ENMU men tie No. 21 Skyhawks

The Eastern New Mexico University men's soccer team went toe-to-toe with Fort Lewis on Saturday, playing the 21st-ranked Skyhawks to a 1-1 draw at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium.

Junior forward Ben Sauerlander put ENMU (1-0-1) in front in the 15th minute, driving a shot past Skyhawks keeper Lucas Martin from the right side off assists from freshman midfielder Teddy McIntire and junior midfielder Kevin Nunez. That held up until the 74th minute, when Skyhawks junior defender Casey Stracher headed the ball in past ENMU keeper Milo Paci off a corner kick.

Fort Lewis (1-0-1), which won at Lubbock Christian 5-0 on Thursday, outshot the Hounds 8-3 on goal and had an 8-1 margin in corner kicks. Paci finished with seven saves.

ENMU completes a season-opening, three-match homestand with a non-league tilt against Lone Star Conference rival West Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Women's soccer – In the opener of Saturday's twin bill, Fort Lewis captured a 3-0 victory over ENMU.

The Skyhawks (1-0-1) opened a 2-0 lead at halftime, then tacked on an insurance goal with just over 20 minutes remaining in the contest.

Senior midfielder Gabi Meraz-Fishbein put Fort Lewis on the board from close range 10 minutes into the tilt, while senior midfielder/defender Danielle Gonzales got the second tally on a free kick with just over 10 minutes left in the half. Then sophomore forward Abila Tapia all but put it out of reach, adding the final score with about 20 minutes left in the contest.

Fort Lewis, which played LCU to a 1-1 tie on Thursday, controlled the match statistically with a 7-2 edge in shots on goal and a 5-1 margin in corner kicks over the Hounds (0-1-1).

ENMU's next outing is on Thursday against Western Colorado at Gunnison, Colo.

Volleyball – It was a rough first weekend for ENMU as the Greyhounds finished 0-4 in Colorado State-Pueblo's six-team Steel City Showcase, winning only one set along the way.

On Saturday, the Greyhounds were beaten by Cal State East Bay 26-24, 25-17, 25-22 and by the host Thunderwolves 25-20, 25-20, 25-15.

In the first match, senior outside hitters Lexi Pagani and Alexandria Gloria compiled 15 and 10 kills, respectively, while freshman libero/defensive specialist Rebeca Freitas had 12 digs and sophomore setter Pi'ilani Carvalho added 22 assists for the Hayward, Calif.-based Pioneers (2-2).

ENMU led the opening set 24-23 before East Bay pulled even on a Hounds error and got a kill from senior middle blocker Mia Jordan on set point.

Gloria's kill broke a 1-1 tie in Game 2 and the Pioneers took off from there. In the third set, the Pioneers took their first lead at 18-17 before senior outside hitter Coco Ikpe's kill on match point sealed it.

Senior outside hitter Darcy Dodd had nine kills, seven digs and two aces for ENMU. Freshman setter Cayla Reyes compiled 12 assists.

In the finale, Pueblo completed a 4-0 run through the round-robin as junior outside hitter Sadie Scoville led the Thunderwolves with 12 kills and eight digs. Senior outside hitter Rayliene Joens added nine kills and freshman setter Hallie Hewlett added 18 assists.

Dodd had 11 kills, seven digs and an ace for the Hounds, and Reyes posted 14 assists.

The Hounds scored the first three points in the opening set and led by as many as four points (15-11) before Pueblo mounted a late comeback. Trailing 19-18, the Thunderwolves scored five consecutive points capped by a kill from freshman outside hitter Kaitlyn Hall before closing it out on an ENMU error.

Pueblo then used a 6-0 run for a 9-4 lead in the second set, capped by Scoville's ace. ENMU retook the lead with four consecutive points and led 17-16 after an ace from freshman setter Abigayle Falefia, but Pueblo finished on a 9-3 surge.

In Game 3, the Hounds led 2-1 early, but Pueblo steadily took control, getting a kill from Joens on match point.

The Hounds are slated for four more matches this weekend in Black Hills State's Yellow Jacket Classic at Spearfish, S.D.