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Men's soccer one and done in NCAA championship
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

All season the Metro men’s soccer team has had their twists and turns, and around each was the Fort Lewis Skyhawks. Since the beginning of the season, the Skyhawks have put the Roadrunners in their place as the second-best team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

So it was only fitting for Metro to face Fort Lewis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to see if they could overcome the one team they could not defeat in three previous tries.

But Metro was once again shut out by Fort Lewis, 3-0, in the Nov. 3 tournament game in Durango.

The ’Runners went 0-4 against Fort Lewis this season and were outscored 13-0 in those contests. The Skyhawks finished the season 19-1 and ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division II.

Metro was outshot 14-7 by Fort Lewis and only put two of those shots on goal. The Skyhawks scored one goal in the first half and two in the second. Midfielder Ben Gantenbein scored the game-winning goal in the 35th minute when Metro goalkeeper Jordan Ivey made a save on forward David Barden’s shot. Ivey could not keep hold of the ball, and Gantenbein kicked the rebound into the net.

Senior midfielder Antonio Porras, playing his last game with Metro, tried to tie the game before the half, but Fort Lewis goalkeeper Tom Donley was there to make the save with three seconds left before the break.

Barden scored in the 86th minute on a header off a cross pass from midfielder Jeff Jennings to put the Skyhawks up by two goals. Fort Lewis added one more in the half, while Metro couldn’t manage a shot on goal.

The loss ended the Roadrunners’ season, leaving a sour note for Porras’ last college game. Metro finished with a 14-7-1 record, 10-5 in the RMAC, and now look to next season, where they will have every player from this year’s team minus Porras.

Although it’s tough to think about the potential this Roadrunners team had this year, next year looks just as promising with strong returning players such as starting forwards Shaun Elbaum and Philip Owens, starting defensemen Andrew Donnelly and Garrett Sadusky, and starting goalkeeper Jordan Ivey.