CANYON, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Men's Soccer (4-7-4, 1-2-4) welcomed the reigning National Champions in No. 2 Midwestern State to The Pitch Saturday evening and battled to a 2-2 draw.
Felix Casas tied the game with a late goal while
Bryce Cottle tied the single game program record for saves.
The first half was controlled by MSU as they held possession at 70%. Their offense tested
Bryce Cottle early as he made three saves in the opening seven minutes.
Oumar Berete registered the Buffs first and only shot in the half as he missed out high. The Mustangs offense applied continuous pressure on the Buffalo defense with 11 shots and two corners in the game, but were kept off the scoreboard thanks to nine first half saves by Cottle. 0-0 would be the score as the teams went into halftime.
Out of the break, MSU broke through on a goal in the 55th minute to take a 1-0 lead. That play looked to be offsides, but it was reviewed and upheld to keep the goal on the board. Seven minutes later, WT would respond with a goal of their own to tie the game. On a corner kick,
Franky Oviedo placed a ball that got headed by a Mustangs defender. That ball landed on the right foot of Berete who blasted the close shot into the back of the net for the tie. MSU did not take long to retake the lead as they scored in the 68th minute as they now led 2-1. Berete's goal did rejuvenize the Buffalo offense as they were able to maintain possession and create opportunities in their attacking zone. In the 77th minute, WT would be awarded a corner kick which would lead to a scrum in the box.
Joe Ballenger had a close shot that nearly went in but would be saved. West Texas A&M maintained possession off the rebound as the ball worked its way to
Felix Casas. He maneuvered through multiple defenders and in stride fired a laser off his foot for the equalizing goal. WT's defense held strong in the final minutes to snuff out any chances by MSU. The 2-2 score would hold as the Buffaloes picked up a key conference point against one of the nation's best.
Top Buffs
- Felix Casas scored his lone shot for his third goal of the year. He also played 84 minutes in the game. Casas is now up to eight points with three goals and two assists.
- Bryce Cottle tied the program record for saves in a single game with 11. He is the third Buff to tie that record of 11 saves joining Paul Hart (x2 in 2003) and Shawn Carr (2011).
- Oumar Berete also scored his third goal of the season and is up to seven points. Berete played 48 minutes and totaled two shots.
Buffalo Bits
Up Next
The Buffs will be back in action on Wednesday, October 21 as they host Sul Ross State at The Pitch. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m.
