RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- The Midway University men's soccer team opened River States Conference play on Thursday night with an uphill battle against Rio Grande (Ohio) – who is currently ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll.

The Eagles did their best to hold off the RedStorm offense in the first few minutes of the contest limiting the host to one goal in the first 17 minutes, but the home squad would go on to score six goals in the final 27 minutes of the first half en route to the 10-0 shutout victory.

Rio Grande – who also ranks No. 7 in the country in total goals with 36 – got a pair of goals from the 2018-19 River States Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Nicolas Cam Orellana, while also getting a hat trick from Samuel Pedersen to build the 7-0 advantage at halftime.

Quinnton Haislop, Spencer Reinford, and Michael Garcia would account for the Rio Grande goals in the second half as they cruised to the 10-0 victory.

The RedStorm – who improved to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in league play with the win – ended the contest holding a 30-4 advantage in shots and a 16-2 edge in shots on goal.

Midway – who fell to 0-8 overall and 0-1 in conference play with the loss – got shots on goal from Cristian Melendez (Lexington, Ky.) and Thomas Sidebottom (Bardstown, Ky.), but neither got past Richard Dearle who posted his fifth shutout of the season.

The Rio Grande net-minder finished the contest with his two saves, while Jared Howard (Danville, Ky.) saw more action on his end of the field than he would've liked. The senior goalkeeper finished with six saves in a losing effort for the Eagles.

The road ahead unfortunately doesn't get any easier for Tim Wolz's squad as they are once again on the road at West Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Golden Bears are receiving votes in the coaches' poll and are one of the few teams left without a blemish on the season with a 6-0-1 overall record. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET in Beckley, West Virginia.

Follow Midway Eagles Athletics