BOX SCORE

PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico University men's soccer program opened Heartland Conference play with a 1-0 win over Oklahoma Christian on Thursday at Eagle Soccer Field in Oklahoma City. The victory pushes Eastern to 2-1-1 and 1-0-0 in conference this season.
 
"I feel like this was a great way to start conference play," ENMU head coach Paul Tate said. "We worked hard for the whole 90 minutes. Everyone kept working hard and playing for each other the whole time, doing whatever it took to come out with a win."
 
The Greyhounds battled the Eagles to a 0-0 draw in the first half, despite Eastern firing six shots and a shot on goal. By comparison, Oklahoma Christian only mustered a pair of shots and keeper James Gutierrez recorded a save.
 
"We decided to push the tempo in the second half," Tate said on the offensive effort firing 13 second half shots. "We had our defenders press a little more to force the action and put some pressure on them defensively."
 
The Green and Silver peppered OCU goalkeeper, Evan Helker for 13 shots in the second half. Seniors Ryan McManus and Ryan Sinclair combined for nine shots on the night with Sinclair finding the back of the net in the 81^st-minute to give the Greyhounds the advantage. The Scottish defender sent a shot from 15 yards out that caromed off the defender into the back of the net to put Eastern ahead for good.
 
"McManus and Sinclair knew it was time to come and play," ENMU's second-year head coach said. "They trained hard this week and pushed the tempo to make sure we were on the attack as well as defending."
 
Gutierrez picked up the win for Eastern, making three saves between the pipes and recording his second clean sheet of the season.
 
"Midwestern is always a strong program," Tate said on facing the 17^th-ranked Mustangs on Saturday. "Coming off the win tonight is going to be big for us. We have to take it to them as hard as we can and be ready to go for the full 90-minutes."
 
The Greyhounds return to the pitch on Saturday against 17^th-ranked Midwestern State. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. against the Mustangs in Wichita Falls, Texas. For the latest news, follow @ENMUAthletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit goeasternathletics.com.