NAMPA, Idaho – The West Texas A&M men's soccer team dropped its match with Northwest Nazarene 2-1 on Thursday night. The Nighthawks improved to 1-3-1 overall while the Buffs drop to 1-3-1.
 
The Buffs came off the opening kickoff with a sense of urgency, promptly stealing possession from Northwest Nazarene. Now with possession and approaching the 18-yard box, Gabriel Nevarez ripped a shot from the top of the box. Nevarez's early look beat Nighthawks goalkeeper Gerardo Fonte but went a few inches high, striking the crossbar. Following the early chance, Northwest Nazarene started to control possession until the Buffs stole control once again and started a counterattack. In the 17^th minute, Nevarez nearly gave WT the lead as his shot curled outside the post. The junior forward wouldn't be denied as Sharif Mohammed played Nevarez into the box. With the keeper off his line, Nevarez chipped the ball into the back of the net. The goal proved to be the only action in the first half although both keepers made multiple saves.
 
In the second half, the Buffs controlled possession despite pressure from Northwest Nazarene. After a Nighthawks foul, an errant pass on the restart went to Jonathan Cardona. In a one-on-one with Bryce Cottle, Cardona slipped the ball under Cottle's arm to tie the game at one. In the 64^th minute, a through ball to Cardona proved to be trouble for the WT back line as Cottle raced off his line to cut down the shooting angle. After a dribble around Cottle, Cardona faced an open net before Theo Bennetts slid in to clear the ball away. After the Buffs paced the game in the first half, the momentum shifted in favor of Northwest Nazarene in the second half.
 
As the clock approached 16 minutes to play, WT forced a corner kick out of the Nighthawks defense. After D'Jonte Davis' crossing pass went into the box, Northwest Nazarene cleared the ball, but the Buffs quickly reentered the box with possession. On a give-and-go with Rotem Weiss, Bennetts went unmarked with a look on goal. Bennetts gathered and struck a look at goal, but the shot floated over the crossbar. The Nighthawks found the game-winning goal with seven minutes to play as Johnny Ramirez sent a through ball past the back line for Cardona. With Cottle off his line, Cardona calmly placed the ball into the open net.
 
The Buffs look to snap their two-game losing streak on Saturday against Hawaii Pacific. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT in Nampa, Idaho.