Cashmere’s Brace Not Enough, Runners Defense Shows Improvement

Rio Rancho, NM—In their much-anticipated return to action after an almost month-long hiatus, the New Mexico Runners stumbled against the Wichita Wings and were defeated in the final meeting between the two clubs this year, with Wichita completing the season sweep.

The Wings soared from the opening kick, taking the early lead with a Guilherme Olivera goal in the early stages of play. Soon after, Jared Robbins extended the Wichita lead to two, with an assisted goal from Olivera, who tallied three goal contributions throughout the match.

New Mexico got on the board early in quarter two, with Nick Cashmere scoring from a Jordan Maldonado pass in the opening minute of the period. The Wings responded with two more of their own, with Juan Zamora and Kieran Laking burying one in the second. Zamora was soon ordered off with the blue card, and Michael Wissman of the Runners found the back of the net under the power play moments later, scoring his seventh goal in just three starts with the club, all against Wichita. Olivera put another one away in the late exchanges of the first half, becoming the first of three players to record a brace in the game.

Nick Cashmere of the Runners opened the second half scoring with his second goal of the evening, and the final for the Runners. Cashmere finished with a pair of goals for the second meeting in a row between the teams. Both teams received too many men on the field infractions in the third, with both leading to power-play points. Despite being handed two blue cards, Wichita dominated the remainder of the quarter, with Robbins notching his second, and Kevin Ten Eyck bagging a double of his own, both assisted by Ethan Doud. 

While the final frame ended scoreless for both squads, penalties were prevalent, as four total blue cards were issued. In addition, Jared Robbins of the Wings was shown the yellow card with just under five minutes to play. Neither side was able to capitalize off of the other's time served in the box, and the match went final with the Wings taking home all three points by a score of 8-3.

Even though the Runners were defeated, this is the first time this season they held their opponent to a single digit. This alone shows huge improvement on the defensive front.

New Mexico will return to the field in six short days, as they are set to pay a visit to the Oklahoma City Certified Lions on Saturday. One week later, the Rio Rancho Events Center will welcome the Runners back for their penultimate home fixture, with a rematch with Oklahoma City slated to kickoff Sunday, March 9 at 3:05 PM. Tickets can be purchased on the New Mexico Runners website, or at the box office on match day.