PORTALES, N.M. – The undefeated Eastern New Mexico women's soccer team (3-0-0) will finish its non-conference schedule this weekend with a road trip to Bethany, Okla. for a match against Southern Nazarene, Saturday at noon inside Wanda Rhodes Soccer Complex.
Last Week
Following back-to-back shutout victories over Adams State and Fort Lewis last week the 3-0-0 Greyhounds are off to their best start in program history.
Eastern began the week with a dominant 3-0 victory over Adams State as the squad rebounded from a sluggish start to the match. The Hounds out-played their opponents in every major statistical category and totaled 20 shots while only allowing six. With just under ten minutes in the first half junior
Victoria Nunez took a corner kick and centered the ball to junior
Hayden Zuniga who buried the ball into the back of the net to break up the tie ball game. At the 34:14 mark, redshirt-sophomore
Desiree Morgas out-paced three Grizzly defenders and made a stellar cutback in the box, freeing herself up from 15 yards out as she drilled the ball into the top left corner on a world-class finish. Morgas also added an assist to her box score has she took a corner kick and sent it into the box in the 49th minute. Junior
Keyara Zuniga was able to out-jump her marker and scored the third Greyhound goal off a beautiful header.
Despite being out-shot 14-5 against Fort Lewis, the Hounds were able to capitalize on their scoring chances and earned their third victory of the 2019 season with a 1-0 win over the Skyhawks. Morgas was able to net her second goal on the year in the 25th minute as she deposited the ball into the top right corner off a perfectly placed left foot shot that the Skyhawks keeper had no chance of stopping. Freshman
Kinsie Mitchell sent a terrific through ball from deep in Eastern's defensive zone as Morgas bolted past the Fort Lewis players and finished off the game-winner. Fort Lewis pressed hard in the second half but strong performances from the Greyhound's backline and keeper
Whitney Dockweiler where enough to thwart the Skyhawks offensive push. Dockweiler finished with a season-high seven saves and recorded her third straight shut-out.
Scouting the Storm
The Storm are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak after dropping matches to Northeastern State and Rogers State last week.
SNU will look to sophomore midfielder Karsyn Matthews and freshman forward Sydney Davenport offensively as the pair leads the squad with two goals apiece.
The Storm's frontline also features sophomore forward Alejandra Andrade who is tied for a team-high four points with a goal and two assists.
Southern Nazarene is still searching for its starting goalie as three separate players have logged minutes in the net for the Crimson Storm. Leading the pack statistically is 2018 All-GAC Honorable Mention Ashlynn Pritchett. The junior has appeared in two games, making one start and totaled 17 saves while allowing two goals. Freshman Amanda Bumann started the season opener and recorded nine saves and finished with a complete game shutout before allowing six goals to Central Oklahoma. Freshman Maci Attalla has started a game and played in two and has allowed six goals on 35 shots faced.
2018 All-GAC Second Team selection Natalie James has yet to see the field this year while she deals with a lingering injury. The sophomore defender led the team with 1,600 minutes played a season ago and finished with a pair of assists.
The Storm are led by Head Coach Julie Duncan who enters her ninth season at the helm of the SNU women's soccer program. Duncan helped her team to its first Great American Conference Championship in 2014.
2019 Story Lines
The Hounds are one of 13 teams in Division II soccer that has yet to surrender a goal and the only team in the Lone Star Conference and South Central Region.
Eastern is a part of a new-look LSC that has doubled in size from a year ago, expanding from seven teams to 14 teams with the top seven teams receiving bids to the conference tournament in November.
Regional Rankings
Following two perfect weeks of action, the Greyhounds moved into the No. 10 spot in the second weekly United Soccer Coaches South Central Region Poll. Eastern moves into the regional rankings after not appearing on the list following week one. Colorado Springs sits atop the region followed by Colorado School of Mines, Dallas Baptist, Texas Woman's and Westminster (Utah). Angelo State ranks sixth followed by Regis, Dixie State, Texas A&M-Commerce and the Greyhounds.
LSC Players of the Week
The Lone Star Conference also took notice of the Hounds historic start to the season as ENMU swept the LSC Women's Soccer Player of the Week honors. Morgas (Offensive POTW),
Hayden Zuniga (Defensive POTW) and Dockweiler (Goalkeeper of the Week) each received recognition from the conference office for their outstanding efforts.
Good Company
Twin sisters Keyara and
Hayden Zuniga have been crucial pieces of the 2017 and 2018 squads and have logged 3,736 and 3,821 career minutes played, respectively. With both averaging more than 1,700 minutes a season, the twins are on pace to reach the all-time record books in just their third season.
Victoria Perez sits at No. 10 on the list and played 4,824 minutes from 2011-14.
Fresh Faces
The Hounds have seen many new faces contribute so far this season highlighted by team points leader
Desiree Morgas and starting goalkeeper
Whitney Dockweiler.
In total, 11 ENMU newcomers have logged minutes in 2019 including seven true freshman and four transfers.
Schedule Outlook
Following the completion of non-conference action, Eastern will open a revamped LSC schedule with a road match against rival West Texas A&M on Sept. 27. The last time Eastern took on the Lady Buffs in Canyon, the Hounds toppled the Lady Buffs 1-0 in a LSC
Tournament Semifinal upset last season.
The Greyhounds will return home the following week for their first LSC home matches of the regular season as the Hounds will take on conference newcomer UT Tyler on Oct. 3 before tackling Texas A&M-Commerce on Oct. 5.
Eastern will wrap up its regular season home slate with a Halloween match against
Oklahoma Christian before playing Midwestern State for Senior Day on Nov. 2. The Hounds will close out the regular season on the road with matches at UT Permian Basin on Nov. 7 and Lubbock Christian on Nov. 9.
Preseason Polls
The Eastern New Mexico women's soccer team has been selected to finish eighth in the 2019 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll despite victories over two nationally ranked opponents in the 2018 postseason tournament and a berth in the LSC Championship Game.
Hounds on the Road
ENMU will pack their bags for the second time this year. In their season opener and first true road contest of 2019 the Hounds where able to walk away with a 1-0 victory over East Central.
Last season the Green and Silver posted a 5-5 record away from Greyhound Stadium with impressive upsets over Texas A&M-Commerce and West Texas A&M in the LSC Conference Tournament, earning a bid to the program's first Conference Championship game.
