New Mexico Drops One at Home to the Bombers

Rio Rancho, NM (February 1, 2020) – New Mexico fought to the end in a close matchup against the Amarillo Bombers on Saturday night at the Santa Ana Star Center, but fell short by a score of 7-10.

More than three weeks have passed since the New Mexico Runners played their last game in a 3-9 road loss to the Wichita Wings back on January 12^th.

New Mexico’s offense was in rare form Saturday night playing at a much slower than average pace throughout the majority of the game. Midfielder/Defender Luis Fernando Martinez gave the Runners their first lead of the night claiming the game’s first goal about five minutes into the contest.

The game showed signs of a defensive struggle early as neither team would break the five-goal mark before the half. The Bombers dropped 4 unanswered goals spanning the first and second quarter before the Runners defense got the adrenaline shot it desperately needed.

After Midfielder/Defender Mario Matute picked up a blue card penalty, Amarillo looked poised to score once again, however Midfielder/Defender Colton Oord would have something to say about it. After starting goalie Casey Gasson made the initial save, Oord swooped in with an acrobatic move to clear the ball and setup a timely goal from Midfielder Jacob Gandarilla.

Despite entering the half down 2-4, Oord’s phenomenal defensive play gifted the Runners precious momentum coming out of halftime. The Runners went on a 3-1 run to tie the game at five all with scorers Jaime Rodriguez, Luis Fernando Martinez and homegrown talent Gabe Legendre leading the charge.

Legendre finished with two goals on seven touches in just over 90 seconds of playing time. “It’s not the minutes I play, It’s about helping my team win.” Said Legendre during the post-game press conference.

Lots of shots were taken by both teams as New Mexico's Casey Gasson made multiple big saves as he finished with 10 saves on 20 shots against by Amarillo. The Runners took 25 shots, but only landed 7.

With third place in the league standings on the line and the two squads virtually deadlocked, soccer fans of all ages were in for a photo finish at the Santa Ana Star Center. While the game remained competitive to the very end, the final outcome was not what Runners fans had hoped as New Mexico would fall 7-10 with the Bombers matching the Runners offense goal for goal down the stretch.

The loss drops New Mexico to 4-4 on the year while still maintaining an impressive 3-1 advantage at home despite breaking the team’s home winning streak.

The New Mexico Runners will be back in action to host the Colorado Inferno FC at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, NM on Saturday February 8^th with a 5 PM MT kick off. Doors open at 4 PM for Faith & Family Night.

The New Mexico Runners are New Mexico’s professional arena soccer team based in Rio Rancho, NM and current members of Major Arena Soccer League 2 (MASL2). The Runners play their home games at Santa Ana Star Center and season 2 season tickets are on sale NOW by calling 505.663.7RUN (7786). For more information on the Runners, visit http://www.newmexicorunners.com as well as LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE on social media at @nmrunners.
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