EDINBURG - Mario Ribera ignited Texas-Pan American to three goals within four minutes Sunday, but Missouri-Kansas City scored late in each half to frustrate the Bronc soccer team, 4-3.

Ribera sat out the first half to end a game-and-a-half suspension for disciplinary pursposes. Coach Eloy Moran then reinstated the junior from Bolivia who ranked No. 2 nationally in NCAA scoring as a Bronc freshman.

Trailing 2-0 at the half after Troy Fuqua's 20-yard goal with just 15 seconds remaining, the Broncs soon surged ahead 3-2.

Juan Angel Romero's 30-footer, Armando Longoria's 12-yarder on a cross from Alector Cardenas, and Ribera's booming 30-yard blast gave UTPA goals at 60, 62  and 64 minutes.

But the UMKC Kangaroos won with four minutes left when Brian Law unloaded up the middle from eight yards outs.

UTPA dropped to 0-2 going to Albuquerque, N.M., to play its next games against Evansville (Indiana) and Drake (Iowa) next weekend.

The Missouri team improved to 2-1 by winning twice in Edinburg. UMKC had edged Texas Christian, 1-0, Saturday on Shanti Johnson's 18-yarder. He scored the first goal Sunday on a 22-yarder that barely sneaked under the bottom of the crossbar.

Explaining his decision to bring Ribera off the bench, Moran said, "More than anything else it was asking a lot of the team physically, and they needed a mental boost. You saw the physical pounding we were taking. We could have pulled it out but we got unlucky at the end."

"Arnoldo Cardenas, my sweeper, played especially well--so did his brothers, Rafael, Alector and Luis," Moran said. "Eric Jarvis displayed an extremely physically game, and he had already hurt his shin in practice. I'm proud of the freshmen I played--the fact two of them scored, Romero and Longoria, shows a lot of potential."

Taller, heavier UMKC knocked down the Broncs repeatedly for 22 fouls to UTPA's 17.

Romero, a Bronc sophomore from El Paso, suffered a bloody nose in Sunday's rough play.

"We have got to learn to play physical against teams from the Midwest," Moran said. "Drake and Evansville will be just as tough."