RAPID CITY, S.D. – Eastern New Mexico men's soccer erased a first half deficit to beat South Dakota Mines, 3-1.
The Greyhounds maintained control over the first 15 minutes of play, but could not connect on any of the early chances against the Hardrockers.
Late in the first half, South Dakota Mines took the lead off a corner kick. The ball was sent into the box and headed into the net to give the home side the advantage going into the break.
In the 50
th minute, ENMU wasted no time confusing the Hardrockers backline and found an open net goal as the keeper tried to block a cross attempt from the Hounds. Instead,
Jaime Oliva tapped the shot in and found the equalizer.
Ten minutes later, a race down the left side of the pitch from Oliva led to a pass into
Jonathan De Motta who struck the ball past the South Dakota Mines defense and gave Eastern its first lead of the night.
De Motta added another goal off a ricochet in the 68
th minute to shut the door on any further chances from the Hardrockers.
ENMU outshot its foe 17-11 and held a 10-4 advantage on shots on goal.
Paul Waschkau saved a pair of shots, both coming in the first 45 minutes of play. South Dakota Mines also had a shot cleared away by the freshman keeper late in the match, but it was not listed as a save in the final game statistics.
"We put ourselves in a position we shouldn't have been in, but we came out with a win," said head coach
Brandon Misuraca. "Now we solely focus on Tuesday."
The Greyhounds continue their road swing to begin the 2022 campaign with a trip to Adams State Tuesday afternoon. The game will be streamed for free on the RMAC Network and is slated to begin at 3 p.m. MT at the ASU Soccer Field in Durango, Colo.
