NMMI Sports Press
The New Mexico Military Institute Colt soccer team bested the Bears, 4-1, in a district contest at home.
This was a battle between two of the top teams in District 3/4, in fact, between two of the top teams in Class 3A, with Hatch at No.9 and NMMI at No. 2.
Both teams also came into the match with undefeated district records: Hatch at 2-0-1 with a tie against Ruidoso; NMMI at a perfect 3-0.
NMMI struck first, early in the first period as senior halfback David Portugal dribbled - and spun - past his defender before blasting a shot to the left of Hatch keeper.
The Bears tied it up about 15 minutes later on a long-range bender from junior Eduardo Roman.
Five minutes before the end of the half, Portugal scored again on a penalty kick after a tripping call in the box, and that's how the first half ended.
NMMI managed to more goals in the second. The first, at about the 15-minute mark, was off a quick forward pass by Portugal to senior striker Daniel De Rueda. De Rueda timed his sprint perfectly to beat his defender and remain onsides, then slipped a low-roller underneath and to the right of the keeper.
NMMI last goal came in a last few seconds. Junior forward Mason Hicks missed a shot of the top crossbar, which Portugal came up with and tapped in for the hat-trick.
"We played a great game tonight and the first round of district play is complete," said NMMI head coach John Barbour, "but we've still got five games left to play. We've got to get through that, first. We definitely need to handle our business and win those games, not focus on what other teams in the state are doing, or how the rankings or playoff brackets are shaping up."
The win puts No. 2 NMMI at 10-3 overall and 4-0 in district. The team they are chasing for that possible top seed is Sandia Prep, currently with a 8-5-1 record, but a slightly higher strength of schedule rating.
Next up for the Institute will be a non-district match at home against Portales. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 pm on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the NMMI Stapp Parade Field.