Runners Hosting Wichita on Faith & Family Night

NEW MEXICO RUNNERS Hosting Wichita Wings on Faith & Family Night

Rio Rancho, NM (February 25, 2022) – On Saturday February 26th, 2022 the New Mexico Runners kickoff their 5th home game of their 3rd season playing host to the Wichita Wings at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Saturday's game is themed "Faith & Family Night" which is dedicated to the faith and church groups around the community. Faith groups receive 20% off the normal ticket prices when they mention their church or group at the box office. 

The New Mexico Runners are currently 2-7 on the season with just 3 games remaining. First up is to take on the Wichita Wings at home. This will be the 2nd time the Runners have faced the wing this season. Last meetup was in Wichita, Kansas -this past January where the Runners stopped Wichita's undefeated winning streak, outscoring the Wings 7-6 in a high flying defensive battle.

New Mexico looks to clip the Wings once more at the Rio Rancho Events Center on Saturday night. Wichita currently sits in first place in the Midwest Division with a record of 6-2 and is coming off a loss to Rio Grande Valley. 

This weekend will be a test of adjustments. Wichita is not a team to look past and New Mexico will have to play their game to throw the Wings off their game. Expect another high paced showdown with Froilan Ramirez and Jacob Gandarilla moving quickly to score. On the defensive side, expect Colton Oord and Mario Matute to put on the pressure to dispossess the Wings.

One adjustment that needs to be made is the absence of lead scorer Sergio Fuentes who sustained a season ending injury at practice this past week. Fuentes rolled his right ankle which resulted in a severe ankle sprain which will take about a month to recover from. He finishes this season with 9 games played, 12 goals, and 5 assists. 

Fuentes stated, "I'm extremely heartbroken that my season came to an end like this. I will always continue to support my team even if I'm on the sideline."

"We are very sad about Sergio's situation since he's such an integral fabric of this organization. The adjustment will be hard to make, but has to be made for this weekend." Says Head Head Coach Steve Famiglietta.

Saturday night's game will be one for the books as there will be aggressive play and high defensive energy. Defense will be in the spotlight for both teams and expect a lot of contact. Goalkeeper and Rio Rancho High School graduate Nate Yeager will have a hot one on his hands and need to play a solid game.

The Runners will kick off their 5th home game of the 3rd season on Saturday February 26th, 2022 with a 5:05 PM kick-off at Rio Rancho Events Center (3001 Civic Center Circle Dr. NW, Rio Rancho, NM 87144). It's "Faith & Family Night" at the New Mexico Runners game. Faith and church groups receive 20% off their regular ticket price when they mention their group or church at the box office. Doors open at 4 PM and tickets can be purchased online at newmexicorunners.com.

If Runners fans can't make it, they can watch the action online LIVE by clicking the link: https://www.facebook.com/nmrunners/live 

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 Rio Rancho Events Center and season 3 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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