Bryan Eisenbraun spent most of Saturday icing his left eye in the hopes the swelling would recede, enabling him to see clearly today when Fort Lewis takes on Franklin Pierce (16-5-5) in the NCAA Division II soccer championships at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Eisenbraun, a senior from Green Mountain High, is the captain of the top-ranked Skyhawks (21-0-1) and the anchor of a defense that has allowed just 0.59 goals per game.
“He’s a perfect captain, an absolute warrior,” Fort Lewis coach Jeremy Gunn said. “If anyone can carry an injury through to the final, it is him.”
Eisenbraun, who suffered the eye injury when he was elbowed in the semifinals, has started 78 of 79 games, none perhaps more important than today’s match (11 a.m. on Altitude).
Gunn is banking on leaders like Eisenbraun to emphasize the Skyhawks’ mind-set.
“We’re part of a big occasion, it’s live on television, and this is the biggest game they’ve ever played in,” Gunn said. “Our approach is, ‘Let’s not worry about the occasion or what’s at stake, let’s worry about doing the job you need to do to help the team.”‘
Gunn, a native of England in his seventh season at the Durango school, expects Franklin Pierce, a school of 1,600 students in Rindge, N.H., to soak up his squad’s offensive pressure and counterattack.
“We’ve got to be composed and patient,” he said. “We can’t throw too many people forward.”
Fort Lewis, which averages 3.73 goals per game, advanced to the title match via a 6-4 semifinal win Friday over Lynn University of Boca Raton, Fla.
John Cunliffe, an All-America striker from Edgworth, England, netted a hat trick and assisted on another goal via a corner kick, increasing his season total to 20 goals and 20 assists.
Cunliffe scored Fort Lewis’ first goal, and Kieran Hall’s header made it 2-0 at halftime. Lynn got on the scoreboard just 1:13 into the second half.
Then, in a remarkable three-minute span, four goals were scored, beginning with Lynn tying it, 2-2.
Cunliffe answered for a 3-2 lead, but Lynn tied it 3-3. Former Arvada West all-state selection Ben Gantenbein put the Skyhawks ahead 4-3. Gantenbein, a transfer from New Mexico, drilled Cole Sweetser’s crossing pass into the net.
Sweester scored his 27th goal of the season on a penalty kick for a 5-3 lead.
“They remained confident and cool even though they were rooked; up 2-0 and in the driver’s seat,” Gunn said. “When a team comes back to tie it, 2-2, it looks like they’ll win. The wonderful thing is, our players have such focus and confidence that they kept playing. I think a lot of teams would have fallen apart in such a big game.”
Franklin Pierce prevailed in its semifinal, 1-0, over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Basketball
The high-percentage shooting (.677) of 6-foot-9 freshman Kurt Bangle was instrumental in Mesa State’s four-game, season-opening win streak. Bangle is averaging 12.2 points. The streak ended Friday in a 74-66 loss at North Dakota. Andy Classick leads the Mavericks with a 16.6 average on 53.4 percent shooting.
