CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men's soccer opened Lone Star Conference play with a 3-0 defeat of the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico thanks in part to
Matteo Landais. Landais netted one goal while assisting on the other two goals for the night. The Buffs improved to 4-3-2 on the season and 1-0 in LSC action.
WT set the tone for the game early five minutes into the Lone Star Conference contest. After the Buffs gained possession on the Greyhounds' side of the field,
D'Jonte Davis sent the ball wide to Landais. After a settling touch, Landais centered the ball into the box where
Theo Bennetts tapped the ball off the near post and into the goal. WT added to its advantage almost six minutes later when Landais ripped a shot from outside the ball, glancing the ball off the crossbar and past the goal line. A few minutes after their second goal, the Buffs extended their lead once again. In similar fashion to WT's first goal, the Buffs took advantage of a defensive miscue by Eastern New Mexico. WT pushed the ball to the 18-yard box where Landais sent a back heel pass to
Dylan Watson beat his defender and chipped the ball past the Greyhound keeper. After 45 minutes of play, the Buffs controlled play with a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 14-3 difference in shots.
The second half went in favor of WT once again despite being held out of the scoring column.
Sam Scarth gave the Buffs an opportunity two minutes into the second period but watched his shot go into the hands of ENMU goalkeeper Paul Waschkau. The Greyhounds looked to get on the board in the 53
rd minute when Matteo Azambuja took a shot.
Asaf Kristal came up with the save and kept Eastern New Mexico scoreless. WT continued to find scoring opportunities but couldn't add to its lead. The Buffs totaled 20 shots compared to Eastern New Mexico's eight with an 11-6 difference in shots on goal. The Greyhounds tallied eight saves compared to WT's six while the Buffs logged 11 corners.
WT travels to Lubbock on Saturday for another matchup with the Chaps of Lubbock Christian. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the LCU Soccer Facility.
