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Last chance to see 2024 New Mexico Runners is Sunday
New Mexico Runners goalkeeper Nate Yeager, left, is down but not out after the Wings (in blue and orange) scored for a 4-1 lead late in the first period on March 3. (Herron photo)
RIO RANCHO – Any hopes the New Mexico Runners had of winning five games in their “Nickel Season” disappeared in El Paso last month.
Hopes of matching their four previous seasons’ win total of four then disappeared in the Rio Rancho Events Center on March 3, after first-place Wichita tallied six unanswered goals to turn an early 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead.
The Wings went on to win, 11-8. The teams played evenly after the fourth Wings goal: Each team scored twice in the second and again in the third period, and then each netted three goals in the final quarter.
New Mexico got within two goals in the fourth minute of the final period, only to see Wichita make it a three-goal lead, 9-6, 49 seconds later.
Runners goals were scored (in order) by Julian Garcia, Vince Aragon, Terry Zamora, Nick Famiglietta, Edward Oropesa, Froilan Ramirez, Jaime Hernandez and Nicholas Cashmere. Former Runner standout Mehrshad Ahmadi, who led the team in scoring last season, had a hat trick for the Wings.
The Runners managed seven goals in each of its two games in El Paso the previous weekend, but each was a loss to the Rhinos (6-3): 17-8 on Feb. 24 and 17-7 on the 25th.
“Yeah, it was a little rough,” said team owner Andres Trujillo, who accompanied the team on its trip south. “Our guys mentally had a hard time processing having two games back to back.”
After another road loss in Amarillo Monday, March 11, two wins is the best the Runners (1-11) can hope for.
Amarillo 14, Runners 11: The Runners scored the first and final goals of the first period Monday, but the Bombers scored five times between them and led by four or more goals until back-to-back-to-back tallies in the game’s final seven minutes made it a 13-11 deficit for New Mexico.
Ramirez’s goal with 2:13 to play gave the Runners hope, but Amarillo put it out of reach 52 seconds later.
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Colton Oord and Cashmere each had a hat trick for the Runners, who also got two goals from Josh Garcia, and one each from Michael Stephens and Aragon.
The Runners have one game remaining: It’s in the Events Center Sunday, March 17, at 3:05 p.m. against the Wings. It’ll be “Superstar Day” and will feature a celebrity soccer game on the pitch at halftime.
(newmexicorunners.com)
