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No. 20 Roadrunners stun 11th-ranked Fort Lewis in overtime
Aleah DeGeneres scored on a cross from Madison McQuilliams in the 103rd minute to give No. 20 Metro State a 3-2 victory over No. 11 Fort Lewis on Friday afternoon at Auraria Field. It was the first loss of the season for Fort Lewis and marked the first time the Skyhawks had allowed a goal in 2009.
Metro State improved to 3-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, 6-1 overall. The Skyhawks dropped to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the RMAC.
Just over two minutes into the second overtime, McQuilliams intercepted a goal kick by Fort Lewis goalkeeper Christine Schmelzle on the right side. McQuilliams sprinted ahead to set up a two-on-one, and DeGeneres punched in McQuilliams’ cross with her left foot.
The winning goal came after the teams traded scoring opportunities in overtime. Fort Lewis missed high twice, but Metro State came back with two shots on goal, leading to
spectacular saves by Schmelzle to extend the game. DeGeneres came in from the left side and took a shot from just 10 yards out for the first save. The second save came from directly in front of the net from eight yards as Schmelzle made a kick save on an attempt by Jen Thomas.
The teams also had chances in the closing minutes of regulation: DeGeneres had a shot blocked, and Thomas missed wide left in the 88th minute; Skyhawks forward Hayley Hollenga missed an open net from right in front just a minute later. Maloney stopped another shot
attempt by Hollenga in the final minute.
In the 82nd minute, DeGeneres scored the goal that erased a 2-1 Fort Lewis lead and eventually sent the game to overtime. Metro defender Courtney Ryan played centered the ball in front of the Skyhawks’ goal, but Schmelzle mishandled it. DeGeneres chested the ball in from the left side of the net to tie the score. The match was DeGeneres’ first multigoal game at Metro State.
Fort Lewis led at the intermission on the strength of first-half goals by Elena Benavides and Torrey Larson. Benavides scored in the 18th minute, when Roadrunner defenders failed to clear a bouncing ball. Benavides controlled it and scored from 20 yards out on the left side. Then Larson collected her fourth goal of the season when a Metro State defender fell down, leaving Larson one-on-one with goalkeeper Becca Maloney.
Becca Mays’ fifth goal of the season was the game’s first goal. Mays scored seconds near the 10-minute mark. Ryan’s pass from midfield set Mays up with a one-on-one from the left.
Schmelzle made nine saves in the match, and Maloney made five saves to earn the victory for Metro State.
The Roadrunners return to action on Wednesday, when they host Mesa State at 2:30 p.m. at Auraria Field. Fort Lewis hosts the Colorado School of Mines at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
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