Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — Kelsey Froehlich's penalty kick with 28:38 remaining in the game lifted No. 23 Regis (15-5-1) to their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's soccer tournament championship since 2003 today, as they defeated No. 3 Fort Lewis (17-2-1) 2-1 at Dirks Field.

With the win, the Rangers secured an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division II women's soccer playoffs, which begin next week. The Skyhawks must wait until 5 p.m. (MST) tomorrow when the NCAA releases its brackets. The selection show will be streamed live at www.ncaa.com.

“To be honest, I think it was a well-fought game from both teams,” said fourth-year FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “Both teams played really, really tough today. On the day they ended up being the better team.”

Hayley Hollenga gave the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead just 7:13 into the contest when she ran onto a long ball played over the top of the Regis defense by Lauren Riley. Hollenga drilled the shot past Rangers goalkeeper Ellen Augsburger for her team-leading 12th goal of the year.

The lead was short-lived, though, as C.C. Rinehart stripped the ball from Riley near the top of the box and walked into scoring position. Her pass across the box was broken up by FLC goalkeeper Christine Schmelzle, but Meghan Stuart got to the ball first and lifted a perfectly-placed shot into the goal and past a scrambling Schmelzle at 14:55. The goal was Stuart's fifth of the season.

Neither team could solve the opposing goalkeeper for the remainder of the first half, but Hollenga came close to netting her second goal of the game when she one-timed a shot from eight yards out just wide of the post in the 26th minute.

Four minutes into the second half, FLC's Erika Shisler had a one-on-one chance against Augsburger that missed to the right. Play continued to be tilted in FLC's favor for the first 15 minutes of the second stanza, with Augsburger making a couple of key saves.

Then in 61st minute, momentum swung Regis' way. Froehlich sent a shot wide at 60:28. Less than a minute later, she drilled her penalty kick into the far right corner of the goal, past a diving Schmelzle. It was Froehlich's first marker of the season.

Fort Lewis didn't register a shot in the final 34:25.

While Clarke was quick to congratulate the Rangers and longtime RU head coach J.B. Belzer for winning their fourth RMAC women's soccer tournament title — the Rangers previously won in 2003 (4-1 over Mesa State), 2001 (2-0 over Southern Colorado) and 2000 (4-1 over Mesa State) — he thought the loss might rally the Skyhawks for the NCAA playoffs.

“I think they've made us hungry again and we'll get better,” Clarke said. “The last time we lost, we reeled off 14 results [13 wins and one tie]. This might be what this team needs to improve again.”

The loss was FLC's first ever in the RMAC championship. In four previous RMAC title games, the Skyhawks defeated Regis on penalty kicks following a 1-1 tie through two overtimes in 1999, beat Regis 1-0 in 2006, beat CSU-Pueblo 2-0 in 2007 and defeated Metro State on penalty kicks following a 1-1 tie through two overtimes in 2009.

After the game, the league announced the 2010 RMAC All-Tournament Team. Players included:

• Amanda Rose Johnson, freshman, goalkeeper, New Mexico Highlands University
• Julissa Rodriguez, junior, forward, New Mexico Highlands University
• Anna Evans, freshman, midfielder, Colorado School of Mines
• Madyson Wellcome, freshman, defender, Fort Lewis College
• Taylor White, sophomore, defender, Regis University
• Elena Benavides, sophomore, midfielder, Fort Lewis College
• Meghan Stuart, freshman, forward, Regis University
• Emma Cannis, freshman, forward, Fort Lewis College
• Ellen Augsburger, freshman, goalkeeper, Regis University
• Hayley Hollenga, junior, forward, Fort Lewis College
• C.C. Rinehart, freshman, forward, Regis University

Rinehart was chosen as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.