Men's Soccer | 9/19/2018 11:53:00 AM

TYLER -- The Patriot's men's soccer team returns to their home field on Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks to take on the Mary-Hardin Baylor Cru. They are riding a five-game winning streak after dropping their season opener back in August. Since then, the team has allowed only one goal and have won their first two American Southwest Conference games.
           
UT Tyler has been led by their defense so far this season with four clean sheets by Parker O'Quinn. Offensively, the Patriots have relied on senior forward Lucas Pereira who has scored five times this season, nearly half the team's goals.

Mary Hardin-Baylor comes into Tyler undefeated on the year at 6-0. Their high-powered offense will look to break through the UT Tyler defense. They lead the ASC in goals scored with 16 and have recorded three clean sheets on the defensive side. Patrick Roach leads the team in scoring with five goals and Martin Lopez is not far behind with three.

The Patriots lead the all-time series 13-7-2, and games have been known to be back and forth. They have met five times in the postseason, with the highlight being a 1-1 tie in the ASC semifinals where UT Tyler advanced on penalty kicks 4-1. The Patriots would win the conference tournament and advance all the way to the Elite 8 in the national tournament. UT Tyler will be looking for their first win over the Cru since a 1-0 win in the 2016 ASC quarterfinals.

The game will be at Citizens 1st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex and kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.