CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's soccer team were unable to find the back of the net in a 0-0 draw against UT Permian Basin on Saturday afternoon at The Pitch. The Buffs finished the match with 30 more shots than the Falcons as they were shutout for just the third time this season. With the draw, the Buffs record now stands at 7-2—1, 4-1-1 in Heartland conference play.
"It is disappointing result because we controlled the match for most of the second half and overtime," said WT head coach Butch Lauffer. "With that being said, I am happy with how we defended. We limited their chances and Pat made the plays he needed to. You have to find a way to score in games like today and we weren't able to do that."
Junior goalkeeper wasn't tested much during the match but he did make a crucial save at 5:05 denying UTPB's Tainan Bagetti on the Falcons only shot of the half. The Buffs tested UTPB's goalkeeper Alec Sproule early and often as Reece Shcattle and Mirza Dizdarevic both had od looks in the first 25 minutes of the match.
The Buffs finished the first half with an 8-1 shot advantage as both teams took three corners.
The Buffs spent most of the second half in the Falcons part of the field evident with their 18 shots and seven shots on goal. They turned up the pressure in the 80th minute when Troy Reeves, Ivan Ulloa and Jordan Zepeda all had a chance on goal.
After 90 minutes, The Buffs held a 26-6 advantage in shots with 11 of those being on target.
WT's best chance of the first overtime came in the final minute when junior Gabe Williams got on the end of a long ball. After showing his touch, the Pflugerville, Texas native shielded his defender and chipped the ball over the charging Sproule's but the ball bounced off the cross bar.
The Buffs continued to press for the winner in the second overtime with their best chance coming in the final seconds when Filip Janjic got on the end of Rafael Vasconcello's cross. The sophomore midfielder used his speed to separate from his defender before finding the ball at his feet in front of the goal but he sent the ball over the cross bar.
The Buffs finished the match with 36 shots compared to UTPB's six. WT also reached double-digits in corner kicks with a season-high 11.
Patrick Satorie picked up his fifth shutout of the season after making two saves.
The Buffs will host Rogers State for their first meeting in school history on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at The Pitch.
Notes:
· The Buffs now lead the all-time series 14-0-1 and 8-0-1 at home.
· The Buffs and Falcons are now tied atop the West Division with four points.
· Troy Reeves had a WT season-best eight shots, two of those being on goal.
· Thomas Vickers, Josh Palm, Troy Reeves and Ryan Kennedy all played 110 minute today.
· Patrick Satorie now has 15 career shutouts, two shy of No. 2 on the all-time list.
· Today's draw was the first for WT since Oct. 19, 2014 against Eastern New Mexico.
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