CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's soccer team couldn't answer a 62^nd minute goal from the Fort Lewis Skyhawks, falling in the contest by a score of 1-0. With the loss, the Buffs drop to 1-2-1 while the Skyhawks improve to 3-0-1 on the season.
 
WT and Fort Lewis battled for possession to open the game with neither team finding opportunities in the attacking third. The Buffs would register the game's first shot as Sharif Mohammed placed a floating ball on frame but watched Skyhawks' goalkeeper Lucas Martin smother the chance. In the 22^nd minute, Theo Bennetts placed a shot on goal where Martin came away with another save to keep the game scoreless. With less than five minutes to go in the half, Mohammed took another shot from deep, but Martin replicated his success in stopping the Buffs' attack, sending the game to the break without a score.
 
After halftime, Fort Lewis attacked the WT back line quickly. After a pair of passes, the Skyhawks worked through the midfield with players ahead. The pressure broke through the Buffs defense as David Citron played a ball through for Tomas Duenes Gonzales. As Duenes Gonzalez prepared to place his shot on frame, Bryce Cottle came off his line to steal the shot off the Fort Lewis attacker's foot. The Skyhawks continued to press up the field where a pair of saves from Cottle kept the game scoreless. In the 51^st minute, WT created a chance to take the lead after a failed clearance from the Fort Lewis defenders. With the ball free, Sol Bercu ripped a shot on frame, but Martin punched the ball away.
 
The Skyhawks would score the game's only goal in the 62^nd minute as Julian Rojas led Citron into space with a forward pass. After Rojas' initial cross found itself blocked, Rojas won the second ball inside the box. With a one tap pass to Duenes Gonzalez, the Fort Lewis forward buried the ball in the top corner for the go-ahead goal. WT wouldn't go away quietly as the Buffs marched down the field after the kickoff. Off a give-and-go from Matteo Landais, Zakaria Daaou slipped through the Skyhawks back line where he sliced a shot across the defense. Daaou's shot missed tying the game by a matter of inches as the attempt hit the back post and came out. In the final minutes of the game, the WT offense couldn't come up with an equalizer as Fort Lewis drained the clock.
 
WT hits the road once again for a pair of games in Nampa, Idaho. The Buffs take on Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. CT before facing Hawaii Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. CT.