CANYON, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Men's Soccer (2-3-0) close out the non-conference portion of their schedule this week as they travel to Salem, Oregon to take on Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, September 17 and Saint Martin's on Saturday, September 19. Thursday's game is set for 3:00 p.m. CT while Saturday's game will kick-off at 11:00 a.m. CT.
 
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Live Stats will be provided by Saint Martin's for both games.
 
Last Time Out
West Texas A&M returned to The Pitch this past week as they took on No. 25 Fort Hays State and Newman.
 
Thursday's game against Fort Hays State was suspended in the 51st minute due to weather. The game was tied 0-0. A later date to resume the game is currently being discussed.
 
Buffaloes Defense Stifles Newman in 1-0 Shutout Victory- September 12, 2026
The Buffaloes set the tone early as they extended early pressure onto Newman which led to possession. WT found their grove offensively with a shot and corner kick in the first five minutes. In the 8th minute, D'Jonte Davis came away with a turnover in the Buffs defensive midfield and launched a ball to Felix Casas who made a great run into the Buffs attacking zone. Casas corralled the ball and set it up to Ben Scotford just outside the box. The Captain dribbled through four Jets defenders as he penetrated into the box. In the middle of the box with a clean look, Scotford fired a shot at the top left corner with his left foot which found the back of the net for the early Buffs lead. WT would generate four more shots (two on goal) and a corner kick the remainder of the half but could not double their lead. Defensively, the Buffaloes were superb as they limited the Jets to only two shots with one on goal. They controlled possession and hindered the Newman offense as they went into the break leading 1-0.
 
WT's offense carried over into the second half as produced five shots (two on goal) and two corner kicks through the first eight minutes. West Texas A&M nearly doubled their lead in the 53rd minute as Edward Acosta forced a turnover in their attacking zone. The Buffs played with pace as the ball got back to Acosta who fired a shot but it would be saved and bounced right in front of Scotford. He then took his chance looking for a brace but would also be denied. Newman would start to find their offensive footing as they started to produce shots, but nothing came to fruition. They nearly tied the game in the 66th minute with a goal, but after review it was deemed they were offsides as the goal was rescinded. The Buffs defense tightened up from that point as Newman only had two shots (one on goal) and two corners the rest of the way. West Texas A&M's offense continued to hum and while they did not find a second goal for insurance, they created quality chances and opportunities to continuously apply pressure. The Buffs held firm on their 1-0 lead as they ultimately came away with the victory.
 
Top Buffs

• Ben Scotford scored his first goal of the season in 75 minutes. He produced five shots with two landing on goal.
• Felix Casas came away with an assist in his 71 minutes of action. Casas fired five shots with one landing on goal. This was Casas' second assist and fourth point on the year.
• Bryce Cottle started in goal and came away with three saves in his first shutout and first win of the year. He also added one shot on goal in all 90 minutes.  

 
West Texas A&M Statistical Leaders (Amount)

• Points- Felix Casas (4)
• Goals- Myles Taylor, Felix Casas, Oumar Berete, Alon Ben Ami, & Ben Scotford (1)
• Assists- Felix Casas (2)
• Game-Winning Goals- Myles Taylor & Ben Scotford (1)
• Shots on Goal- D'Jonte Davis, Ben Scotford, & Edward Acosta (4)
• Shots- D'Jonte Davis (11)
• Minutes by a Field Player- Damron Atkins (402)
• 90 Minute Games by a Field Player- Damron Atkins & Octavio Estrada-Vazquez (3)
• Saves- Bryce Cottle (7)
• Save Percentage- Bryce Cottle (87.5%)
• Goals Allowed Average- Bryce Cottle (0.47)
• Goalkeeper Wins- Luke Southerington & Bryce Cottle (1)
• Shutouts- Luke Southerington & Bryce Cottle (1)

 
West Texas A&M Team Statistics (LSC Ranking)

• 13.40 shots per game (3^rd) | 6.0 shots on goal per game (3^rd)
• 3.20 points per game (10^th) | 1.00 goals per game (10^th) | 1.20 assists per game (6^th)
• 2.20 goals allowed per game (10^th) | 2.40 saves per game (8^th)
• 10.80 fouls per game (5^th) | 4.60 corner kicks per game (7^th)

(all stats accumulated 9/15/26)
 
Series History
Thursday's game against Northwest Nazarene will be the sixth game between the Buffs and Nighthawks with the series being tied 2-2-1. The teams last played in 2024 where NNU came away with a 2-1 win.  
 
Saturday's game against Saint Martin's will be the second all-time meeting between the programs. In the first meeting last year, the Buffaloes took the matchup with a 2-0 victory.
 
