Men’s soccer team defeats Northeastern State

The men’s soccer team earned their first non-conference win at home by defeating Northeastern State University 6-3 on Friday, Sept. 26.”We played a very good first half; our execution offensively was much better than previous games,” said Claudio Arias, Head Coach for the men’s team.The first goal of the night was scored by Roy Hernandez, a junior transfer from San Jacinto Junior College.Hernandez dribbled to the top of the box and scored only five minutes into the game.At the 16-minute mark, he scored the Dustdevil’s second goal as well, off of an assist from Jorge Zenata, who plays both as a defender and midfielder for the team.The third goal was scored two minutes later by Albert Escovar, a senior.After coming off of two losses, Escovar said, “We were hungry and anxious to punish someone.”Escovar scored after Zenata crossed the ball into the box.The Dustdevils continued their dominance by scoring two more goals-one by Hernandez and the other by Escovar-before closing the first half.The beginning of the second half was not simply a Dustdevil showcase. Instead, Northeastern State scored two quick goals that cut the Dustdevil lead to 5-2.Coach Arias said, “We came in flat and didn’t give the other team any credit; however, they [Northeastern State] adjusted and came together in the second half.”The Dustdevils responded by scoring one more goal in the second half. After Zenata placed a corner kick in the middle of the box, Greg Mulamba, a senior mid-fielder standout, headed the ball into the bottom of the net.Northeastern State would score one more time before the end of the game, but it was not enough to surpass the dominant lead by the Dustdevils.”This win was a result of a team effort; if we continue to play as a team with a complete roster, we can accomplish great things,” said Escovar.Leading the Dustdevils were Hernandez with three goals and one assist, Escovar with two goals, and Zenata with three assists.The Dustdevils are currently 6-4 overall and 1-3 in conference. Their next home game is on Oct. 12 versus St. Thomas University at 7 p.m.