BETHANY, Okla. – With just one-second left in overtime,
Giancarlo Saldana put away a golden goal to secure No. 6 West Texas A&M's 1-0 overtime victory against Southern Nazarene.
Playing in Oklahoma, the Buffs picked up their first road victory of the season advancing to 3-0-0 while the Crimson Storm moved to 3-2-0. WT improved to 6-1-0 for the all-time series record against the Crimson Storm.
The Buffs had a 5-4 shot advantage in the first half with only one landing on frame for either school with WT's
Ricardo Castillo shot in the 9
th-minute. After WT drew the free kick from a foul, the freshman recorded his second shot of the season but was denied by SNU's keeper Ramiro Jimenez.
WT's best chance to score in regulation came in the 63
rd-minute from
Chris Palomino but was once against saved by Jimenez.
With the clock counting down, the Crimson Storm looked to take control as Kazuki Okazaki looked for a last second shot but missed high to move the match into overtime.
SNU would kickoff overtime but was called offsides to give possession to the Buffs. A well-placed shot by
Denis Herrera was considered to be the deciding goal before it was saved by Jimenez. The Crimson Storm's only goal on target came in the 97
th-minute by Angel Lopez but was denied by freshman goalkeeper
Tom Miles to leave the match scoreless.
With seconds left in the first overtime, WT would steal the ball from the Crimson Storm's free kick to take back possession. The ball fell to the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week
Giancarlo Saldana whose shot snuck past the goalkeeper to find the golden goal with :01 left on the clock.
The Buffs and Crimson Storm each registered 13 shots with WT landing four on frame to SNU's one. Miles was awarded the victory with one save.
WT returns to action on Saturday as the squad hosts the Nighthawks of Northwest Nazarene at The Pitch with kickoff set for 1 p.m. in Canyon.