's Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony and All-Century Team
celebration.
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team answered the No. 13-ranked
Colorado School of Mines Orediggers twice Sunday, but ran out of time in its search for a third
reply in a 3-2 defeat at CSM Soccer Field.
The Orediggers took leads at 1-0 and 2-1, but the Mountain Lions tied the match shortly
afterward each time.
No. 11 Metro State opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a 5-1 victory over Adams
State at home on Friday.
The Roadrunners improved to 5-0-0 overall, while ASC fell to 3-2-0.
The Grizzlies came out on fire, with Autumn Boyer giving Adams State a 1-0 lead at 3:18.
Metro State rallied to take a 2-1 lead at halftime, tying the game at 38:19 on an own goal after
Nicole Pollack's shot from the top of the box was deflected into the net by an ASC defender.
Fort Lewis scored in the second minute, added some second half insurance, then withstood a
furious rally to defeat No. 8 Colorado Mines 2-1 on Sunday 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.
Colorado Springs sides faced some extra work on Sunday, as the Mountain Lion men faced a
naitonal power from Texas, while the women went into overtime against a side from Kansas.
For the men, a pair of penalty kicks was too much to overcome as Colorado Colorado Springs was
beaten 2-0 by the No.
The Colorado Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's soccer teams had a flawless Friday as
six teams took the pitch for nonconference matches and all six notched wins.
The day included overwhelming triumphs from Colorado School of Mines and Adams State College,
and nailbiters for Metropolitan State College of Denver and Colorado Christian.
The Colorado Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's soccer teams had a flawless Friday as
six teams took the pitch for nonconference matches and all six notched wins.
The day included overwhelming triumphs from Colorado School of Mines and Adams State College,
and nailbiters for Metropolitan State College of Denver and Colorado Christian.
Jordan Alexander scored twice and Thomas Hoang added a goal and an assist as Fort Lewis defeated
Montana State-Billings 3-0 at Dirks Field in the season opener for both teams.
After a scoreless opening frame, Alexander and Hoang worked some give-and-go magic early in the
second stanza to give FLC a 1-0 lead.
Follow the bouncing ball. It's time for another college soccer, only this one will be without
Steven Emory, the two-time RMAC player of the year, who moved up to the MLS. (Photograph by Jessica
Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
For The Thursday List, we took a look back at past RMAC soccer champions and a look ahead to the
coming season as we considered the top picks to take men's and women's crowns this season.
The Fort Lewis College women's soccer team is ranked No. 7 in the preseason NCAA Division II
poll, with Regis University sneaking into the rankings at No. 22.
The Skyhawks were ranked in 11 of the NSCAA's 12 national polls in 2010, attaining a
program-high No. 3 ranking. FLC finished No. 7 in the final poll of the season.
The Fort Lewis College women's soccer team is ranked No. 7 in the preseason NCAA Division II
poll, with Regis University sneaking into the rankings at No. 22.
The Skyhawks were ranked in 11 of the NSCAA's 12 national polls in 2010, attaining a
program-high No. 3 ranking. FLC finished No. 7 in the final poll of the season.
Colorado School of Mines and Regis University were each ranked in the top 25 men's NCAA Division
II preseason poll.
The Orediggers and Rangers (No. 18) were the only RMAC men's teams included in the preseason
ranks.
Mines men's soccer team ranked ninth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America
Division II Pre-Season Poll.
Steven Emory makes a scissors stop while practicing with the Rapids on Feb. 25, 2011, in
Commerce City. Emory, the two-time RMAC player of the year, became the first former Roadrunner to
make it to the MLS. (Photograph by Joel Baud/ColoradoSoccerNow.com.)
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Steven Emory, became the first Roadrunner
to make it into the top flight of U.
