WICHITA FALLS, Texas – After a scoreless first half, the offense came alive in the second period for the 20th-ranked Midwestern State men's soccer team as they recorded a 3-1 season-opening victory over Fort Lewis in front of 1,187 fans Friday night at the MSU Soccer Field.

The win broke a two-game losing skid to Fort Lewis after falling to the Skyhawks in the season openers of the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

"I think we played good enough to win," said head coach Doug Elder. "In the first half, we established our dominance. We created 20 shots against a quality team that's known for their skill and technical abilities. I was pleased with our performance. The guys played well."

Playing his first game as a Mustang, junior midfielder Flavio Guzman broke a scoreless contest in the 53rd minute with a shot from the top of the box to put MSU up 1-0 on the visitors.

Just five minutes later, Midwestern struck again to extend their lead to 2-0. Senior forward Albert Rodriguez fired a rocket from 35 yards out off a pass from senior midfielder Juan Farres for the Mustangs' second goal of the night.

Fort Lewis cut the Midwestern lead in half in the 64th minute with a goal by freshman midfielder Laurin Weiland from 25 yards out to make it 2-1.

With the Skyhawks pressuring to even up the contest, the Mustangs sealed the victory in the 88th minute with Rodriguez finding junior midfielder Gabriel Cavalcante to put MSU up 3-1.

On a breakaway, Cavalcante received a pass from Rodriguez on the left side of the box before sending it into the net for the Mustangs' final score of the game.

The teams played a physical first half with a combined 22 fouls. The Mustangs took 10 shots during the period compared to just two for the Skyhawks.

Fort Lewis earned its best scoring opportunity of the period in the 37th minute as a header by junior midfielder Yannis Becker was denied with a spectacular save by MSU junior goalkeeper Noah Fazekas.

With six minutes remaining in the first period, a header from senior defender Call Casarez off a free kick from Guzman almost put the Mustangs on top but FLC goalkeeper Ryan Schaul kept MSU off the scoreboard.

Midwestern led 20-5 in shots and 8-2 in shots on goal. Rodriguez paced the Mustangs with five shots, two being on target. Fazekas earned the win for MSU, playing all 90 minutes between the posts.

The Mustangs will continue their homestand Sunday when they play host to No. 4 Colorado Mesa with a noon contest at MSU Soccer Field.