Tough road trip for Runners

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico – The Runners took a trip south of the border on Friday and Saturday to play a doubleheader against the vaunted Chihuahua Savage II at the Corner Sports Arena in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The trip did not go well.

The Runners finished the two-game run with two loses, 23-9 on March 14 and 22-4 on March 15. They were outscored 45-13 over that stretch. Their record drops to 1-10 with one game left in the season.

There is, however, still reason to feel good about the season. After dropping the first seven games of the year in blowout fashion, the team brought in new head coach Brian Weems for a team refresh.

The move appears to have worked, despite the two recent loses.

The Runners got immediately better with the introduction of Weems. Their losses got closer, and they grabbed their first win of the year, a 9-4 victory over rivals Certified Lions FC on March 9.

“It feels great to get things back on track and get a win,” said team owner Andres Trujillo after the victory over the Lions. “Having Weems at the helm has proven we are moving in the right direction and that we are making the right adjustments to build a culture that moves in the right direction.”

The Runners carried that momentum into their matches with Chihuahua on Friday and Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a tough Savage II team.

“Tough” might be an understatement. Chihuahua Savage II is the top team in the Midwest/West region, thanks to a 10-1 record, and they are the presumptive favorites to win the league title.

More than that, the Savage II have outscored ALL of their opponents by huge margins. Their goal differential (GD)--the difference between how many goals a team has scored and how many they’ve allowed--is +97. For reference, the second highest in the region is Wichita Wings with a GD of +46, and the NM Runners GD is –99.

The NM Runners are by no means unique in taking a crushing defeat at the hands of Savage II. In early February, Certified Lions FC had their own double-header road trip to face the Chihuahua crew and left with similar results. The Lions were beaten 39-8 over the two games.

For the Runners, the trouble started early in the first match. Savage II striker Jorge Octavio Gonzalez grabbed a goal a little over a minute into the affair and the scoring just continued. Gonzalez would get a hat trick (three goals) in the first game, and five total.

Savage II peppered the Runners goal, taking 66 shot-on-goal in the first match and 56 in the second. The New Mexico team took 24 shots in game one and 15 in game two.

The Runners’ top scorer in game one was Benjamin Rogers, who had a Hat Trick in game one. Nicholas Cashmere also scored three goals, but they were stretched over the two matches.

It was always going to be a tall order for the Runners to head into the Savage II home stadium and come out with a pair of wins. But that doesn’t mean there is cause to give up hope for the plucky Major Arena Soccer League team’s fanbase. Savage II is a juggernaut, and the Runners have been on a steady upswing other than this road trip.

“I’m extremely proud of our coaching staff, players and, of course, our fans for trusting the process,” Trujillo said.

If Weems and his boys can pull off a solid performance in their final game of the season, Mar. 23 at the Rio Rancho Events Center versus Empire Jets, they’ll manage to end a tough season on a high note.