WICHITA FALLS, Texas – For the third-consecutive season, the West Texas A&M men's soccer team watched its season come to an end in penalty kicks. The Buffs played the Dallas Baptist Patriots to a 1-1 draw, but the Patriots advanced 5-4 on penalty kicks.
 
WT came off the opening kick to control possession in the game's opening minutes. Although the Buffs controlled possession, WT couldn't turn the advantage into shots on the offensive side. The Buffs' pressure paid off as Elhadj Diaoune sent a crossing pass into the box for Nevarez. The cross went just by Nevarez, but D'Jonte Davis controlled the ball before it went out of bounds. After Keaton Hartman gathered the ball, Hartman sent in a cross of his own but watched it go to a Patriots' defender. The clearance didn't make it far as Nevarez watched the ball land at his feet. Nevarez fired a shot into a defender, but a deflection went into the goal.
 
Dallas Baptist responded 20 seconds later as a ball over the back line found a streaking Peyton Voelker who tied the game. Nevarez attempted to give WT the lead once again as he broke free past the Patriots' defenders. As Knepper came off his line, Nevarez attempted a shot but couldn't get it under the sliding goalkeeper. Rotem Weiss did his best to give the Buffs an advantage after taking possession in the DBU penalty box. Weiss tried to pass across the face of the goal for a wide-open teammate, but Knepper made a stabbing save to clear the ball from danger. A few minutes later, Beck Adams forced yet another diving save from Knepper to keep the game tied at one. Neither team gained the advantage it was looking for as the clock ran out on the first half.
 
Starting the second half, Dallas Baptist started with a sense of urgency as the Patriots advanced up the field in the opening minute. Dylan Berry looked to give DBU its first lead of the evening but couldn't find the target. In the 51^st minute, WT earned a corner kick but couldn't find a target inside the box. After the Patriots weakly cleared the ball, Diaoune rifled a shot where Knepper barely pushed the ball over the net to keep the game tied. The Buffs continued to apply pressure on the DBU defense over the next 20 minutes without finding the go-ahead goal. With 12 minutes to go, Diaoune sent another crossing pass into the box for Matteo Landais. Landais timed his jump perfectly and headed the ball towards the back post. Before the ball could cross the goal line, Knepper punched the ball out of play to keep WT off the board.
 
Five minutes after Knepper's save, the Patriots created an incredible goal-scoring chance on the other side of the field. As Voelker raced past the Buffs' defenders, Asaf Kristal came off his line to smother the ball. Voelker maneuvered around Kristal but lost his footing, allowing WT to clear the ball from the open goal. The final minute of regulation saw DBU take control of the ball but without reward.
 
In overtime, the opening 10 minutes went without contest outside of a save from Kristal. At the start of the second overtime period, the Buffs earned a corner. After the ball bounced, Landais saw his shot blocked by a defender but right to Hartman. Hartman caught the Patriots off guard and froze the defense but sent his opportunity wide. Dallas Baptist nearly broke the tie in the 104^th minute as Gavyn Rosales curled a shot towards the goal. Rosales' shot beat Kristal but rose over the crossbar. On the other half of the field, WT saw its go-ahead chance also go high. With eight seconds to play, Berry's chance to send the Patriots to the championship sailed high.
 
In the penalty shootout, both goalkeepers made incredible saves on each of the team's first attempts. DBU and WT went on to convert its next four chances before Leo Larson netted the Patriots' fifth-consecutive attempt. Needing to score to keep the shootout alive, Trevor Suggs watched Knepper make a diving save to win it.
 
The Buffs' end 2023 with an overall record of 7-6-5 with a 4-3-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play, finishing second in the regular season standings.