Buffs Leave Frisco with a 2-0 Shutout of Saint Martin's- September 27, 2025
The first half between WT and Saint Martin's ended scoreless, marked by strong defensive efforts from both sides. Bryce Cottle made a crucial save in the 18th minute on a bottom-left shot by Saint Martin's Soren Hanson. WT's Delahmu Reeves had two attempts at goal in close succession around the 22nd and 24th minutes, both saved by Saint Martin's goalkeeper Connor Leistiko. The period featured multiple fouls, with the Buffs committing several, including three by Desire Essis and two by Joe Ballenger, which disrupted their attacking momentum.
 
WT capitalized early in the second half with a goal by Essis in the 48th minute, assisted by Reeves, putting them ahead 1-0. Saint Martin's attempted to respond, but a shot by Lukas Wexler was saved by Cottle. The Buffs extended the lead to 2-0 with a goal from D'Jonte Davis in the 73rd minute, assisted by Connor Duggan. Despite efforts from Saint Martin's, including a shot by Paul Lopez and two corner kicks, the home team could not find the back of the net before the final whistle.
 
Davis scored once, adding to his total with two shots on goal out of three attempts. Essis netted the game-winning goal and recorded four shots, one of which was on target. Duggan contributed an assist while also taking a shot during the match. Cottle recorded a shutout with two saves, playing all 90 minutes as goalkeeper.
 
Scouting Northwest Nazarene
The Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks come into this match holding a 2-1-3 record with wins over Menlo College (1-0) and No. 12 Fort Lewis (1-0). NNU is coming off a 2025 season where they produced a 7-7-4 record with a 3-5-2 mark in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The Nighthawks finished fifth in the GNAC and did not reach the playoffs. Northwest Nazarene came into this season projected to finish tied for fourth in the GNAC Preseason Poll.
 
The offseason saw the Nighthawks lose three of their All-Conference selections from last year in Derek Johnson (First Team), Baraka Dayi (Honorable Mention), and Derek Remen (Honorable Mention). Johnson finished second on the team in points with 21 from seven goals and a team-high seven assists. Johnson led the team in shots with 54 and shots on goal with 24 in 1423 minutes. Dayi and Remen scored five goals each and tallied 12 and 13 points respectively.
 
NNU does return four of their All-Conference Honorees in Rylan McPherson (Second Team), Ousman Garba (Honorable Mention), Caleb Putney (Honorable Mention), and Illyes El Yansli (Honorable Mention). McPherson led the team in scoring with 25 points from 11 goals and three assists. Garba and El Yansli each logged 1100+ minutes on defense and in the midfield. Putney produced 10 points stemming from three goals and four assists in 1309 minutes.
 
Through their six games, Putney leads the team with eight points from three goals and two assists. He has fired 18 shots with eight of them landing on goal. Alex Barragan, McPherson, and Elijah Grimaldo has all scored goals for the Nighthawks. Elijah Brockl has started four games in goal and made 17 saves on a 77.3 percentage while recording a 1.03 goals allowed average.
 
Head Coach Julio Castillo enters his first season with Northwest Nazarene in the 2026 season. Castillo has been on staff since 2021 and was a two-time All-American when he played for NNU.
 
Scouting Saint Martin's
The Saint Martin's University Saints come into this game with a 3-2-1 record having beat Walla Walla (5-0), Westmont (1-0), and Chamiade (4-2). The Saints are coming off a 2025 season where they went 1-17 with an 0-10 mark in the GNAC. SNU came into this season projected to finish last in the GNAC Preseason Poll.
 
The offseason saw the Saints lose their top scorer in Paul Lopez. Lopez produced eight points from two goals and four assists. Daniel Rempel-White is also gone after scoring three points from a goal and assist in 993 minutes.
 
SNU does return multiple players from last year's squad headlined by Soren Hanson and Jonathan Wright who were both All-GNAC Honorable Mentions. Sorenson led the team in minutes with 1620 and totaled three points from a goal and assist. Wright scored four goals in 2025 as he tied for the team lead in points with eight. Other notable returners include Cole Sullivan, Cameron Kreider, and Connor Leistiko. Sullivan scored twice for four points. Kreider played the second most minutes of field players with 1590 on defense. Leistiko started all 18 games in goal and made 95 saves on a 62.1 percentage while recording a 3.22 goals allowed average.
 
Through six games, four different Saints have scored two goals in Juan Diaz, Xander Koenig, Grant Deuel, and Corbin Herrera. Diaz leads the team with nine points from two goals and five assists.
 
Head Coach Rob Walker enters his 20th season with Saint Martin's in 2026. Walker has tallied a 88-232-19 record in his tenure.
 
Saint Martin's will take on LSC foe St. Mary's on Thursday before facing the Buffaloes on Saturday.
 
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Men's Soccer, stay tuned to gobuffsgo.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.