Hounds battle to draw against Riverhawks

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Both teams struck early, but nothing was settled then and nothing was settled the rest of the way on Saturday as Eastern New Mexico University played former Lone Star Conference member Northeastern State to a 1-1 draw in men’s soccer on Saturday.

The Riverhawks (0-2-2) broke through in the eighth minute when a goal from junior midfielder Kei Nagakura, his first of the campaign. About 20 minutes later, junior defender Arthur Macri got the equalizer for the Greyhounds (1-1-2), his first goal for ENMU, off an assist from junior midfielder Kevin Nunez.

Nunez played a deep lofting ball into the center channel, and Macri turned his defender and finished into the bottom right corner of the net.

But it stayed that way the rest of the contest. Each side had one quality chance in the remaining time, but to no avail.

Senior Catalin Nastuta of Spain, getting his first chance in goal for the Hounds, made five saves during the contest. The Riverhawks outshot ENMU 6-4 on goal and had a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

It was the first meeting between the programs since 2011 and produced the third draw in series history. ENMU has never beaten the Riverhawks (0-10-3).

The Hounds return to action with two matches this week at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas, taking on 14th-ranked Southern Nazarene at 4 p.m. (MDT) on Thursday and No. 22 Fort Hays State at 11 a.m. (MDT) on Saturday.

Volleyball – ENMU collected its first win of the season on Friday, beating host Black Hills State 25-23, 17-25, 25-22, 15-22, 15-10) on Friday for its only win in the Yellow Jacket Classic.

The Hounds (1-7) were beaten in their first match of the day by the University of Sioux Falls 25-16, 25-11, 23-25, 25-15. On Saturday, they lost to Minnesota-Crookston 19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-19 and to South Dakota Mines 25-21, 25-20, 25-18.

Double-doubles by freshman setter Cayla Reyes (23 assists, 19 digs) and senior outside hitters Darcy Dodd (15 kills, 19 digs) and Halle Sanders (10 kills, 16 digs) helped key the win over the the Yellow Jackets (4-4). Junior defensive specialist/libero Imahni Brown led everyone with 22 digs, while sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Sophia Valdez and freshman setter Abigayle Falefia each had nine digs.

Against Sioux Falls, ENMU stayed alive by pulling out the third set, but the Cougars (5-3) controlled Game 4. Dodd posted 19 kills, Falefia and Reyes each had 14 assists and Brown collected 17 digs for the Hounds.

On Saturday, Crookston (3-5) beat the Hounds in four sets for the second consecutive weekend, rallying from a first-set domination by ENMU. Valdez and Sanders had 17 and 14 kills, respectively, for the Hounds, with Sanders compiling a double-double with a team-high 24 digs.

Meantime, Falefia and Reyes posted 19 and 18 assists, respectively, and Brown added 22 digs.

In the loss to Mines (4-4), Dodd had nine kills, Reyes dished out 19 assists and Brown and Dodd collected 17 and 16 digs, respectively.

This weekend, the Hounds are one of several host venues for the LSC Volleyball Challenge. ENMU takes on Midwestern State at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sul Ross State at 6 p.m. on Friday and Western New Mexico at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena.