HOBBS, N.M. — For the first time since 2021, the Sul Ross State men's soccer program is celebrating a season-opening win.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lobos pitched a commanding 3-0 shutout over the University of the Southwest Mustangs at the Bob Moran Soccer Field.

>> HOW IT HAPPENED:

Sul Ross State's offense came out of the gates firing on all cylinders in the opening half, firing off six shots.

Manuel Ruiz Luque then scored the first goal of the season for the Lobos during the 17th minute off an assist from Mario Hurtado.

The Lobos tallied 14 shots in the first half as they held a 1-0 lead at the break.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs were held to just four shots. Only two shots came on the mark, but goalkeeper Benjamin Aviles was there for the save each time.

In the second half, the Lobos extended their lead to 2-0 after Diego Hernandez found the back of the net with an assist from Carlos Gonzalez in the 59th minute.

Zachary Trimming fired in the final goal of the contest in the 73rd minute with an assist by Cesar Barrientos.

>> RECORDS: Sul Ross State (1-0); University of the Southwest (2-1)

>> GAME NOTES:

• The Lobos dominated the offensive possession with 25 shots, six coming on the goal.
• Sul Ross State took 14 shots in the first half and 11 in the second half.
• Aviles made five saves, three in the second half.
• Angel Lugo, Sean Carlos Rivera and Trimming all had four shots each.
• Lewis Coates, Gonzalez and Luque finished with three shots apiece.
• The Lobos were one goal away from tying the program record of four goals, the most scored in a single game.
• This marks the first season-opening victory for the Lobos since the 1-0 win over Schreiner on Sept. 5, 2021 in Kerrville, Texas.
• Nine Lobos tallied at least one shot in the contest.

>> WHAT THE COACH SAID:

"It feels good. They came to our place last year, they gave us a run and we knew that we were going to come out here and take it to them. It feels even better just to finally get a win under our belt. We're feeling good, we look really good. So, I think besides the opponent, we feel really good and that's a proper result for us." — Bailey Guffin on notching the win
 
"We have a lot of good guys that have a lot of creative ideas. We have a certain way that we want to play and we let them have freedom. We put so many restraints on them in practice that when we let them actually get to go do their thing it's just free flowing at that point. It's been awesome. We've got some good freshmen stepping up playing some awesome minutes. Getting three different goal scorers is a good thing for us to have." — Guffin on the offensive production
 
"We want them to feel every victory. We want them to feel every record and know how far we're coming along. We're going to need stuff like that. This definitely won't be the last record that we break." — Guffin on the program's first season-opening win in three years

>> WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:

"It felt really good, honestly. I think we needed a win. We played two scrimmages before with a loss and a tie. I think we managed it really well. I think when you control the game, 3-0 is the best score ever. I think we should have scored more, honestly. We need to work on the finishing, but I think we did a really good job counter attacking." — Manuel Ruiz Luque

>> UP NEXT: The Lobos travel to Laredo, Texas, for the Texas A&M International Classic on Thursday, Sept. 12 at Dustdevil Soccer Field. Sul Ross State takes on Montana State Billings to open up play at 5 p.m. CST.