PUEBLO, Colo. – No. 8 Colorado State University Pueblo men's soccer used a three-goal first half, including two goals from Brandon Sanchez, to earn a 4-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over South Dakota Mines Sunday afternoon at Art & Lorraine Gonzales Stadium.
With the victory, the ThunderWolves improved to 8-0-2 overall and 2-2-2 in RMAC play, while South Dakota Mines fell to 5-3-3 overall and 1-2-1 in conference action. CSU Pueblo remains unbeaten through its first 10 matches of the season.
The Pack wasted little time taking control of Sunday's match, opening the scoring in the 17th minute. João Lutz connected with Juan Pablo Orozco Soto, who found the back of the net at the 16:10 mark to put CSU Pueblo ahead 1-0. The goal was Orozco Soto's third of the season.
CSU Pueblo doubled its advantage less than eight minutes later when Sanchez scored his first goal of the afternoon at 23:53 off an assist from Nick Cenek. Sanchez struck again just before halftime, finishing a feed from Modicai Jones at the 43:09 mark to send the ThunderWolves into the break holding a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Sanchez was efficient in the attack, finishing with two goals on three shots, with all three of his attempts landing on frame. His first tally stood as the game-winning goal. Lutz added three points with a goal and an assist, while Orozco Soto scored once. Cenek and Jones each collected an assist.
South Dakota Mines battled back in the second half. Erik Castanon cut the Pack's advantage to 3-1 in the 72nd minute before Zach Peroff scored at 82:24 to pull the Hardrockers within one.
The ThunderWolves responded less than four minutes later to put the match away. Lutz scored an unassisted insurance goal at 86:17, giving CSU Pueblo its final 4-2 margin.
Both teams finished with 12 shots, but the ThunderWolves held a 9-7 advantage in shots on goal. CSU Pueblo also earned six corner kicks, including three in each half. Goalkeeper Esteban Gonzalez recorded five saves in the victory.
The four-goal performance continued a productive weekend at home for the Pack and extended its unbeaten start to 10 consecutive matches.
Up Next
CSU Pueblo remains at Gonzales Stadium next week for two more RMAC contests. The ThunderWolves host Adams State on Thursday before welcoming Fort Lewis on Sunday.
