TYLER, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's soccer team went on the road to secure their first Lone Star Conference victory of the season, defeating the UT Tyler Patriots 1-0. The Buffs improved to 3-2-5 on the season and 1-0-1 in LSC action while UT Tyler fell to 5-2-2 overall, 0-1-1 in the conference.
 
The Buffs came out firing, registering a trio of shots in the first 10 minutes of the game. One of those shots ended in a goal by Keaton Hartman at the 38-minute mark. Hartman, left alone in the box, fired a shot into the top right corner to give WT the early advantage. Holding a 1-0 lead, Giancarlo Saldana controlled the ball into the box. Saldana ripped a shot off UT Tyler goalkeeper Asier Vegas' hands and into the goal, doubling the Buffs' separation. WT's defense shut down the Patriot offense in the opening half, holding UT Tyler to one shot compared to the Buffs' six.
 
In the second half, the Buffs' offense continued to pressure the Patriots' back line. At the same time, UT Tyler struggled to find opportunities to push past the WT defenders. The Patriots found a gap in the Buffs' defense in transition. UT Tyler's Michael Myers found Todd Fuller who played the ball into the box. Sergio Sola received Fuller's ball as he headed it over the leaping Asaf Kristal to score the Patriots' goal. In a final attempt to tie the game, UT Tyler registered a pair of shots but neither found the back of the net. Saldana had a chance to restore the two-goal lead, but Vegas made the save.
 
WT ended the game with a 14-5 advantage in shots including a 5-1 difference in shots on goal. Vegas ended the night with three saves while Kristal was unable to register one in the win.
 
The Buffs return home to take on Texas A&M International at The Pitch on Saturday. WT hosts the Dustdevils with a scheduled kickoff at 1 p.m.