2010 Season Preview

2010 Alumni Games

Saturday, August 21st - The 2010 FLC soccer alumni games will be held on August 21, at Dirks Field on the Fort Lewis College campus. The women will kick of first, at 1pm, followed by the men at 4pm. The volleyball team will also hold their alumni game the same day, at 11am. A reception will wrap up Saturday's events - time and location TBD.

FLC Women

The 2010 Fort Lewis women’s soccer team enters the season with something to prove. In 2009 the Fort was prematurely eliminated from the national tournament at home in the first round. If historical trends are any sign, this year’s team will improve upon last season. Head coach Damian Clarke has taken the women’s soccer program to new heights every year at the helm, culminating with the first ever NCAA tournament game hosted at the Fort in 2009. That is not enough for Clarke or the group of seniors returning to lead the squad into the 2010 season.

"We have a very very good group and it will be up to me to make them better (than last year). It might take a couple weeks to get it right but once we do, we are going to make things difficult for people."

The group of seniors is led by Durango local and 2nd team All-RMAC Erika Shisler. She is joined by starting goal keeper Christine Schmelzle, Roxanne Baldwin, and Hillary Anderson. The players and the fans have high hopes for this team and group of players. Shisler is excited about the season and says, "We have a talented group of girls this year. True athletes with a positive mind set. I am excited to see what we will do and the level that we perform."

The women officially open their season with the Dirks Women's Soccer Classic, a four-team tournament hosted at Fort Lewis College, September 3rd & 5th. The FLC ladies will meet regional opponents St. Cloud State and Augustana (1pm Friday and Sunday). The women then hit the road for a few weeks, before hosting 6 consecutive home games from September 24th to October 13th. Good luck ladies!

FLC Men

The 2010 Fort Lewis men’s soccer team enters this season as the reigning national champions and holds the nation’s number one ranking in the country. Talk about a tough act to follow! The team will be led by head coach Ogie Kennedy, who is entering his second season as head coach, and five influential seniors. This year’s team will have a clear target on their back every time they step on the pitch.

Kennedy is not complacent with his early head coaching career success. “This year is going to be a lot different. Even when we can start training has been pushed back by the NCAA. We have a lot of work to get done.”

The senior group is diverse in position, talent, and personality. Jamie Cunningham carries a subtle confidence about him and states, “Yeah, we lost a lot of players but consider this; we have a core group of returning players, we picked up some quality talent during recruiting, and everyone is playing well as we enter pre-season. We have high expectations of returning to the final four.” Cunningham is joined by Kyle Wood, Abdel Becerra, Byron Cephers, and Kean Hamilton (who missed a large portion of the 2009 playoff run due to a shoulder injury). Kyle Wood was the 2009 NCAA tournament defensive MVP.

Defense of the 2009 Division II national title will begin September 3rd & 5th in Golden, CO against regional contenders Colorado School of Mines and West Texas A&M. The team goes to Missouri for a pair of regional matches the following week, before finally hosting CSU-Pueblo at Dirks field on September 19th. Good luck boys!

Chris Aaland, welcome back to Athletics

Congratulations to Chris Aaland on his new position as Assistant Athletic Director. Chris has been a top fan, supporter, and friend of the FLC soccer programs - and all athletics - since before most of us even considered playing college sports. We love you Chris, thanks for all you do!

Radio Broadcasts

All home games; plus the Men's and Women's games at Metro on October 15th and 17th..