PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico University's women's soccer returned to the win column Wednesday afternoon, earning a thrilling 2-1 victory over Sul Ross State at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium. A late game-winning goal from
Raylene Carillo lifted the Greyhounds to their first Lone Star Conference victory of the season.
The Greyhounds (2-10-1, 1-8-0 LSC) opened the scoring in the 24th minute when
Isabel Ramirez found the back of the net to give Eastern an early 1-0 advantage. Sul Ross State (1-9-3, 1-7-2 LSC) responded just before halftime, as Gabby Trevino netted the equalizer in the 44th minute to send the teams into the break tied at 1-1.
Eastern came out firing in the second half, controlling the offensive tempo and putting consistent pressure on the Lobos' defense. The Greyhounds outshot Sul Ross State 14-4 in the final 45 minutes, creating several scoring opportunities while forcing goalkeeper Kat Graves to make eight second-half saves.
ENMU's persistence finally paid off in the 78th minute. Carillo connected on a corner kick pass from
Arissa C'deBaca to send the ball into the back of the net at the 77:43 mark, putting Eastern ahead 2-1. The Greyhounds continued applying offensive pressure in the closing minutes while holding the Lobos scoreless for the remainder of the contest to secure the victory.
"I'm very proud of the way the team has been showing up and today was the breakthrough we were looking for." said head coach
Nona Borden after the game.
Carillo led the Greyhounds offensively with a game-high six shots, including two on target and the decisive goal.
Megan Mukiibi added four shots, placing three on frame, while
Nereida Porras and
Aaliyah Campbell each registered two shots on goal. Ramirez contributed Eastern's opening goal, while C'deBaca picked up the assist on the game-winner.
Between the posts,
Aja Gonzales played all 90 minutes and recorded three saves to earn the victory. Eastern finished with an 18-9 advantage in total shots, including a commanding 12-4 edge in shots on goal. The Greyhounds also held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The victory marked Eastern New Mexico's second win of the 2026 campaign and its first in conference play, highlighted by a dominant second-half offensive performance and Carillo's late heroics."We earned every bit of the win tonight." said Borden.
The Hounds will head to Canyon, Texas to take on the West Texas A&M rivals on Saturday, October 17
th at 12 p.m. MST.
