PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico women’s soccer team has embraced a must-win mentality with hopes to climb the Lone Star Conference standings this weekend with road games against Texas A&M International and St. Mary’s.
Currently sitting in 12th place, an undefeated week for the Hounds could catapult Head Coach Josh Smith’s team as high as seventh place, as the top seven teams will advance to the LSC Tournament.
LAST WEEK
The Hounds offense did a great job creating opportunities but failed to convert those chances into points as they fell to St. Edward’s 2-1 and Angelo State 1-0 last weekend.
In the game against St. Ed’s, forwards Josefina Villa and Karina Martinez each had quality chances against the opposing keeper less than a minute apart in the 75th minute, but were unable to convert and allowed St. Edward’s to maintain a 2-1 advantage in the later stages of the match. The Hounds managed to keep the score close despite allowing 25 shots to the Hilltoppers throughout the match, thanks in large part to 11 saves by keeper Whitney Dockweiler. Sophomore Desiree Morgas gathered a free kick from freshman Kinsie Mitchell and beat multiple defenders before placing a perfect shot in the bottom corner of the net past the out-stretched arms of the St. Edward’s keep to score on the lone shot for the Hounds in the first half. That goal in the 41st minute evened the match up at 1-1 and served as a spark for the Hounds moving into the second half. Eastern New Mexico was able to record six shots on goal in the final 45 minutes of the match and had two quality chances from Villa and Martinez after St. Edward’s managed to put in the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute.
The Hounds team battled hard before falling to Angelo State 1-0 in a defensive battle last Saturday. The Hounds held a slim advantage in possession, controlling the ball for 54 percent of the match and also managed three corner kicks but were unable to find the back of the net. The Rambelles out-shot ENMU 11-6 and scored the game’s lone goal six minutes into the second period. Eastern struggled offensively and managed just two shots on goal, both coming in the final 45 minutes of the game. Defenders Victoria Nunez and Makenzie Mendez were the only Hounds to put a shot on goal while Nunez tied Morgas with a game-high two total shots. Goalkeeper Whitney Dockweiler made her 11th start between the pipes for the Hounds and made four saves on 11 shots faced. Defender Hayden Zuniga has been the center piece of Eastern’s backline and logged her 11th-consectuive complete game for the Hounds.
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS
The Dustdevils were did not manage to score a goal last week as they battled UT Permian Basin to a 0-0 draw before being shutout 2-0 by Lubbock Christian.
TAMIU continues to struggle defensively as is evidenced by its 2.36 goals against average, the third-highest mark in the Lone Star. The Dustdevils also own the second-lowest save percentage in the league at .687 and have allowed an astounding 26 goals in 11 matches played.
Freshman forward Vivian Martinez has established herself as one of the Dustdevils most dangerous offensive threats and leads the squad with four goals, nine points and 15 shots on goal in just her first collegiate season.
Another potent scorer for TAMIU is senior forward Maddison Schofield. Schofield, the Perth, Australia native, has also netted four goals and leads the team with 25 total shots. Aside from Martinez and Schofield five other Dustdevils have recorded at least one goal this season.
Senior defender Susanna Abrahamsson anchors the Dusdevil defense after serving as an instrumental piece to their backline for the past three seasons and currently leads the team with 1002 minutes played. Abrahmsson is a four-year starter for TAMIU and has logged 5,531 total minutes over the course of her collegiate career.
In the net the Dustdevils have split playing time between sophomore keepers Elena Rivera and Ashley Barrientos. Rivera has the heavier workload so far starting seven games however, has allowed 17 goals on a .605 save percentage. Barrientos has made just four starts and leads the team with 31 saves.
SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
The Rattlers failed to secure any points last week as they were shutout 1-0 by Lubbock Christian before being handed a 2-1 loss at the feet of UT Permian Basin.
St. Mary’s owns the fourth-lowest scoring margin amongst Lone Star Conference teams at -1.18 and have scored just 13 goals while allowing 23. The Rattlers have recorded 125 total shots and 56 shots on goal which rank the fifth and fourth-lowest respectively in the league.
