It was a defensive affair for Colorado Mesa University’s men soccer team against West Texas A&M University (WT) on Thursday afternoon, as both teams scored in each half, but couldn’t capitalize in both overtimes, ending the game with a 1-1 draw.
The Mavericks almost struck first under two minutes into the game when Kevin Del Mazo sent a strike towards WT goalie Alexander Wencel, but Wencel came up with the save to keep CMU from gaining early momentum.
CMU made it a mission to come out with energy and an aggressive offensive mentality. The Mavericks had three shots with two on goal in the first twenty minutes. The Buffaloes had zero shots in the same timeframe but did their part defensively with two saves.
In the 28th minute, the Mavericks scored their first goal of the season to take a 1-0 lead. Del Mazo sent a ball that James McGhee timed perfectly for a header goal. Mazo’s assists were sent off a service from 10 and McGhee did the rest.
Del Mazo was busy in the first half and sent another shot in the 43rd minute but was blocked before it could muster any steam. The senior midfielder had one assist, three shots and two shots on goal in the first half.
CMU had complete control in the first half. The Mavericks kicked five shots (three on goal) with a McGhee goal and forced seven fouls from the Buffaloes, who only had one shot in 45 minutes.
The Buffaloes came out of halftime as the aggressors, sending two shots in the first eight minutes towards CMU keeper Briley Guarneri. WT’s first shot was wide left, and their second shot was blocked with some great defense from Maverick defenders.
The Buffaloes’ Lucca Lime sent a shot that was wide right, their third straight miss, and after a couple fouls from the Mavericks, the intensity reached full capacity.
WT’s Liam Doyle was called for a yellow card in the 67th minute. A few moments later, there were three fouls committed by the Buffaloes, and another yellow card was issued to Louis Gueye for the Buffs.
The Mavericks kept their poise and Del Mazo kicked a blistering shot towards Wencel. Wencel, with good recognition, made the save, keeping the Mavericks from padding their lead. A minute later, CMU’s Colton Shafer tried to send a header for the team’s second goal of the day but was wide left.
75 minutes into the match and the Buffaloes had their answer. With an assist by Alex Ramirez, Callum Challinor sent the ball past Guarneri to knot the score at 1-1.
Both teams got off a shot in the first overtime period, and CMU’s Kevin Chavez almost sent everyone home with a game winner. The junior forward’s shot was blocked in the 99th minute, sending the game into a second overtime period.
WT got one shot off in the second overtime, but both teams held the other in check. The Mavericks totaled nine shots in the game (four on goal) while the Buffaloes had eight shots (two on goal).
CMU will host Eastern New Mexico University for their first home game Thursday, Sep. 6 at 2:30 p.m. on Walker Field.
