The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs soccer team, mired in a recent slump, came into Sunday's match desperately in need of a boost.
But to try to get it when you're shorthanded and playing Fort Lewis, the No. 5 ranked team in the nation, is like trying to start your diet at a Crispy Creme shop.
Cole Sweetser, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's leading scorer, had a hat trick in the first 22 minutes as the Skyhawks defeated the Mountain Lions 3-0 at Sand Creek Stadium.
The Mountain Lions (5-6-1, 3-3-1 RMAC) are now 1-4-1 in their past six matches.
Sweetser's first goal came in the eighth minute when John Cunliffe drove past the Mountain Lion defense to the goal line. His crossing pass found Sweetser running alone at the far post.
Less than three minutes later, Sean Flanagan sent a pass through traffic that found Sweetser in stride. His one-timer beat UCCS goalkeeper
Chris Hovasse (4-5).
Sweetser completed the hat trick with a penalty kick at the 21:05 mark.
The barrage left the Mountain Lions stunned.
"Fort Lewis always comes out to play," said midfielder
Matt Eshbach. "They have a great coach and he gets them fired up from the start."
While the Skyhawks came out strong, they here greatly helped by a patchwork UCCS defense. The Mountain Lions were playing without two starters, forward
Jeff Moore and defender
Art Cutter. Another starting defender,
Matt Lay, was injured early in the match.
"We played a great game except for the first 20 minutes," said Eshbach. "Against a great team like that, you have to come out strong from the start."
Despite the personnel losses, UCCS was able to hold Fort Lewis in check the final 70 minutes. Midfielder
Jeff Halligan and forward
Marcus Reynolds both took turns at defender, as did senior
Brian Thatcher, who played effectively despite being slowed by an assortment of ailments.
"We had some different guys in there who had something to prove," said Thatcher. "The biggest adjustment we made was knowing we didn't have any pressure on us."
But they did keep pressure on the Skyhawks, limiting them to eight second-half shots. When Fort Lewis did get a shot, Hovasse was there. The senior made three of his five saves in the second half.
"We regained some confidence and played like we're supposed to," said Thatcher.
That confidence was evident after the game, when the Mountain Lions were upbeat despite the unfavorable result. They were focused on the final 70 minutes rather than the first 20.
"I think it'll get us ready for the next couple of games," said Eshbach. "If we can keep playing like we did the last 70 minutes today, we should do well."
