Striedel brace key in win
Megan Striedel scored a pair of goals and Emma Cannis notched three assists as No. 3 Fort Lewis (5-0-1 overall, 2-0-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) defeated Nebraska-Kearney (2-4-0, 0-2-0) 4-2 Sunday at Dirks Field.
Forward Hayley Hollenga — FLC’s career leader in goals (36), assists (25), and total points (97) — had a goal and an assist on a day that saw her accept an award as the fan choice for best Skyhawk player ever at the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony and All-Century Team celebration.
The top 100 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators in school history were honored at the brunch and four individuals were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Hollenga started the scoring just 10:53 into the game when she netted her fourth goal of the season after beating UNK goalkeeper Marissa Niday. Sara Egbom played a long ball through the Loper defense to assist on the play.
Striedel pushed the lead to 2-0 when she tapped in a crossing pass less than four minutes later. Hollenga found Cannis open on the left side and Cannis feathered a pass across the goal mouth at 14:43.
Seemingly in control of the game, Fort Lewis had a couple of defensive lapses during the next five minutes, allowing Nebraska-Kearney to strike twice in a two-minute span to level the score. Ashtin Pawloski got the Lopers on the board at 18:17 after Raliegh Mercer slid a pass to her on the right side. Mercer tied the game at 19:50 on a well-placed shot from near the top right side of the box. Talisha Krason assisted on the goal.
Cannis then took over by assisting on two goals in a 56-second span. She played a ball across the goal to Striedel at 23:24, then found Shea Haycock at 24:20 to extend the lead to a two-goal advantage.
Amanda Raso made a pair of saves while improving her record to 5-0-1 this season. Niday stopped nine shots for UNK.
Next Up: Fort Lewis wraps up its three-game homestand when it hosts Colorado Mesa (2-3-0, 1-0-0) at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
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