Women's soccer captures third straight RMAC title
by Matthew Gunn
The Metropolitan
Metro's second-ranked women's soccer team beat their biggest rival, Regis, 2-1 Wednesday, Oct. 27 and clinched their third straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championship. The Roadrunners followed up the big win with a 4-0 shutout over the Colorado Christian Cougars and a 6-0 blowout of the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves.
The 'Runners finished the season in style, going 14-0 against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and 19-1 overall. Metro has dominated opponents over the course of their 17 game win streak, which includes seven shutouts in their last eight games. Not only is this their third straight regular season title, but the Roadrunners have not lost a game in conference play in the past three years.
"Regis is our big rival in the conference and in the region," said head coach Danny Sanchez. "It's always a battle; and the fact that it was for the RMAC title and the NCAA regional made it an extra big match."
The 11th ranked Regis Rangers (17-3, 14-2 RMAC) were looking to steal the 'Runners' momentum and get their chance at taking the regular season title. Regis came in with a 15 game winning streak on the line. Their last loss was to the Roadrunners on August 30. Neither win came easily for Metro.
The hard-fought game went scoreless through the first half, as each team's defense was unwilling to concede the first goal. Everything changed 10 minutes into the second half when senior Meisha Pyke scored off a corner kick to give Metro the lead. The lead didn't last, however, as the Rangers scored three minutes later to tie the game. The game remained deadlocked until Regis made a deadly mistake with 15 minutes remaining. A foul in the box gave the 'Runners a penalty kick. Senior Adrianne Almaraz was awarded the free shot. She did not waste her opportunity.
Danny Holland / The Metropolitan
Senior midfielder Ymara Guante gets fouled while attacking Regis in the 2-1 win Oct. 27. Guante's 16 assists places her first in the conference and fourth in the country. Guante has a total of 40 points.
"The ref made me put the ball in a hole in the grass," said Almaraz, who wasn't sure her shot would work from there. "I just hit it to the bottom left corner and it went in."
The big goal all but sealed the Roadrunners' chance at a regular season championship. Not only does the victory mean Metro will host the conference tournament this weekend (Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6), but it gives the team a good shot at hosting the NCAA regional, which begins on Nov. 11.
"We knew that they'd be some of the best competition we would face and we had to be prepared," said freshman goalkeeper Sarah Leonhard regarding the Rangers. "When we came out with the win we were all very excited about it."
After the emotional high of the Regis win, the Roadrunners wrapped up their season against two more conference opponents. The weekend began with a 4-0 win over Colorado Christian (0-15, 0,14) on Friday, Oct. 29. The defense was on its game and allowed only one shot to the Cougars in the match. The offense was overpowering, taking a total of 20 shots and scoring three of its four goals in the first 15 minutes of play. Junior Amy Leichliter got the scoring started five minutes into the game of a pass from senior Ymara Guante. Sophomore Kylee Hanavan scored the next two Roadrunner goals, both off assists from freshman Tiffani Tobar. Metro's fourth goal came from junior Jodi McGann. The win over Christian left only CSU-Pueblo in the way of Metro's third perfect conference record in three years.
The 'Runners traveled to Pueblo on Halloween and ended the year on a high note by blowing out the Thunderwolves (9-6-4, 6-4-4). Guante scored two goals in the first 17 minutes on her way to a five-point day. Later in the first half, Hanavan made her first of two goals bringing the score to 3-0 at the midway point. Five minutes into half number two, Pyke scored with a header that came off a corner kick. Hanavan accounted for another goal and scored a team-high of six total points on the day. Senior Elin Otter capped off the goal parade with one late in the second half.
Metro finished off another successful season and can now look forward to the RMAC and NCAA tournaments. Strong team effort has contributed to the success of many individuals on the team. Hanavan is the seventh leading scorer in the country with 1.29 goals per game, while Guante's consistent effort has landed her at fourth in the nation in assists per game. Behind a strong defense, Leonhard has become the sixth leading goalie in the nation with a .329 goals against average. This year's team features four of the top five in assists and four of the top six overall scorers in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In those two categories are Hanavan, Leichliter, Guante, and Marina MacDonald.
The RMAC tournament begins on Friday with a game between Regis and CSU-Pueblo at Auraria field. The winner of that game will play Metro on Saturday, Nov. 6 in the conference final. The outcome of the conference tournament will determine where the 'Runners will play in the NCAA regional which begins next Thursday, Oct. 11.
"We need to focus on Saturday," said Pyke. "The most important game is the next game. Always." |
