RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's soccer snapped their two-match losing streak with a 1-1 draw against the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Panthers in an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) match Sunday at UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
The Vaqueros (2-4-3, 0-2-2 OVC) took the lead in the 48
th minute off of a header from sophomore
Emmanuel Gore Bi. Senior
Mouhamed Pouye and junior
Sammy Jadid assisted on the goal. Gore Bi scored his second goal of the season while both Jadid and Pouye notched their second assists of the season.
The Panthers (3-6-3, 2-2-1 OVC) knotted the match two minutes later when
Sergej Misic launched a solid strike from 30 yards just over the fully-extended arms of UTRGV goalkeeper
Conrad Knight.
The first half was an aggressive, defensive battle as neither team could operate much in the final third. The teams took a combined eight shots with only three on goal.
The Vaqueros lone opportunity came in the 21
st minute as junior
Alvaro Abeal created some space but the shot was corralled by EIU goalkeeper
Kai Odagiri.
The second half started with some aggression as the Panthers were assessed two yellow cards within the first two minutes. The second yellow card awarded a free kick for senior
Malang Mandiang.
Mandiang played the free kick to Pouye, who delivered a cross to the far post. Jadid lifted a centering pass to Gore Bi, who headed it past Odagiri for the 1-0 lead.
The Panthers responded with a deep strike just two minutes later. The two teams scattered a combined 14 shots in the second half.
The Vaqueros created a golden opportunity in the 67
th minute as a penalty was assessed after EIU's
Andre Ecker attempted a slide tackle but made contact with Jadid inside the box.
Pouye lined up for the penalty kick which was saved by the diving Odagiri. Pouye recovered the loose ball and attempted another shot, but a diving EIU defender blocked the effort. Freshman
Mauricio Arreguin tried to finish the opportunity but just missed the net, resulting in a goal kick for EIU.
The Vaqueros created one last opportunity in the waning minutes but the late shot from junior
Elias Taj sailed over the net, sealing the 1-1 draw.
In the match, EIU outshot UTRGV 15-11 with a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Panthers also generated eight corner kicks to the Vaqueros three.
Knight was solid in goal for UTRGV, recording five saves, two shy of his previous career-high and the most he's recorded since Sept. 18 at Air Force. Meanwhile, Odagiri recorded three saves.
UTRGV will head to Southern Indiana for another OVC match on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. Fans can watch live on
ESPN+.
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