Head Coach Corwyn Ritch enter his 19th year at the helm of the St. Mary’s women’s soccer program, having led the Rattlers to a recent run that included six straight Heartland Conference Tournament appearance from 2011-2016. Ritch remains the program’s winningest coach by a landslide, as he is 108 wins ahead of the program’s second-winningest coach with a career record of 158-161-28.
The Rattlers frontline is led by senior Alexia Maldonado and junior Serena Frank as the pair of forwards have accounted for seven of the team’s 13 goals. Maldonado leads the offensive charge with four goals and leads the team 22 total shots. Frank has been the more efficient scorer with three goals on just 12 shots for a .250 shooting percentage.
In the backfield the Rattlers will look to defenders Megan Copeland and Olivia Bachelet. Copleand leads the squad with 973 minutes played and has also recorded ten shots in her sophomore season. Bachelet, the senior from Fort Collins, Colo., is second on the squad with 891 minutes and has also contributed offensively with a goal scored.
Senior goalkeeper Erin Longford has appeared in nine games and made seven starts between the pipes for the Rattlers and has recorded 38 saves on 111 shots faced while posting a 1.84 goals against average and a .731 save percentage.
2019 STORY LINES
The Hounds began the 2019 campaign with four consecutive victories, the best start to the season in the 17-year history of the women’s soccer program. With four complete game shutouts on the year, this year’s squad has already moved into the program’s single-season record book as they are tied for eighth all-time
Eastern is a part of a new-look LSC that has doubled in size from a year ago, expanding from seven teams to 14 teams.
FRESH FACES
The Hounds have seen many new faces contribute so far this season highlighted by team points leader Desiree Morgas and starting goalkeeper Whitney Dockweiler.
Morgas has recorded nine points on four goals and one assist. The redshirt-sophomore ranks fourth in the conference with 3.64 shots per game and has totaled 40 on the year, the fifth-highest mark in the league. Her two game-winning goals are tied for the sixth-most in the LSC.
Dockweiler has recorded 62 saves on 149 shots faced and owns a 1.24 goals against average. The Bellevue, Neb. native is tied for the fifth-most shutouts in the ENMU all-time single-season record book while her .816 save percentage is the fifth-best amongst eligible participants (minimum five saves).
In total, 13 ENMU newcomers have logged minutes in 2019 including eight true freshman and five transfers.
GOOD COMPANY
Junior defender Hayden Zuniga has been a crucial piece to the 2017 and 2018 squads and has logged 3,441 minutes in her first two seasons. Averaging more than 1,700 minutes a season, the Sahuarita, Ariz. native is on pace to reach the all-time record books in just her third year. Victoria Perez sits at No. 10 on the list and played 4,824 minutes from 2011-14. Zuniga has already logged a team-high 1015 minutes in 2019 and is 368 shy of catching Perez.
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
With just six games remaining in the regular season, the Hounds need to collect some victories to keep their postseason chances alive. ENMU occupies the 12th spot in the LSC standings and need to be ranked in the top seven to make receive a tournament bid.
Eastern will wrap up its regular season home slate with a Halloween match against Oklahoma Christian before playing Midwestern State for Senior Day on Nov. 2. The Hounds will close out the regular season on the road with matches at UT Permian Basin on Nov. 7 and Lubbock Christian on Nov. 9.
HOUNDS ON THE ROAD
ENMU is 1-3-1 on the year when they pack their bags this season. The Hounds won their season opener 1-0 against East Central and two weeks later battled Southern Nazarene to a 0-0 draw. The Hounds have yet to win a conference game on the road and have dropped their last three when playing outside of Greyhound Stadium.
SCORE FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LAST
In his first two years at the helm of the Eastern New Mexico women’s soccer team, Josh Smith has posted an impressive 11-0-0 record when scoring the match’s first goal. The Hounds are also 9-0-0 when scoring more than two goals in a game the past two seasons.
