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NM Runners get first win of the season
NM Runners players Jordan Maldonado (24) and Peter Inserillo (13) celebrate with Rio, the team’s mascot after their first win of the season on Sunday at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
RIO RANCHO — They'd been circling that first win all season long. Now, after nine games, eight losses, two head coaches and 116 goals allowed, the New Mexico Runners have gotten off the schneid and grabbed their first victory of the season, a 9-4 toppling of the Certified Lions.
The win snaps a 15-game losing streak, dating to February 2024. It is the indoor soccer team's first regulation-time win since Jan. 27, 2023 (an 11-8 win over the Amarillo Bombers).
The Lions, out of Oklahoma City, came to the Rio Rancho Events Center on Sunday evening, expecting an easy win. And why not? After all, they’d already beaten the Runners three times this season ... and by a lot — 19-5 on Dec. 22; 11-6 on Dec. 29; and 17-5 on March 1.
Whatever the Lions expected to happen, however, didn’t materialize. The Runners, who’ve shown new life since the introduction of head coach Brian Weems at the end of January, had different plans.
The game started fast and, as per usual for Arena Soccer League games, it stayed fast until the final whistle.
Read the rest of the story on the Rio Rancho Observer website.
