Grizzlies Fall 5-1 in Match Against Eastern New Mexico

Jesse Dunbar Scores Second Goal of Season; by Rebecca Sturdy

Jesse Dunbar scored his second goal of the season for the Grizzlies.

Box Score

PORTALES, N.M. – The Adams State College men’s soccer team wrapped up its road series in New Mexico with a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Eastern New Mexico University Greyhounds after playing without two of their experienced starters.

The Grizzlies move to 0-7-3 overall in their first year as a varsity sport at Adams State, while the Greyhounds moved to 7-2-1 overall.

Bryan Heath (Port Orchard, Wash.) got the Grizzlies off to a roaring start in the first four minutes forcing Greyhound keeper Alistar Caldwell to make two saves. ENMU immediately followed with two shots by sophomore midfielder Luis Castaneda and senior midfielder Artur Oliveira despite a pair of ASC corner kicks.

After a foul in the keeper box, Castaneda beat ASC keeper Jarod Thomas (Arvada, Colo.) in the 17th minute to tally the first goal of the game.

Jesse Dunbar (Spokane Wash.) countered just 10 minutes later with another penalty kick to beat Caldwell and tie the score at 1-1. Dunbar’s goal was the second of the season and career as a Grizzly. The penalty kick was also a first for the young ASC program.

Dunbar, who has played in all 10 matches thus far, is one of six players to do so and only one of two to start all 10 matches. Chase Talbot (Evanston, Wyo.), a junior midfielder, is the other.

After a hard-fouling and fast paced first half, the game remained tied a 1-1 going into the second frame. There, Eastern New Mexico would gather its scoring power to register four additional goals before regulation time expired.

The first came when freshman forward Sam Haynes used a header to redirect a rebounded shot by teammate Kal Herbert for his first goal of the season in the 51st minute.

Just six minutes later, the Greyhounds struck again, this time led by freshman midfielder Diego Santos. Santos, who beat the Grizzly defense, dribbled up the left side of the field and found the back of the net. It was his second goal of the season.

Eastern New Mexico would strike again in the 78th and 85th minutes, respectively on goals by Santos and Edgar Bear. Santos’ third goal of the season came off a rebounded corner kick by Bear whose second goal of the season was assisted by a long kick by keeper Caldwell.

The Grizzlies, who have yet to win a game in their inaugural season, have now scored goals in each of their last six games (8 total) after being shutout in two of their first four games of their history.

The Grizzlies have just three games remaining on their 2009 slate, two of which will be at home, where they have played just once so far. The first of those two games is against Eastern New Mexico in the second half of a home-and-home series.

The Grizzlies then conclude their season at home on Oct. 18 against Westminster (Utah) after facing UC-Colorado Springs on Oct. 13.