PUEBLO, Colo. (September 2, 2021) - Colorado State University Pueblo men's soccer opened the 2021 fall season campaign in dramatic fashion, defeating Fort Hays State 2-1 in overtime Thursday at Art & Lorraine Gonzales Stadium.

Josua Hall (So., Baiersbronn, Germany) netted the golden goal and his first of the season for the Pack with 2:04 left on the clock in overtime. Hall received a pass at midfield from Matthew Coleman (Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK) and hit a rocket of a shot from 30 yards out and landed it in the upper right corner to secure the win.

Fort Hays State took an early 1-0 lead in the 5th minute as the Pack defense was caught on their heels early on in the match. Pack newcomer Kenshin Uneo (Jr., Hyoga, Japan) score the ThunderWolves first goal of the match and season in the 29' when Carlos Sanchis (Grad.) used swift footwork just outside the 18-yard box and flicked a pass outside to Uneo who fired a shot past the diving Fort Hays goalkeeper, tying the game at 1-1.

At halftime, CSU Pueblo led 11-3 in shots and recorded four corners against one by FHSU.

Battling high temperatures on the pitch, both teams benefited by scheduled water breaks, one in each half.

In the second period, CSU Pueblo offense kept on the attack as they posted six shots and the defense stepped up in a big way, fending off four shots by Fort Hays.

Sanchis led the team with four shots and Jan Gruhn (Grad., Schleiden, Germany) and Vinzent Zingel (So., Aachen, Germany) both recorded three shots in the match.

Pack goalkeeper Garret Wild (Jr., Brownsville, Tex.) made one save against seven total shots to earn the win at the net.

"Fantastic way to start the season," said Pack Head Coach Oliver Twelvetrees. "We scored two great goals and showed the right mentality to come back against a quality Fort Hays side. I'm really happy for Josua Hall who is one of the hardest workers out there and he got his reward for all that effort by getting the golden goal."

"There were also some good debuts out there as well with Kenshin scoring the first on his first appearance."

In the match, CSU Pueblo outshot Fort Hays by a 19-7 clip and earned eleven total corners.

CSU Pueblo (1-0-0) continues its opening weekend homestand Saturday against Montana State Billings. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gonzales Stadium.