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'Runners can't hold down the Fort
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

Photo by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu Metro defender Pat Laughlin fights Regis defender Parker Helkes for possession of the ball Sept. 20 at Auraria Field. The Roadrunners beat rival Regis 3-0 but were unable to stand up to No. 1-ranked Fort Lewis in a 2-0 loss on Sept. 22. The ‘Runners were competitive in the first half but were put away when the Skyhawks scored a controversial goal in the second half.

There is a saying in sports: “Never put the game in the referee’s hands.” However, the referees used those hands to grab the game away from the Metro men’s soccer team in a hard-fought battle against the No. 1 team in the country, Fort Lewis, in a 2-0 loss at Auraria Field Sept. 22.

The anticipated matchup between the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference powerhouses, Metro and Fort Lewis, proved to be worth the billing as the Skyhawks used a late goal by RMAC Preseason Player of the Year John Cunliffe to keep their perfect season intact. The goal, however, came with a questionable call by the referees.

Fort Lewis forward Chris Ye appeared to be offsides as the Skyhawks were in possession of the ball. The referee’s flag went up to show that he knew about the offsides, and Metro coaches and players yelled that the game should be stopped. The game didn’t stop, and Cunliffe went on to score his league-leading 13th goal.

Madness ensued as Metro’s coaches rushed onto the field and yelled in dismay about the apparent blown call. The referees moved the coaches back onto the sideline as they huddled and discussed the call. After a few minutes of deliberation, the referees upheld the goal, saying that Ye was offside until Metro gained control of the ball, canceling out the offside. The goal put the score at 2-0 with 10 minutes left in the game.

“The referee had his flag up for an offside that he admittedly called,” Parsons said. “His judgment was that we cleared the ball to negate the offside call, but we didn’t see it that way.”

“My view was that I saw the ref bring his flag up for a split second,” said Metro defender Pat Laughlin, who was in the center of the play. “But after that, if they score a goal, you obviously have to complain about that, and the call didn’t go our way. But it’s soccer. You can’t really take it back.”

Fort Lewis head coach Jeremy Gunn agreed with the referees’ call and was glad his team stay focused and continued to play.

“We played a ball forward and it got nowhere near our striker, who made an attacking run,” Gunn said. “But they (Metro) won the ball, went into the attack and at that point in time, it’s a new phase of play. There are always going to be some turning points, and coaches are always going to be looking for everything.”

The Roadrunners’ defense did an exceptional job keeping the highest-scoring team in the RMAC (four goals per game) to only two goals. They only allowed 12 shots from a Skyhawks team that averages 19 per game.

Laughlin believes this was the best game his team has played all year. And though he thinks that the controversy could have had an impact on the outcome of the game, Laughlin believes his team is on their way toward becoming a great team.

The offense put forth a great effort but looked tired at times, and substitutions were frequently made, especially with the forwards. The Roadrunners had six shots, but only two were anywhere near on target. The scoreboard didn’t show the tenacity the ’Runners brought to Auraria Field against the best team in Division II.

“I thought Metro came out and played extremely well,” Gunn said. “It is always such an excited game against Metro. It’s always a great battle and if they could have gotten the ball to drop once for them, it is a different game.”

Parsons thought his team did a good job of competing for 90 minutes against the highly ranked Fort Lewis and said his team truly gave a good game.

“If we can play the No.1 team this well, we certainly have our fate in our own hands in the rest of the schedule,” Parsons said. “As long as we beat the teams for the remainder of the season, I have a feeling we will probably see (Fort Lewis) down the road.”

In the previous game, Metro took care of business against the struggling Rangers of Regis, beating them 3-0 Sept. 20 at Auraria Field.

The Roadrunners outshot Regis 19-5, with midfielder Antonio Porras and defender Jimmy Kunclrs each adding a goal and an assist, to defeat the Rangers for the second time this season.

“As a team, you always learn more from a loss than you do from a win,” Metro head coach Ken Parsons said. “We thought (Regis) was going to have an advantage with the opportunity to learn something from the 3-0 loss at their place, and I thought we played much better than we did the first time.”

The shutout was Metro’s fifth of the season, with the ’Runners’ back four limiting shot opportunities and keeping the opposing offenses from finding their rhythm. Defender Andrew Donnelly has been one of the key factors in keeping zeros on the opposing teams’ scoreboards.

“I just think we came together as a unit in the back,” Donnelly said. “We are starting to play well and it’s coming together for us.”