PUEBLO, Colo. (Gonzales Complex) – On a beautiful afternoon at the Art & Lorraine Gonzales Complex, the Colorado State University-Pueblo men's soccer team welcomed Adams State University, shutting out the Grizzlies, 3-0 on Senior Day.
The Pack came out of the gates with high energy, quickly setting the pace in their favor. In the 28th minute, while keeping possession for a good part of the first half, CSU-Pueblo's Matt Marchena (Jr., Forward, Littleton, Colo.) received a pass from Lucas Moreno Rodriguez (Fr., Defender, Bogota, Colombia), firing a shot from the top left side of the box past a diving goalkeeper.
The ThunderWolves took the 1-0 lead into halftime, outshooting the Grizzlies, 11-8 in the half.
In the second half, the Pack wasted no time in extending its lead, with Marchena netting his second goal of the game just nine seconds into second half. Jonny Sawyer (Sr., Aurora, Colo.), was once again involved on another Pack goal, gathering his fourth assist of the season.
The two goals for Marchena are numbers five and six of the season.
"I thought our guys, were disciplined, and hard working," Pack head coach Roy Stanley said.
Playing with a lead into the second half has been troublesome for the Pack this season, but with a solid defensive outing by Moreno-Rodriguez, Jack Gonzales (R-Jr., Defender, Centennial, Colo.), and Jon-Michael Krasovic (Sr., Defender, Pueblo, Colo.), who all played a part in shutting down the Grizzly attack.
"Our defense played well today," added Stanley. "I don't think our outside defenders got beat today."
CSU-Pueblo would add to the lead in the 70th minute on a goal by Gonzales who netted a shot from a perfectly placed ball from Connor Marth (Fr., Defender, Tulsa, Okla.), to extend the lead, 3-0. It is Gonzales fourth goal this season.
At goalkeeper, Sam Haseltine (R-Jr., St. Louis, MO) made three saves on nine total shots by ASU.
On senior day for the Pack, Stanley and his coaching staff honored the three seniors on the team in Sawyer, Krasovic and Cezar Plascencia (R-Sr., Midfielder, Anchorage, Alaska) who each played in their final home game of their ThunderWolves career.
CSU-Pueblo will conclude its season on the road in the final two weeks of the regular season. They will next travel to Denver, Colo. Friday, to play Metro State University Denver. The Pack defeated the than ranked No.8 Roadrunners, 1-0 in a game played in Pueblo earlier this season. Kickoff at MSU Denver is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Auraria Soccer Field.
# CSU-Pueblo #
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
