TAMPA, Fla. – Junior
Elias Taj delivered a career night to lead The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's soccer team to a dominant 5-0 win over the South Florida (USF) Bulls at Corbett Stadium Sunday.
Leading the way for the Vaqueros was Taj, who netted his first career brace and tallied two assists. The Vaqueros also received goals from fifth year
Eduardo De Oliveira, sophomore
Sammy Jadid, and senior
Mouhamed Pouye. Senior
Malang Mandiang tacked on two assists. Meanwhile, De Oliveira tallied an assist and freshman
Victor van der Aa recorded his first career assist.
Taj's performance etches him into the UTRGV single-match record books as he is now tied for seventh in points scored (6). Taj is the first Vaquero to enter the record books for points in a match since 2021, when
Reshaun Wilkes tallied six points at Central Arkansas. Taj, Wilkes, and
William Akio are the only Vaqueros to enter the record book for points scored in a match since the program restarted in 2015.
As a team, the Vaqueros notched 16 points, which is tied for seventh in program history and ranks first when facing NCAA DI opponents. The Vaqueros' six assists are also tied for fourth in program history and tied for first when facing NCAA DI opponents.
This is the first time the Vaqueros scored at least five goals in a match since Sept. 25, 2025 when they defeated Texas A&M International 6-1 and the first time against an NCAA DI opponent since their 5-1 victory over Air Force on Oct. 13, 2024.
The Vaqueros wasted no time getting on the board as they used a swift counterattack led by junior
Tobias Buch on the backline. Mandiang received the pass, turned upfield, and found the sprinting Taj on the wing. A grounded cross from Taj found the foot of De Oliveira who finished off the spectacular play. The goal came a mere 24 seconds into the match.
In similar fashion, De Oliveira found Taj on the opposite wing who dribbled the ball just outside the box and flashed a beautiful cross to the center. Jadid, in perfect position, redirected the ball just past the keeper to give the Vaqueros a commanding 2-0 lead in the 13
th minute.
The Bulls started to find some momentum before
Geoffrey Oyaka was assessed a red card in the 28
th minute. Playing a man down, the Bulls were on the receiving end of a balanced and powerful UTRGV attack.
In the 34
th minute, Mandiang was on the receiving end of a perfect through pass in the channel before stopping on a dime and crossing into the center of the box. Pouye jumped in front of
Jack Kiefer, leading with his right foot to send the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, putting the Vaqueros up 3-0.
The Bulls and Vaqueros battled through a scoreless opening 25 minutes of the second half before Taj broke through with his first career goal. He deked a defender on the receiving end of a pass before sending the ball through the legs of the Bulls keeper to notch the fourth UTRGV goal of the evening in the 70
th minute.
Then, in the 82
nd minute, Taj capped off his career night with another goal. This time, a wonderful series of passes put the Vaqueros in the box with numbers. Jadid, on the left wing, found junior
Alexander Mink inside the box. Mink dropped it off to Taj in the middle. Taj passed inside to De Oliveira who flicked it back to Taj who buried it into the left side of the goal.
UTRGV outshot USF 15-9 with an 8-1 advantage on goal. Bulls goalkeeper
Eric Axtman tallied three saves while UTRGV goalkeeper
Conrad Knight recorded one save in the shutout victory.
The Vaqueros will look to carry the momentum into their next match at Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Fans can watch live on the
Summit League Network or follow along using
live stats.
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