CANYON, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Men's Soccer (3-6-2, 1-1-2 LSC) battled back to pick up a key conference point as they tied UT Dallas 1-1 at The Pitch Saturday afternoon.
D'Jonte Davis cashed a penalty kick with 22 seconds remaining to equalize the game.
The early stages of the game saw WT's offense create scoring chances. In the third minute, the Buffs created a breakaway chance on a counterattack that nearly got them on the board with
Delahmu Reeves leading the charge. Just outside the box, Reeves was tripped up and lost control, but a foul was called on him to negate the opportunity. With a close free kick in the 15th minute, WT set up a nice piece to quickly get the ball in as
Ben Scotford dished it to
D'Jonte Davis near the top of the box. His shot would sail high. Through 15 minutes, West Texas A&M tallied four shots (one on goal) and a corner kick but could not strike first despite their offensive pressure. In the 25th minute, UT Dallas found the first goal as they headed in a ball off a direct pass from a free kick to take a 1-0 lead.
Luke Southerington made a two key saves in the 32nd and 33rd minute to make sure the game remained a one goal deficit for WT. Right before half,
Myles Taylor added another chance for the Buffs, but his shot would miss left on a breakaway. The halftime score would settle in at 1-0 in favor of the Comets in what was a physical half.
Out of the break, West Texas A&M had an early chance as
Joseluis Diaz would have a shot saved in the 49th minute. The physicality of the game continued to be on full display with 14 fouls in the second half and 27 in the game. UTD held control of possession to start the second half as WT hunted the equalizing goal. The game would change in the 70th minute as the Buffs were assessed a red card and went down a man for the final 20 minutes. The defense of West Texas A&M would rise to occasion despite the double deficit in score and man as they held the Comets to only three shots the rest of the way. The Buffs stayed composed and continued to fight as the hunt stayed on. In the final minutes of the game, Taylor had another shot that just missed in the 87th minute, but WT had momentum and possession on their attacking half. On a throw-in with 30 seconds left, a scramble would occur in the box that saw Southerington fire a shot that would be saved. In that scrum of Comets and Buffaloes, multiple Buffs would be dragged down to the ground as UTD cleared the ball. That play would be reviewed and ultimately led to a penalty kick for WT with 22 seconds to go. Stepping up to the moment would be
D'Jonte Davis. As the referee blew the whistle for play, Davis initially went choppy steps before slow stepping into his kick. Firing a shot into the bottom right corner, the Prosper, Texas native completed the hunt with the equalizer as West Texas A&M secured a conference point with a 1-1 tie against UT Dallas.
Top Buffs
- D'Jonte Davis scored his second goal on the season in his 51 minutes of play. He totaled two shots with one landing on goal. Davis is up to six points which is tied for the team-high. Five of those points have come in the past three games.
- Luke Southerington started in goal and made a season-high four saves as he played the whole game. He also added one shot which landed on goal.
- Octavio Estrada-Vazquez fired two shots as he played all 90 minutes. This was his third game with 2+ shots and sixth game logging all 90 minutes.
Buffalo Bits
- West Texas A&M is now 0-2-1 all-time against UT Dallas with their first result.
- Myles Taylor recorded two shots in his 18 minutes. This was his fourth game with 2+ shots and second straight this season.
- Damron Atkins played all 90 minutes on defense and extended his streak of full games to nine.
- Joe Ballenger tallied his seventh consecutive game with 90 minutes.
- Felix Casas, Joseluis Diaz, and Edward Acosta all notched shots on goal.
Up Next
The Buffs will be back in action on Monday, October 5 as they resume the suspended game against Fort Hays State at 4:00 p.m. in Dodge City, Kansas.
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Men's Soccer, stay tuned to
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