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Nail-biters fall in women's favor
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Photo by Jeremy Billis • jbillis@mscd.edu Defensive back Shelley Radosevich looks to clear the ball upfield during the ‘Runners’ regular-season finale Oct. 22 at Auraria Field. After squeaking out a 1-0 win over Regis in the first overtime Oct. 20, the ‘Runners again found themselves with their backs to the wall against Fort Lewis. After giving up the 1-0 lead, Metro midfielder Jessica Brown drove in a Kylee Hanavan corner kick in the 83rd minute to give the ‘Runners their 61st consecutive win at home.

In a weekend opener meant to honor the nine Metro seniors playing the last of their regular season at Auraria Field, a freshman ended up giving the Roadrunners the overtime goal and a 1-0 win over crosstown rivals Regis University.

And despite the chilling wind coming in from the west, the ’Runners remained as hot as ever.

Forward Justine Montoya slipped a Jessica Brown pass into the left side of the net with one minute left in the first overtime to give Metro (19-1, 12-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) their 60th consecutive win at home and a crucial conference win.

“We knew (the win) wasn’t going to come easy,” Montoya said. “Obviously, going into overtime pushed us a bit, and we came out and finished it off.”

“It was a nail-biter,” defensive back Shelley Radosevich said. “I think that we learned a lot from our overtime loss to Texas A&M Commerce. We just came out more composed, and we knew that we were going to win. We just had to stay composed and find that goal.”

Although you wouldn’t know it by looking at the scoreboard, the ’Runners dominated the Rangers (10-6-4, 8-2-2 RMAC) throughout the game in shots on goal (17-4), corner kicks (5-0) and overall possession. But Regis maintained the tie late into the game by stacking seven and eight players near the goal and refusing Metro many open chances at the net.

Goalkeeper Rachel Zollner picked up her 18th win of the season against an anemic Ranger offense.

“The defense is just doing a great job,” Zollner said. “I mean, we all have our moments and stuff happens. But there’s no room for error, and we’ve just done a great job of stepping up.”

The defense was so staunch, in fact, that Zollner earned the win without having to make any saves.

“(Regis) is down some players and they’ve got some losses this season, but it doesn’t matter,” head coach Danny Sanchez said. “It’s always going to be a battle. I’m very pleased that we fought through it and, at the end of the day, I think we deserved the win.”

The regular season finale against Fort Lewis on Oct. 22 at Auraria Field proved to be another challenge for the ’Runners, who are consistently dominant at home.

Despite repeated attacks on goal, the ’Runners remained scoreless until midfielder Amira Ebel deflected a shot off the goalkeeper in the 27th minute to give Metro the temporary lead.

“I think we’re playing hard but it’s just getting harder,” Ebel said. “Since we’ve played these teams twice, it’s easier for them to key up on some players, and so everybody’s got to work harder now.”

The ’Runners held the lead until the Skyhawks’ Kate Mahler took a lead pass from Nichole Kluk and beat Zollner for the tying goal.

Despite beating the Skyhawks (12-7, 8-4 RMAC) with a 15-4 shot ratio, Metro struggled to muster another attack and was looking at their second overtime in as many games when midfielder Brown converted a Kylee Hanavan corner kick for the winning goal to give Metro a 2-1 win.

With the win, the Roadrunners tool their fifth consecutive regular-season conference title.
The assist was Hanavan’s second of the game and the only points of the weekend for the commanding senior forward.

“We came out to play today,” Hanavan said. “It’s unfortunate that they got a goal, but we came right back at them. In the end, it’s all about winning.”

Seniors Hanavan, Ebel, Radosevich, Zollner, goalkeeper Sarah Leonhard, defensive backs Kristen Sonsma and Brooke Kiefer, and forwards Kira Sharp and Alyssa Wolfer were honored prior to Sunday’s game against Fort Lewis. The moment was bittersweet for many.

“I couldn’t ask for a better senior group to graduate with,” Ebel said. “Every person works hard for the team, and we’re just a good group of seniors. Everybody else is looking up to us and playing for us, and that’s great.”

Several players reiterated Ebel’s admiration.

“I think these girls have a lot of heart,” Sharp said. “We all play for each other, and I think the upperclassmen are showing by example what everyone else needs to do and setting the standard for how Metro plays soccer.”

Despite the family and flowers, honors were quickly replaced by the business at hand as Metro prepares to host the RMAC tournament beginning Oct. 26. The ’Runners are the No. 1 seed and will face either Fort Lewis or CSU-Pueblo in the second round of the tournament on Oct. 27. The ’Runners have won 61 consecutive games at home.

“Every game’s numbered, and every home game is numbered,” Radosevich said. “But we just want to keep this home streak here alive and hopefully make it to the national championship.”