On Tuesday, the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) Colts boys soccer team faced off against the Goddard Rockets at NMMI.

The Colts entered the match with a 3-5 record and are coming off a 3-0 loss to the Sandia Prep Sundevils. The Rockets had a 2-10 record and are coming off a 3-2 loss against the Chaparral Lobos. This was the first and last time both the Rockets and Colts faced off this season.

In the first half, both teams were able to move the ball up and down the field, but the Colts better capitalized on their opportunities. Their defense held the Rockets to zero goals, while their offense scored two goals, courtesy of Wagner Ferreira Morato Cunha (7). They led 2-0 as the clock hit zero for halftime.

In the second half, both defenses were able to stop either offense from scoring goals. Once a player got into scoring position or next to the opponent’s goal, the other team’s defense would surround them to create a turnover.

It wasn’t until the final five minutes of the game that Rockets player Joshua Arciniega (17) got the Rockets on the board, making the score 2-1. Despite this, the Colts would still hang on to the lead to win the game. This moved their record to 4-5, while the Rockets fell to 2-11.

Colts Head Coach John Barbour said that his team is still trying to figure out what positions specific players will play. “There are some players that I can tell can fulfill a role. It’s just them recognizing what their role is in that new position that they have to work on,” Barbour said.

In this game, he said that his team performed really well, and used some different strategies to gain an advantage… “We saw some room on the sides of the field that we exploited to get behind the defense. That led to some offside penalties, but it allowed us to advance the ball down the field to get into scoring position.” Barbour explained. He looks forward to seeing what his team does as the season goes on.

Rockets Head Coach Carlton Gillette had a positive outlook on the game, saying that he saw his team battling the whole game. He explained that it’s been tough losing six games by one goal, but he sees that his players still believe in the team and continue to work hard every day.