jdredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

The men’s soccer team faced a tough No. 22 Fort Lewis team Friday night, who was looking for a little retribution after dropping from their No. 1 ranking in a dissappointing loss early last week. CMU proved to be a tough opponent for the frustrated Skyhawks, however, and it showed in Fort Lewis’ gameplay and attitude.

“I thought Fort Lewis was out of control and undisciplined,” coach Josh Pittman said. “I think it had a lot to do with our style. We’re trying to be more organized than we’ve been in the past and adjust to the teams we play. It was getting frustrating for them to have to deal with.”

The game went scoreless for 109 minutes of play in the game with both team’s showing impressive defensive skills. The Mavericks first appeared to be in jeopardy when an uncontested shot by the Skyhawks hit off the top crossbar in the 110th minute. Fort Lewis was able to capitalize on another attempt when midfielder Yannis Becker scored off of a rebound off the top crossbar with less than 30 seconds on the clock to grab the Skyhawks’ fourth victory of the season.

“We gave the ball to them and they crossed it leaving Micah [Conrads] in no-man’s land,” Pittman said. “Their player made a great move, and we had two serious mistakes on that play. To be pretty much mistake-free for 109 minutes and then have that happen is painful.”

The loss dropped the Mavs to 2-2-1 (0-1-0) on the season with Sunday’s matchup against Colorado Christian looming, but it wouldn’t take long for the Mavs to get on the scoreboard in Sunday’s game.

The Mavericks’ first goal on the day came from Nestor Escobar off of a free kick in the 18th minute. Kevin Escobar and Jeremy Gwerder would both follow suit, with each scoring a goal in the first half to go up 3-0 at the half. Tim Hofer would later add a goal in the 84th minute to snag the 4-0 win over the Cougars. Marco Escobar was a standout as well for the Mavs with two assists in the game.

“We really wanted to come out strong and forget about Friday’s game,” Gwerder said. “It’s always tough after a game like that, but we came out and scored a few goals quick. it really takes the pressure off of the team.”

The Mavericks will look to build on their 3-2-1 (1-1-0) record when they face Adams State University Sept. 23 at Walker Field.