RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's soccer team defeated the Coastal Bend College Cougars 5-1 on Tuesday in an exhibition match at Brownsville Veterans Memorial High School.
 
This is the fourth-straight year in which the Vaqueros have hosted a match in Brownsville.
 
"It means so much for us to not only be here, but put on a show for the crowd," UTRGV head coach Bryheem Hancocksaid. "There's a lot of knowledgeable soccer fans here and we wanted to show them that we play a brand that's attractive. Scoring a lot of goals helps, as does showing good play in between each line."
 
Junior Kgodiso Sukati, who tied for the team lead in goals with five in 2023, scored in the 18^th minute to give the Vaqueros a 1-0 lead.
 
Junior Mohammed Shahabodien scored in the opening minute of the second half to make the score 2-0.
 
About 10 minutes later, Oneeko Allen scored to put the Vaqueros up 3-0.
 
Senior Sora Noda scored with about 20 minutes remaining to make the score 4-0.
 
After allowing a goal with just over a minute remaining, the Vaqueros responded with an Allen strike in the final seconds.
 
"I'm very proud of our guys after eight days of training," Hancock said. "We've worked a lot on defense, shape, and recovery. Guys are working hard and playing for each. We have a lot of guys who can lead and they're leading collectively. You could see that on the field tonight." 
 
UTRGV looks to complete an undefeated preseason on Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. when it hosts Texas A&M International at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Complimentary admission can be obtained by registering for a UTRGV Soccer Pass at GoUTRGV.com/SoccerPass. The UTRGV Soccer Pass gives fans free admission to all men's and women's soccer home matches. Fans are required to follow the clear bag policy which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

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