SALEM, OREGON – West Texas A&M Men's Soccer (2-4) were defeated 1-0 against Northwest Nazarene Thursday afternoon in Salem, Oregon as they were shutout. This was the fourth game that WT has been shutout this season.
The opening stretch of the game would be a physical defensive battle with no shots through the first 17 minutes and five fouls through 20 minutes. Northwest Nazarene would tally the first shots of the game in the 17th and 21st minute which would both be saved by keeper
Bryce Cottle. WT would trail in possession as they were limited in creating offense. The Nighthawks would find the back of the net in the 33rd minute with a goal by Abdullahi Sharif as they took a 1-0 lead. NNU added one more shot on goal right before halftime, but it would be saved by Cottle in the top right corner in the 44th minute. The 1-0 deficit would solidify going into halftime as the Buffaloes did not record a shot or corner kick through 45 minutes.
Out of the break, the Buffs found early offense with two shots on goal and a corner kick through the first 10 minutes.
Felix Casas and
Ben Scotford produced the two shots, but both would be saved. After allowing four shots on goal in the first half, the defense of West Texas A&M stepped up and limited the Nighthawks to only one in the second half as the deficit stayed at one. The Buffs made an offensive push over the final 20 minutes to try and equalize the game. Casas and
Edward Acosta each fired shots in the 71st and 74th minute but would be stopped on each of their chances. WT would accumulate one more shot and a corner kick in that span but were unable to tie the game as the score settled at 1-0 in favor of Northwest Nazarene.
Top Buffs
- Felix Casas landed both of his shots on goal in 77 minutes of action. This was his second game with 2+ shots on goal this season.
- Ben Scotford played 82 minutes and came away with a shot on goal. This was a season-high in minutes for Scotford and third straight game with a shot on goal.
- Bryce Cottle started in goal and registered four saves in all 90 minutes. Cottle has had 3+ saves in all three of his starts.
Buffalo Bits
- West Texas A&M is now 2-3-1 all-time against Northwest Nazarene.
- Edward Acosta played 45 minutes and produced one shot on goal.
- Octavio Estrada-Vazquez and Antonio De La Torre each recorded one shot. Estrada-Vazquez logged 90 minutes for the fourth straight game.
- Bobby Murphy, Joe Ballenger, D'Jonte Davis, Gianluca Pedroso, and Damron Atkins all played 90 minutes in the field. This was Murphy's second straight game going the distance and third overall. Ballenger and Davis each played all 90 for the second time this season. This was Pedroso's first game playing the full game this season. Atkins logged all 90 minutes for the fourth straight (fourth overall) game.
- Oumar Berete played a season-high 81 minutes in the midfield.
Up Next
The Buffs will be back in action on Saturday, September 19 as they take on Saint Martin's at 11:00 a.m. CT in Salem, Oregon.
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