SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Colorado State University Pueblo men's soccer team opened the 2026 season on a winning note Thursday night as Jamal Bynum scored the game's lone goal in the 75th minute to lift the ThunderWolves to a 1-0 victory over St. Mary's at Sigma Beta Chi Field.
The victory marked the first win for CSU Pueblo Head Coach Thomás Pazo, who picked up a victory in his debut at the helm of the ThunderWolves. CSU Pueblo begins the season 1-0, while St. Mary's falls to 0-1.
"Phenomenal performance from the boys. We suffered together in the first half and dominated most of the second half," said Pazo. "Players had to overcome over 3 hours of weather delays and stay focused and positive."
"To come to Texas and start the season with a win against a great side like St. Mary's and get a clean sheet is absolutely incredible," Pazo added. "We were also able to score on a set piece was great too since we worked so hard on them this week. We showed a lot of maturity to close out the game in the last 15 minutes."
The two sides played an evenly matched contest statistically, with each team finishing with seven shots. The Pack put three of its attempts on goal compared to just one for the Rattlers. CSU Pueblo also earned three corner kicks, while St. Mary's finished with six.
St. Mary's controlled much of the early pressure, recording the first three shots of the match and forcing CSU Pueblo goalkeeper Esteban Gonzalez into his lone save of the night in the sixth minute. The Rattlers continued to apply pressure and generated five corner kicks during the opening 18 minutes.
The Pack recorded its first shot in the 26th minute when Nick Cenek sent an attempt wide. CSU Pueblo's best opportunity of the opening half came in the 40th minute when Brandon Sanchez put an attempt on frame that was stopped by St. Mary's goalkeeper Nichita Misac.
The match went into halftime scoreless with St. Mary's holding a 5-3 advantage in shots.
CSU Pueblo began to create more opportunities after the break and limited the Rattlers to just two shots over the final 45 minutes. Matty Parkes generated a pair of attempts in quick succession in the 64th minute, including one that forced Misac into a save.
Bynum followed with his first attempt of the match in the 67th minute, sending a shot high before eventually breaking the deadlock eight minutes later.
After the Pack earned a corner in the 75th minute, Bynum found the back of the net at the 74:39 mark to give CSU Pueblo a 1-0 advantage. The unassisted goal was Bynum's first of the season and ultimately stood as the game-winner.
From there, the Pack defense closed the door. St. Mary's managed only one more shot over the final 15 minutes, an attempt from Jad Basma that went wide in the 85th minute.
Bynum and Parkes led CSU Pueblo with two shots apiece, while Bynum, Parkes and Sanchez each recorded a shot on goal. Bynum played all 90 minutes and finished with the game's only goal.
Making the start in net, Gonzalez earned the victory and his first clean sheet of the season after making one save across 90 minutes.
The ThunderWolves finished with seven shots, three shots on goal and three corner kicks. St. Mary's totaled seven shots, one shot on goal and six corners. The Pack was whistled for 14 fouls compared to 11 for the Rattlers.
CSU Pueblo will remain in San Antonio for its second match of the season on Saturday when the Pack takes on Sul Ross State at a neutral site.
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