Runners Apprehend Bandits, Win Big In Season 4 Opener 7-1

Dodge City, KS - The New Mexico Runners made the trek to Dodge City, Kansas on Sunday afternoon where they apprehended the Kansas Bandits in solid fashion. The Runners kicked off their season with a big win by a score of 7-1.

It wasn't long until #49 Sandia High School alum Mehrshad Ahmadi drew first blood with 11:55 remaining in the 1st quarter. The Runners came out in the first quarter with defensive energy as they held Kansas to 0 goals scored.

As the second quarter began, Ahmadi would strike again with 8:35 remaining in the first half. New Mexico would continue to press as Colton Oord swiftly positioned himself to sink a laser to the back of the net at the 4:46 mark. Just two minutes later, Ahmadi tipped his hat in the back of the goal for a hat trick to give the Runners a 4-0 lead and end the half.

The third quarter was a battle for both teams on the defensive front and the Runners wouldn't add another goal until Vince Aragon a St. Pius X Boys Assistant Soccer Coach, found an open lane to score with 7:54 left in the quarter. The Bandits would put up a fight to hold the Runners to only one goal in the quarter.

Fourth quarter defensive action was intense as no team scored for almost ten minutes until Kansas stopped the clean sheet, finding the back of the net with 9:30 remaining. You couldn't stop a hungry Ahamadi as he worked in a goal with the assist from Aragon making it 6-1 with 5:50 remaining in the game. It wasn't long until Ahmadi asked for another and scored his 5th goal on the night and that's where the game would conclude.

New Mexico caught the Bandits red handed and handed them their first loss of the season by a score of 7-1 and it was an excellent night in the goalkeeper box as Hector "Chuckie" Castaneda made multiple incredible saves to keep the Runners momentum running. The Runners go 1-0 on the season and look to kick off the home schedule on Saturday January 7th, 2023, with a 2:05 PM MT kick off at the Rio Rancho Events Center.