PORTALES, N.M. – The West Texas A&M men's soccer team recorded its first win of the 2024 season on Thursday night in Portales, defeating Eastern New Mexico 3-1. The win is not only the first for the Buffs, but the first in the collegiate career for goalkeeper Bryce Cottle. With the win, WT improved to 1-1-1 on the season while Eastern New Mexico falls to 1-1-1.
 
Both teams fought for possession in the opening minutes with neither team finding stable control. After Daniel Burton played a ball over the Eastern New Mexico back line, Gabriel Nevarez tracked down the pass and beat a defender as he entered the 18-yard box. As Nevarez gathered for a shot, a Greyhounds' defender closed in to block the opportunity. Following the blocked shot, Eastern New Mexico flipped the field, applying pressure in the WT penalty box. Once the Buffs cleared the ball, an errant pass allowed WT to break into space. With Nevarez on the wing, Zakaria Daaou sprinted down the middle of the field to receive a leading pass from Nevarez. After Daaou gathered, the Frankfurt, Germany native side-stepped Eastern New Mexico goalkeeper Milo Paci, finishing the ball into the open goal.
 
The Buffs replicated their success nearly 10 minutes later as strong defense led to an odd-numbered attack down the field. In the three-on-two situation, Nevarez found a wide-open Matteo Landais in front of the goal, slipping his pass through the retreating Greyhound defense. Landais took a settling touch before calmly placing the ball in the back of the net to give WT a two-goal advantage. With less than 90 seconds to play in the first half, a long ball from Burton took a deflection towards Paci. With pressure being applied by the Buffs, Paci couldn't collect as Alan Martinez flew in to finish the ball in the back of the net.
 
Five minutes into the second half, the Greyhounds looked to break into the scoring as Pablo Nodar dribbled down the sideline. As Nodar approached the end line, the Eastern New Mexico defender crossed into the box, but the Buff defense sealed off the area to force a goal kick for Bryce Cottle. After the Greyhounds' scoring opportunity, WT continued to control the pace and momentum of the game. Eastern New Mexico broke up the Buffs' shutout in the 79^th minute as Nodar slipped a ball past Cottle to cut the lead down to two. The goal from the Greyhounds ended the scoring on the night as WT ran out the clock on the remainder of the game.
 
WT gears up for its home opener against No. 21 Fort Lewis on Sunday, Sept. 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at The Pitch.