On The Road: Double Header Road Trip

NEW MEXICO faces Amarillo and Wichita in Back to Back Weekend road trip clash

Rio Rancho, NM (March 9, 2023) – The New Mexico Runners heads into the end of the 4th season with just three games remaining. Two of those games are on the road this weekend with a trip to Amarillo on Friday March 10th and Wichita on Saturday March 11th, 2023. Both games kick off at 7 PM Central / 6 PM Mountain Time.

The Runners are 3-6 on the season with three more to go heading into this weekend. It's been a tough season with New Mexico losing 6 straight due to variable factors including injuries near the halfway point of this season. The injuries of key players resulted in a cataclysmic slowdown of the squad. Even though things haven't gone the way they'd hoped, the spirits of the team were never broken as they continue to play with heart.

On Friday night in Amarillo, Texas New Mexico will face the Bombers for the third time this season. Both teams have won a game a piece in the two times they've faced each other. Back on January 7th, the Runners dominated the Bombers by a score of 11-8 at home. The last meetup resulted in Amarillo taking the win in Texas. It'll be a wild west showdown between both squads as they equally have fire power behind the ball. The Runners will need to step up their defense on this one to eliminate any chances for Amarillo to score.

New Mexico then heads to Wichita on Saturday to take on the Wings for the third time this season. Wichita has 2 wins over the Runners, the last was an 8-9 overtime heartbreaker loss for New Mexico back on March 4th in Rio Rancho. Saturday night will be a defensive battle from start to finish. The Wings may have players that can shoot, but with Yeager at the goal the Runners have a different look from the last time they met in Wichita.

This weekend's road trip will be interesting in the fact that the Runners are now "going for broke." They have nothing to lose as they are statistically out of playoff contention, but they have the opportunity to spoil the post season for at least Wichita.

"We are going to play and have fun," says head coach Steve Famiglietta. "The best part of this weekend is that even though a post season isn't possible for us, we are determined to ruin a playoff berth for someone."

With the return of Vince Aragon to the field, there will be some momentum on the attack with Mehrshad Ahmadi in tandem. Aragon sat out last game due to a stomach bug and he is now ready to roll. The scoring push from the Runners is looking solid this road trip as league goal scorer Ahmadi looks to push for 50 goals this season. Both Terry Zamora and Aragon look to create open lanes to find the back of the net with every shot they take.

Ahmadi currently sits at 34 with just three games to go. The last time New Mexico had a notable goal scorer was back in the 2018-2019 season as Jaime Rodriguez scored 41 goals to secure league MVP honors. Ahmadi has the opportunity to be the all-time leading goal scorer in New Mexico Runners franchise history with just 8 more goals.

New Mexico's defensive front is solid this weekend with guys like Oord, Matute, Rose, & Snyder fully healthy. Staying in position will be the name of the game for the Runners and will prove successful with patience.

As mentioned before, injuries have been a little bit of a epidemic this season and continues with Luis Martinez tearing his ACL in last weekend's home game and ending his season. The goal is to stay healthy and finish the season strong.

New Mexico will return home for their season finale on Saturday March 18th, 2023 for Scouts Night at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

New Mexico Runners at Amarillo Bombers in Amarillo, TX on Friday March 10, 2023 for game 10 of the season with kick off at 6 PM Mountain Time. On Saturday March 11th, New Mexico is at Wichita Wings for their 11th game of the season and the action will again be at 6 PM Mountain time. Fans can watch both games online at newmexicorunners.com/watch on any streaming device.