PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico Men's Soccer (1-1-1) dropped their first game of the season, falling to West Texas A&M (1-1-1) 3-1 in a non-conference matchup on Thursday evening Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium.
West Texas A&M got off the mark quickly, taking advantage of a loose Eastern pass to start the counter-attack, as the WT forward skipped past an on-rushing keeper to slide the Buffs ahead. In a near carbon copy sequence, the Buffs doubled their advantage after breaking on the counterattack. Tight passing in the penalty box left a wide-open net for West Texas A&M second score.
Just before the end of the half, a Greyhounds defensive mix up allowed the Buffs to make the game 3-0 going into the break. The Greyhounds could not covert their few chances in the opening half. Eastern did get on the scoresheet late in the second half, as
Pablo Nodar made a driving run from their defensive position then found the back of the net with a low driven shot. Nodar was played in by
Ben Sauerländer, with Nodar taking a few touches to settle himself before finding the back of the net. One or two opportunities did fall to each team before the final whistle, but West Texas A&M held out for a 3-1 victory.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Both teams were even in terms of chances, with West Texas A&M finding nine shots to ENMU's seven, as the Buffs had four shots on goal, and ENMU posted three shots on goal.
- WT takes the meeting for the third consecutive time, while the Greyhounds broke their scoring drought against the WT.
- Three Greyhounds played the entire 90 minutes: Kris McDonald, Nodar, and Milo Paci
- ENMU takes their first road trip of the season against Northeastern State, traveling to Tahlequah, Okla. on Saturday, Sept. 14 to face the Riverhawks. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (MST) / 3 p.m. (CST).
