WT deals Hounds fifth loss in row

PORTALES — The scoring struggles continued for the Eastern New Mexico University men’s soccer team on Saturday, but if nothing else the Greyhounds made rival West Texas A&M work for the win.

Senior midfielder Kenny Brown found the back of the net in the 71st minute to break a scoreless tie, and the Buffaloes went on to a 2-0 Lone Star Conference victory at Greyhound Stadium.

It was the fifth loss in a row for the Hounds (4-8-1, 1-6-0 LSC), all by shutout, since they edged then No. 8 Midwestern State 1-0 at home on Oct. 5 to edge over the .500 mark.

Freshman goalkeeper Paul Waschkau helped keep the Hounds in it, making four saves — including a lunging stop on a difficult attempt in the third minute of the contest — and keeping WT off the board until late.

The Buffs, who have more ties than wins and losses combined, got an insurance goal with just under 10 minutes left as Brown sent a long pass ahead to sophomore midfielder Ben Siri, who settled the ball and worked his way in to score.

WT (5-2-8, 3-0-4) had a 12-0 advantage in corners in the contest, but only a 6-4 edge in shots on goal.

ENMU wraps up its home slate today with a 4 p.m. LSC tilt against Texas A&M International, then ends its campaign on Saturday at Oklahoma Christian.

WT tops ENMU in volleyball — Playing only hours after a grueling five-set win on Friday night at Cameron, the Hounds had its bid to come back from a 2-0 deficit cut short in Game 4 as No. 11 West Texas A&M claimed a 25-18, 25-11, 25-27, 25-16 win on Saturday at Canyon.

The Lady Buffs (20-4, 12-0 LSC), who extended their winning streak to 13, controlled play in the first two sets, especially in Game 2 where they ran away thanks to a 10-0 run in the middle of the set. ENMU (13-13, 4-10) then pulled out a seesaw third set with the final three points after trailing 25-24, and built a 9-6 lead in Game 4.

At that juncture, WT went on a 10-1 run to all but put things out of reach.

Freshman outside hitter Emma Becker led four Lady Buffs in double-figure kills with 17, while sophomore defensive specialist Bryli Contreras collected 23 digs. Meantime, setters Ainsley Malis and Blair Moreland notched 25 and 22 assists, respectively, and Malis added 10 digs for a double-double.

Junior outside hitters Mikaela Garvin and Kali Nelson each had eight kills for the Hounds, who were wrapping up a stretch of six consecutive road outings (2-4). Freshman setter Kayla Ison had 18 assists while juniors Getsemani Carrasco and Rylee Mapes notched 11 and 10 digs, respectively.

ENMU is idle this week before finishing its season against Lubbock Christian next Wednesday and Western New Mexico on Nov. 4 at Greyhound Arena.