Hounds post victory over No. 8 MSU

PORTALES — In its first home match since 2019, the Eastern New Mexico University men’s soccer team stunned No. 8-ranked Midwestern State 1-0 on Wednesday night in Lone Star Conference action at Greyhound Stadium.

Freshman forward Ben Sauerlander scored the only goal of the night, converting on a touch pass from junior forward Jonathan De Motta with less than three minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

Coming off its first loss, MSU (6-2-2, 0-2-0 LSC) put up 16 total shots in the contest, with 13 coming after halftime. Only five of them were on frame, though, as freshman keeper Paul Waschkau recorded the shutout with the help of solid play by the ENMU backline.

The Greyhounds (4-3-1, 1-1-0), whose program was revived this season after a two-year hiatus, are 3-21-3 all-time against the Mustangs, but have now beaten them consecutive meetings, the other one also at Greyhound Stadium in 2019.

Prior to Wednesday, the Hounds’ previous home match came in their 2019 finale, and resulted in a 2-0 victory over Lubbock Christian.

ENMU was on the road on Saturday at Dallas Baptist. On Wednesday, the Hounds entertain Lubbock Christian in a 7:30 p.m. start.

ENMU women prevail at OC — Senior midfielder Samantha Vasquez found the back of the net from about 40 yards out early in the second half, and ENMU notched a 1-0 LSC women’s soccer win over Oklahoma Christian on Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

The goal came after Eagles keeper Gabby Goddard tried to clear the ball out of the penalty area, but Vasquez stepped in front of it and launched a one-timer that slipped past Goddard and into the net. It ended a shutout streak of 331 minutes for the Eagles (3-5-4, 1-4-1 LSC).

The Greyhounds (4-7-0, 2-4-0) held on down the stretch, keeping OC from getting any decent attempts against ENMU keeper Samantha Jeffries down the stretch. So far this season, all of ENMU’s wins and losses have come by way of shutout.

The Hounds were back in action at home on Saturday against Texas A&M International. On Wednesday, they welcome Texas-Permian Basin to Greyhound Stadium for a 5 p.m. kickoff.

Volleyball squad beats MSU, falls at UTPB — At Greyhound Arena, the ENMU volleyball team capped a 2-2 homestand on Wednesday night with its second consecutive victory, a 25-17, 25-13, 27-25 victory over Midwestern State. It was the Greyhounds’ first home sweep in the series since 2004.

Friday night, the Hounds (11-10, 2-7 LSC) dropped an LSC matchup to Texas-Permian Basin 29-27, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20 at Odessa, Texas.

ENMU led much of Friday’s opening set, but the Falcons (10-8, 5-2) erased a three-point deficit with a game-ending 9-4 run. In Game 2, the Hounds pulled it out with four of the final five points, with junior outside hitter/libero Rylee Mapes getting a kill on set point.

Then the Falcons regained a 2-1 lead, taking control of the third set with a 12-2 surge which brought them to set point. Another huge run (9-0) helped UTPB get a handle on Game 4 and lock up the match.

Senior middle hitter Taurie Magee had 13 kills for the Falcons, while freshman setter Jenna Gray posted a double-double with 13 digs and 20 assists.

Junior outside hitter Mikaela Garvin had a match-high 17 kills for the Hounds, while freshman setter Kayla Ison (14 digs, 22 assists) and senior setter Qitana Sapiga (13 digs, 15 assists) earned double-doubles. In fact, Sapiga surpassed the 1,000-assist and 500-dig marks for her ENMU career during the match.

ENMU dominated Wednesday’s first two sets for the most part before the Mustangs (3-15, 1-5) made a serious run in Game 3.

Garvin and senior middle blocker Gracelyn Stubbs had 11 kills apiece for the Hounds, while senior middle blocker Adriana Puni fell just short of a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs.

ENMU pulled away from an 8-8 tie with a 17-9 run to close out the first set. Then in Game 2, the Hounds opened a quick 9-1 lead en route to an 18-6 advantage that included 10 kills, and they never looked back.

Game 3, though, was tight. The Hounds built a 23-19 margin late, but Midwestern responded with five of the next six points to tie it.

Kills by Stubbs put them at match point twice, and an MSU attack error closed it out.

The Hounds won’t be home again until November, with six tilts on the road starting with the UTPB clash. After a Saturday match at Angelo State, they were slated for road outings on Friday at Texas A&M International and on Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville.