TYLER, Texas – UT Tyler nearly pulled off what would have been its most impressive upset in Division II this year, but a last-second shot at the end of double-overtime bounced off the left post as the Patriots had to settle for a 1-1 draw in its Lone Star Conference opener against No. 19-ranked West Texas A&M Thursday night.
A 75-minute lightning delay began at the end of the 15-minute halftime break, extending the intermission to 90 minutes before the teams returned to the field to start the second half in a scoreless tie.
Each team scored within the first 15 minutes of the second half, as West Texas A&M got on the board first in the 49
th minute before
Travis Collins delivered the equalizer in the 60
th minute. Although West Texas A&M produced an 8-1 disparity in shots in overtime, it was UT Tyler's
Ramiro Alvarez who provided the last-second drama with a shot to the far post with the goalkeeper out. Alvarez, who scored the overtime game-winner against DBU last Saturday, could not have been closer to his second consecutive golden goal as his shot bounced off the post and back into play as time expired.
After the draw, UT Tyler is now 5-1-1 overall and 0-0-1 in Lone Star Conference play. West Texas A&M is now 4-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 in the LSC.
How It Happened: West Texas A&M controlled play in the first half, firing away at the UT Tyler goal to generate a 10-5 shots advantage. However, Patriot goalkeeper
Parker O'Quinn turned away all three of the Buffs' shots on goal to keep the game scoreless at halftime.
O'Quinn produced another five saves in the second half, although Stefan Andjelic put one in the back of the net in the 49
th minute off an assist from Lucca Lima. Less than 12 minutes later, however, Alvarez crossed the ball from the left side to
Travis Collins at the top of the box. Collins was able to put a low shot near the ground through the hands and legs of West Texas A&M goalkeeper Colin Burgiel to tie the game at 1-1 in the 60
th minute.
Despite the teams combining for 21 shots in the second half, those were the only two that found the net, sending the game into overtime tied at 1-1. The Buffs produced four shots in each overtime period, producing eight total before UT Tyler's lone overtime attempt when Alvarez's last-gasp effort went off the post.
Lone Star Conference Firsts:
First UT Tyler goal in Lone Star Conference play:
Travis Collins
First assist:
Ramiro Alvarez
First goalkeeper save:
Parker O'Quinn
First shot:
Caio Godinho
First shot on goal:
Travis Collins
First caution:
Aron Alonso
By The Numbers: West Texas A&M finished with a 29-16 edge in shots, but
Parker O'Quinn answered the challenge by making 11 saves, his UT Tyler career-high…
Caio Godinho and
Luis Aguilar led the Patriots' attack with three shots each, as 10 different players recorded at least one shot attempt for UT Tyler… West Texas A&M also enjoyed an 11-5 advantage in corner kicks… The goal was the second of the season for Collins and it was the first assist of the year for Alvarez.
What's Next: UT Tyler takes on another Division II Top-25 foe on Saturday, hosting a 7 p.m. night game against No. 23-ranked Eastern New Mexico.
Quotable (UT Tyler head coach Kenny Jones): "West Texas A&M is one of the top teams in the conference and the country, and we knew they were going to be well-prepared. To be able to challenge them the way we did, having some really good moments throughout the game, is something that gives us something to build on. The theme of getting our players a lot of experience while not giving up victories is crucial to building our confidence for this season and the future. This gave us a good standard of where we are and what we need to continue to work on from here, especially some of those details I see with a coach's eye."
"Over the years, I've seen a few plays like that develop in the last second, so I've gotten to the point now that I just wait to see what happens at the end, and unfortunately, the post was unkind to us tonight. Just to get to that point and to see our guys still trying to win the game with only a few seconds left on the clock, that's everything a coach wants to see."
