GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Eastern New Mexico Men's Soccer battled Westminster University (Utah) to a 3-3 tie during a back-and-forth contest. Eastern move to 1-1-1 overall on the season, while the Griffins sport the same record after the first three matches.
The Greyhounds marked the scoreboard first as
Giani Mascarel curled the opener from a tight angle.
Nick Huenig opened the space for Mascarel with a through ball, and the Hounds top scorer rolled it past the keeper. However, Westminster responded immediately scoring just 64 seconds after ENMU broke the deadlock. The Griffins took the lead in before the 1
st half ended, striking in the 32nd minute to lead 2-1 at the break.
Eastern was quick to hit back at the Griffins, tying the game in the 55
th minute.
Abraham Lopez set up the play dashing past a few defenders, then laying it off to
Matteo Azambuja, who tucked the equalizer away. Shortly after,
Ignacio Lopez gave the Greyhounds an advantage after converting a second chance effort for Eastern.
Loris Tsiatsipy won the ball high up the field, and the confusion left Lopez the chance to score. Westminster was not deterred, scoring straight from kick-off just 44 seconds after the restart. The game continued, but both teams were held scoreless over the final 25 minutes, with both teams taking a 3-3 draw.
NOTABLE STATS
- Mascarel, Azambuja, and I. Lopez were all amongst the goals, while Huenig and A. Lopez registered assists. Sander Tønnessen along with Mascarel and A. Lopez each had two shots in the game.
- Paul Waschkau produced a pair of saves in net for ENMU.
- Cam Neeley, Ole Songe, and Jack Cardwell all scored for Westminster, while Armin Hasanovic assisted Songe's goal.
- The Griffins finished with more shots (14-11), but the Greyhounds fired seven shots on goal compared to the six of Westminster.
FROM THE SOURCE
"A very tight back and forth contest. An end-to-end match makes things frantic on the sidelines, but entertaining for the fans," said Head Men's Soccer Coach Brandon Misuraca. "We now look to the next match this Saturday against Colorado Mesa".
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- I. Lopez registered their first career goal for Eastern New Mexico, while Abraham Lopez posted their first assist in a green and silver jersey.
- Stephen Romero made them colligate debut for Eastern New Mexico, playing the whole 90 minutes with a first career start.
- A handful of Greyhounds played the entire 90 minutes for ENMU: Alex Garðarsson, A. Lopez, Romero, Tsiatsipy, and Waschkau.
- The Greyhounds will shift their eyes to Colorado Mesa, facing the Mavericks on Saturday evening. The evening clash will begin at 7 p.m. from Community Hospital Unity Field.
