SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Northwest Nazarene men's soccer got an early equalizer from freshman
Caleb Putney, but Colorado Mesa pulled away for a 3-1 victory on Thursday.
The game was played at a neutral site, hosted by Westminster at Dumke Field in Salt Lake. NNU falls to 0-2-1 on the season.
The Mavericks struck first in the 11
th minute of the match, when Diogo Silva tallied to put CMU up 1-0.
NNU's goal came just four minutes later, with Putney doing it all by himself as the first-year Nighthawk took the ball around midfield on the left side and dribbled through multiple defenders before firing a strike inside the right post.
CMU would retake the lead before halftime, though, scoring in the 31
st minute. The Mavericks then added another goal in the second half with 11 minutes to play to get to the 3-1 final.
Shots were even between the teams at 13 apiece, but CMU held an 8-5 advantage in putting those shots on target. NNU drew six corners to four for CMU.
Johnny Ramirez was able to find space to get off shots, attempting seven and putting four on frame, but couldn't find the back of the net.
NNU will now take on Westminster on Saturday, facing off with the Griffins on their home field at 2:30 p.m.
