Runners remain perfect 3-0, douse Colorado Inferno 16-7

The New Mexico Runners extended their winning streak on Saturday night at the Rio Rancho Event Center, defeating the Colorado Inferno FC by a 16-7 margin.

123 seconds into the match team captain and four year MASL 2 veteran Froilan Ramirez connected on a pass from Nick Famiglietta, giving New Mexico a lead they would not relinquish for the entire game. The Runners offense was firing on all cylinders in the first frame opening up a 6-0 lead which included a hat trick from second year standout Mehrshad Ahmadi. Ahmadi finished with six goals on 15 shots and an assist for a total of seven points. It was all New Mexico until Gabe Prada ended the scoring drought for Colorado with 42 seconds left in quarter one.

The Inferno stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring New Mexico 4-1 narrowing the Runners advantage heading into halftime. Colorado appeared to have found its footing coming out of halftime but the comeback would be short lived. The teams traded blows (literally) throughout the third with a heated exchange between Colorado's Josue Jimenez and New Mexico's Miguel Garcia resulted in a yellow card assessed to Garcia, keeping him sidelined for the remainder of the period. The penalty ignited the Runners offense once again, closing the game on a 4-0 run.

Mehrshad Ahmadi who saw action in seven games last season finished with 18 goals averaging 2.6 goals per game. Three games in this season Ahmadi has already scored 15 goals averaging a staggering five goals per game. Also of note, starting keeper Nate Yeager has allowed just 15 goals in his three starts, notching a .647 save percentage.

The win improves the Runners to 3-0 on the year, their best start in franchise history. New Mexico is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the MASL 2 alongside the Rochester Lancers. The Runners will be on a two game road trip over the next two weeks facing the Amarillo Bombers on Jan 29, and the Wichita Wings on Feb 4. New Mexico will be back in action at home on Feb 11 at 5:05pm to face the Dodge City Bandits, the Runners won their last meeting with the Bandits 7-1 to open the season on Dec 18. Tickets can be purchased at newmexicorunners.com/tickets