RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's soccer team fell to the Houston Christian (HCU) Huskies, 1-0, Wednesday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
The match was scoreless after a fairly even first half that saw both teams take just three shots. UTRGV (0-5) got its first good look in the 12
th minute as junior forward
Mouhamed Pouye dropped a chip shot into the box for senior defender
Diogo Mendonca Bastos, who took a shot that was saved by HCU's
Alex Aitken. The Huskies (5-2) quickly went up the pitch and took their first shot in the 14
th minute, but UTRGV senior goalkeeper
Alexis Gonzalez punched the ball over the goal for the save.
Pouye was the sparkplug for the Vaqueros in the first half, racing across the pitch and making plays on both ends. After intercepting a would-be feed deep in HCU's offensive third, he put a shot on goal in the 22
nd minute that was saved by Aitken.
Gonzalez recorded his second save in the 28
th minute, falling on a low shot from the Huskies, who generated chances with three early corner kicks. UTRGV got its first corner with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, leading to a shot by junior midfielder
Emiliano Abboud. Both goalies tabbed a pair of saves in the opening 45 minutes to keep the match knotted at 0-0.
The Vaqueros and Huskies got a few off-target shots off in the early minutes of the second half, then things settled down. With about 25 minutes remaining, UTRGV forced an uptick in pace as the intensity of the match found another level. Gonzalez recorded a pair of saves in the second half, first stopping a tight shot with his body in the 47
th minute and then diving to his right to block a hard, low kick in the 71
st minute.
Abboud and redshirt junior midfielder
Eduardo De Oliveira had UTRGV's offense creating some rhythm as the teams played fast. Abboud took a decent shot in the 74
th minute that was saved by Aitken. The pressure continued to increase as UTRGV was administered a yellow card in the 80
th minute, leading to a good shot off a free kick by HCU, but Gonzalez once again was up to the task.
The Vaqueros defense held strong as the Huskies picked up the offensive pressure late in the contest with redshirt junior defender
Ezekiel Oswald in the mix on several plays. But UTRGV was called for a foul in the box with 2:27 left on the clock, and
Ryan Okerayi nailed the penalty kick to give HCU the 1-0 lead.
Gonzalez ended the match with five saves. UTRGV outshot the Huskies, 9-7, but HCU put six shots on goal to UTRGV's four and found the only score of the night.
The Vaqueros will be back in action Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Lindenwood at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Fans can secure complimentary admission for all home UTRGV men's and women's soccer matches by getting the
UTRGV Soccer Pass.
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