Box Score PORTALES, N.M. –
Cristhian Ospina likes where the Wayland Baptist men's soccer team is right now, and where they're heading.
"We're getting it together," Ospina said after the Pioneers shut out Eastern New Mexico University here Tuesday evening, 3-0.
Ezequiel Amestoy,
David Neuberth and
Yago Xavier scored goals and
Juan Sanchez recorded a pair of assists as the Pioneers (3-2), ranked the equivalent of 35
th in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Poll, won back-to-back matches. Coming off a 4-1 win over Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday, Wayland has scored seven unanswered goals.
"We made a couple of adjustments in the back and that helped us a lot," Ospina said. "We played a lot better."
Tuesday's victory was Wayland's first on the road in three tries after the Pioneers fell to a pair of ranked teams in Birmingham, Ala., in their previous two road outings.
Wayland's first goal came in the 35
th minute when Amestoy got his first goal of the season on justhis second shot. The junior transfer from Spain and San Jacinto Junior College sent the ball hard into the back of the net after a poor clearance by the ENMU defense off a free kick.
The Pioneers picked up a couple of quick insurance goals when
David Neuberth and
Yago Xavier scored within two minutes of each other. Neuberth's netter came in the 71
st minute as he chipped in his first goal of the season on a cross from Sanchez. It was the first goal for senior from Maryland after he put in a team-best nine in 2013.
Less than two minutes later, Xavier netted his first ball of the year as the shot from the Brazilian junior hit off the right post. Sanchez also picked up the assist on that one, giving him his first two helpers after leading the team a year ago with nine.
ENMU was unable to connect on any of its seven shots on goal as
John-Ramses Thomas and backup goalkeeper
Keyland Taylor combined for the shutout. Thomas saved six of the shots while the sophomore Taylor got one after entering the match for the final five minutes.
"John always has a good game," Ospina said of the team captain. "He does a good job organizing us. We rely a lot on him."
The coach also praised his substitutes.
"I'm proud of the guys who came in. They kept the level of the game up," he said. "That's a very positive thing."
Wayland has beaten ENMU (1-2) the last three times the teams have met to now lead the series, 3-2-1. The Greyhounds were coming off a 3-1 win over the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, which followed a season-opening 1-0 loss to Adams State (Colo.).
Wayland next travels to Brownwood to take on Howard Payne at 4 p.m. Friday. The Yellow Jackets are 0-4, having been outscored 10-2 in losses to Schreiner, Texas Lutheran, Louisiana College and Centenary (La.).
"From now on, all the games are going to be hard," Ospina said. "We have to keep working hard and stay humble."
Friday's match will be the home-opener for Howard Payne.
