TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler completed its first NCAA Division II campaign with an exclamation point, claiming its first-ever victory over an opponent ranked in the Division II Top-25 with a 2-0 win over 20th-ranked Texas A&M International Saturday afternoon.
Despite the Dustdevils producing a 22-12 edge in total shots, the game remained scoreless until the final 10 minutes. With just under 10 minutes left, Edwin Saldivar found substitute forward Dario Rossell for a breakaway behind the TAMIU back line, and Rossell finished the opportunity to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead.
In the 87th minute, substitute midfielder Birkir Eydal collected a cross from Nathaniel Lopez with the goalkeeper caught playing a few steps off his line in the center of the box, and Eydal finished it into the open net for a crucial insurance goal with just over three minutes to play.
With the victory, UT Tyler finishes the season with a 7-7-3 overall record and a 2-5-3 mark in the Lone Star Conference play. The Patriots finished eighth in the final regular-season standings of the 11-team conference after taking on five Top-25 foes during the 10-game LSC schedule plus a sixth ranked foe in a non-conference clash. Texas A&M International finished in a tie for second in the conference standings, dropping to 11-5-1 overall and 7-3 in LSC play.
How It Happened: Texas A&M International generated plentiful quality scoring chances, but senior goalkeeper Parker O'Quinn successfully handled all 10 of the Dustdevils' shots on goal. registering double-digit saves for the third time this season.
UT Tyler, however, was more deliberate in its attack, and the Patriots made the most of their final two opportunities. Dario Rossell broke free from the last line of TAMIU defenders to run down a ball played from Edwin Saldivar in the midfield, and he kept the ball down with a shot between the legs of goalkeeper Josh Jones for a 1-0 lead. Rossell's shot broke a stretch without a shot for UT Tyler which lasted over 20 minutes after the Patriots opened the second half with five shots in the first 15 minutes.
Rossell led another counterattack up the left side with just over three minutes remaining, playing the ball back to Nathaniel Lopez for a cross into the box to Eydal, who shifted it over to his left foot and buried it into the side netting on the right side of the goal.
By The Numbers: Texas A&M International finished with 11 shots in each half, recording a 22-12 edge in shots… The Patriots put four of their 12 shots on goal, and Josh James stopped both first-half shots on goal before UT Tyler put both of their second-half chances into the net… UT Tyler posted a 6-5 edge in corner kicks… Birkir Eydal's goal was his fourth of the season, tying Steven Chavez for the team's season scoring lead… Texas A&M International midfielder Ruben Nielsen took a game-high eight shots, putting four shots on goal… Michael Agyeman was UT Tyler's shots leader with three.
Quotable (UT Tyler head coach Kenny Jones): "All the credit goes to the guys. They stuck with it all year when a lot of things didn't go our way. We played yet another very, very good team from our league today, and our guys gave themselves a chance like they did in most of the games they played this year. Today, we were on the other end of it and got a good result."
"The standards in this conference are high, just as the standards are high within our program. That can be frustrating at times because it's uncomfortable, but that's where we are in a tough conference with a program of high standards, so there's an adjustment for the guys and a major challenge to uphold that standard over the entire season."
"The seniors did everything we asked them to do off the field in particular, and they fought extremely hard on the field. They were good examples, and I don't think the freshmen on our team could have had better examples of a senior class to play with. I'm really proud of those guys, because when they first got here, they didn't know we would be making this transition. They stuck with it, and they made it happen."
