By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team closed the regular season with three consecutive shutouts thanks to goalkeeper Lucas Martin and defender Casey Stracher. At the same time, Skyhawks forward Gabriel Legendre scored four of the team’s six goals down the stretch. That standout trio swept the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s final weekly awards for the 2024 season.
The RMAC Men’s Soccer Championship starts with two matches on Sunday, Nov. 10: No. 4 seed UCCS hosts No. 5 seed Colorado School of Mines while No. 3 seed Fort Lewis hosts No. 6 seed MSU Denver.
All RMAC Championship events, including all five men’s soccer championship matches, will be broadcast pay-per-view on the RMAC Network. Purchase options for the fall championships were announced earlier Wednesday and are available at RMACSports.org/buyRMACtv.
Tickets for all RMAC Championship contests are available at RMACSports.org/tickets.
Offensive Player of the Week
Gabriel Legendre, Fort Lewis (5th Year, Forward, Rio Rancho, New Mexico)
Legendre scored four goals, including a hat trick, and powered Fort Lewis’ offense to three wins over the final three matches. He scored his first career hat trick in the Skyhawks’ 3-0 victory against Westminster, needing only three shots on goal. Legendre provided the first goal in a 2-0 win Colorado Mesa – his fourth consecutive goal scored for the Skyhawks. He was kept out of the goal in the season finale against Adams State but provided a full 90 to help secure a crucial win. Legendre finished the regular season with eight goals – third most in the league.
Honorable Mention: Tobi Osifodunrin, CSU Pueblo; Tiago Gomes, Colorado Christian; Daniel Paulsson, Colorado Mesa; Raul Gerhardus, Colorado School of Mines; Dallas Baer, MSU Denver; Liam Corr, Regis; Dani Barajas, UCCS; Landon Ward, Westminster.
Defensive Player of the Week
Casey Stracher, Fort Lewis (Jr., D, Kamas, Utah)
Stracher played a full 270 minutes and led a Fort Lewis defensive unit that did not allow a goal while permitting only 29 shots (13 on goal) and six corner kick attempts en route to a 3-0 regular-season finish. Offensively, the Skyhawks defender provided an assist on the second goal in a 3-0 victory against Westminster and scored an insurance goal in a 2-0 victory against Colorado Mesa.
Honorable Mention: Shjon Andrews, CSU Pueblo; Kensho Negi, Colorado Mesa; Charlie Newberry, Colorado School of Mines; Landry Parker, MSU Denver; Julian Fally, Regis; Luke Noameshie, UCCS; Deonate Ben, Westminster.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Lucas Martin, Fort Lewis (So., GK, Middlesbrough, England)
Martin came up big for the Skyhawks down the stretch, ending the regular season with three consecutive shutouts to help Fort Lewis claim the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Men’s Soccer Championship. He posted shutouts in Fort Lewis’ 3-0 win against Westminster, 2-0 win against Colorado Mesa, and 1-0 win against Adams State. Martin made 13 saves over the three-game stretch while facing 29 shots and defending against six corner shots. He finished the regular season with eight shutouts – fifth most among Division II goalkeepers.
Honorable Mention: Ruben Volkert, CSU Pueblo; Diego Chavez, Colorado Mesa; Caden Allaire, Colorado School of Mines; Nick McNeil, MSU Denver; Greg Squire, Regis; Soren Russell, UCCS; Roark Looney, Westminster.
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 15 member schools. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 65 NCAA Division II national champions and 52 national runners-up since 1992.
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