DODGE CITY, KANSAS – West Texas A&M Men's Soccer (4-6-2, 1-1-2) knocked off No. 13 Fort Hays State 1-0 in a match that started in Canyon and finished in Dodge City Monday afternoon.
D'Jonte Davis scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute to cap off a stifling performance by the Buffalo defense.
With the first half and change being played in Canyon, Texas on September 10, the Buffaloes defense would be tested early as the Tigers generated two shots (one on goal) and three corner kicks.
Bryce Cottle came away with a save in the fifth minute as the defense shutdown the initial wave. Offensively, WT kept pace with FHSU during that span with
Renson Jr. Sayers and
D'Jonte Davis each firing a shot, but they would both be saved. The game would change for the Buffs in the 27th minute as WT was assessed a red card off of a corner kick as they were now down a man. Despite the deficit, WT kept the game knotted at 0-0 and were still able to apply pressure with two shots and a corner kick. West Texas A&M would close the half with a strong defensive showing following the red card as the Tigers were limited to only one shot the rest of the half as the game was tied 0-0 into the break. Less than 10 minutes came off the clock in the second half before the game went into a lightning delay. After multiple resets of the delay, the game would ultimately be suspended in the 51st minute.
Less than a month later, the game would resume, this time in Dodge City, Kansas on October 5. West Texas A&M had their backs against the wall early as Fort Hays State pressed and had firm control with the extra man. The defense stood tall with Cottle picking off some crossing chances by the Tigers and blocking a few shots. Offensively, the Buffaloes created a few opportunities to keep FHSU on their heels, but nothing came to fruition. The Tigers continued to fire shots, but Cottle shut them down every time with key saves in the 81st and 85th minute. Following a frenzy in the midfield,
Oumar Berete came away with the ball and booted it up to a streaking Davis who ran past the center back to take the ball. From 20 yards out, the Prosper, Texas native had a one-on-one chance with the keeper and kept pushing forward until he was right in front of the net. Davis went low with his shot and nutmegged the keeper for the go-ahead goal. With time ticking away, the defense would shut down the potent Tigers offense over the final minutes to come out victorious. West Texas A&M secured the 1-0 win and for the second straight game, produced a result despite a man down with a red card.
Top Buffs
- D'Jonte Davis scored his third goal of the season with his first game-winner in 85 minutes. Davis landed both of his shots on goal. He now leads the team with eight points and has scored in three of the past four games.
- Bryce Cottle started in goal and made six saves in the match in his shutout. Four of them came in Dodge City where the Buffs were down a man. This was a season-high in saves for Cottle in his second shutout of the season.
- Oumar Berete tallied his first assist of the season on his fifth point. Berete played 73 minutes in the midfield.
Notables
- West Texas A&M is now 6-4-1 all-time against Fort Hays State and snapped their two-game losing streak.
- WT led the game in saves (6-2).
- This was the Buffs fourth shutout of the season and third shutout win.
- The Buffs beat their first ranked opponent since they beat No. 18 Midwestern State on October 26 of 2024. This was their highest ranked win since they beat No. 10 Midwestern State in 2021. Fort Hays State was ranked No. 25 in September when the game started and was No. 13 when the game resumed.
- Damron Atkins played all 90 minutes and extended his streak of full games to 10 consecutive games.
- Joe Ballenger and Octavio Estrada-Vazquez each tallied a shot as they each logged all 90 minutes. Ballenger landed his shot on goal and now has eight straight games with 90 minutes. Estrada-Vazquez is up to seven full games this season.
- Renson Jr. Sayers fired two shots in his 78 minutes.
- Ben Scotford added one shot in his 85 minutes.
- Felix Casas played 62 minutes.
Up Next
The Buffs will be back in action on Saturday, October 10 as they travel to DBU. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Dallas, Texas.
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