Men hang on for win against Mesa State

PUEBLO, Colo. -- A second half goal from Trevor Martinet (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.) was enough to see off a stiff challenge from the Mesa State College Mavericks on Sunday.  In a game full of goal-scoring opportunities, the ThunderWolves were unlucky not to add to their lead, but the men will surely be pleased by the victory, which raised their RMAC record to 5-4-1.

The Mavericks quickly announced their presence with a fierce shot across the face of goal in the 3rd minute.  The early part of the match was then marked by strong midfield play from both teams.  The ThunderWolves’ only early effort on goal was a speculative shot from deep by captain John Christy (Sr., Layton, Utah).

The men soon began to find their rhythm, and the ThunderWolves started to raid regularly down the right hand side of the field.  Nate Garcia (So., Albuquerque, N.M.), David Fresquez (Sr., Sante Fe, N.M.), and Udobong Obotette (Sr., Eugene, Ore.) linked well with one another, and the trio began to terrorize the Mavericks’ defense.

Christy had another crack at goal in the 24th minute, and Obotette went wide with a good effort a few minutes later after a Robert Kinsey (RFr., Denver, Colo.) cross found its way back outside the 18-yard box.

Not everything went the ThunderWolves way, though, as Garcia was injured after a clumsy Maverick challenge.  However, Steve Choman (Jr., Sparks, Nev.) continued his teammate’s strong attacking play, and linked up well with his wingers for the remainder of the game.

The men’s strong attacking play continued, and the team did everything in the first half but score.  Johnny Valenzuela (Jr., Las Cruces, N.M.) came in off the bench and went wide left with a shot, and Corey Cullen (So., Fort Collins, Colo.) worked hard to keep the ball in play before missing a shot as well.

Another determined run from Cullen down the left hand channel took the Pack to the end of the half, and left a strong feeling of optimism in the ThunderWolves’ camp.

When play resumed, Mesa State put a shot over the bar from close after four minutes.  Obotette countered with his own near miss less than a minute later.

Then, in the 55th minute, the ThunderWolves got their goal.  Obotette did well to evade a defender and keep the ball in play near the far corner flag before sending a tidy ball to the far post for Martinet.  The Pueblo County product headed the ball in for his third goal of the season.

Mesa State then set about attacking the ThunderWolves’ defense, and they were almost successful in breaking through on more than a few occasions.  They created their most successful attacks by pounding the ball high and deep from free kicks at the edge of the final third of the field.

Still, the ThunderWolves did more than enough to increase their lead.  One spell of play around the 70 minute mark was particularly dominant.  Valenzuela missed two shots in quick succession.  His midfield did well to regain possession, though, and provided service after service for the ThunderWolf forwards.  Valenzuela missed another shot one minute later, and Christy missed a rebound shot of his own.

After enduring that brutal stretch, the Mesa State midfield finally regained possession and ventured back into the ThunderWolves’ area.  They frantically poured men forward in search of a goal, and numerous CSU-Pueblo fouls helped them deliver dangerous balls in towards keeper Chris Smith (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.).

The ThunderWolves were eventually able to see off the Mavericks’ challenge, though, and held on for the close win.

Coach Roy Stanley was very pleased with his team’s performance, saying that he was delighted to see positive energy in his players’ eyes even after their grueling draw with Fort Lewis on Friday.

“It was still a nail-biter,” he said.  “But I felt that the work rate was there, and we did a really solid job today.”

Stanley also made mention of the fact that his squad had lost 2-0 to Mesa State in Grand Junction earlier in the season, and he was pleased to have gotten the win against a formidable opponent.

“Schmitty (Chris Smith) made good decisions, and we showed really good discipline and desire today,” the coach added.  He also indicated that his team’s unwillingness to back away from a challenge will be a crucial element in the race for the playoffs.