LUBBOCK, Texas – West Texas A&M men's soccer snapped a six-game winless streak as the Buffs took down rival Lubbock Christian 1-0 on Wednesday night at the LCU Soccer & Track Facility. With the win, the Buffs improve to 3-6-4 on the year and notch their first Lone Star Conference victory of the season.
 
WT nearly took a lead less than a minute into the game as a ball played from the back line went up the field. After Lubbock Christian headed the ball down, Sharif Mohammed controlled the second ball outside the box before sending a shot just high of the goal. The Buffs followed that up with another shot under the one-minute mark when Quintin Benn-John sent a curling attempt into the awaiting arms of Chaps goalkeeper Connor Pettigrew. In the eighth minute, WT earned a penalty kick after Pettigrew took out Mohammed inside the box. Although Matteo Landais converted the penalty, the referee waved off the goal when a Buffalo player entered the box early. LCU found one of their first looks on goal come in the 18^th minute as a corner kick went to the back post. As the ball came down, Andrea Monticelli headed the ball down, but a WT defender cleared the ball off the line. Following the clearance, the Buffs controlled the pace of play by spending the game's next minutes on the Chaps' side of the field. With 15 minutes to play in the first half, a free kick off the foot of Theo Bennetts went into the box. Benn-John located Rotem Weiss off the free kick who fired a shot before the ball hit the ground. The shot forced a corner where the restart kick bounced around the box before Mohammed lasered a shot, forcing Pettigrew to make a leaping save. Pettigrew came up with another crucial save in the 39^th minute when Landais fired a shot from the penalty spot, eventually sending the game to halftime scoreless.
 
After a scoreless opening half, the Buffs pushed the pace early, forcing a free kick five minutes into the second period. Benn-John stepped up to take the free kick but put too much on it as it went over the bar. In the 52^nd minute, Luke Southerington recorded his first save of the night when Francisco Horta placed a shot on frame. Sensing a change in momentum, WT went on the attack in the 58^th minute as Daniel Burton put a shot on frame followed by another save on Landais' shot. On the rebound, Philip Leano flew in to make sure the Buffs wouldn't be denied on the attack. Leano, returning to the pitch for the first time this season, netted the first goal in his career at WT. Landais nearly doubled the Buffs' lead two minutes later when the senior stole possession inside the box before curling a shot just outside the open back post. Trailing by a goal, LCU pushed for an equalizer, putting the WT defense on their heels. Despite an offensive surge by the Chaps, the Buffs continued to find runs through the LCU defense. In the 72^nd minute, Landais received a through ball from Benn-John, but a sliding save from Pettigrew kept the game within one. With 13 minutes to play, Southerington came up with his biggest save of the night as Justin Martinez broke free for a one-on-one opportunity. Martinez went low on his shot, but Southerington cut down the angle to make a kick save. In the game's final minutes, LCU went for an all-out attack with the Buffs standing tall to walk away with the victory.
 
WT returns to The Pitch on Saturday, Oct. 23 for a rivalry match with No. 18 Midwestern State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the women's match.