TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler will put their two game win streak at stake with a pair of matches this week against Mississippi College and UT Permian Basin.
The Patriots have now won two straight games after a 1-0 win against UT Permian Basin on Saturday afternoon. With the previous two wins coming by one goal each, the team is now 3-2 in one score games on the season. In the last two games the Patriots have also scored five goals, which matches the output from the previous five games combined.
THE WEEK AHEAD
There will be two games on the slate for the Patriots this week. First will be the midweek matchup on the road against Mississippi College. That match will take place on Wednesday and is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m.
The second matchup will be the Lone Star Conference opener for the Patriots as they will host UT Permian Basin on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Citizens 1
st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Choctaws have a lot history when it comes to the pitch. The series dates back to 2002, with the teams playing annually until 2013. The most recent game comes from 2019, where the Choctaws came away with a 3-0 victory. The all time series record is 6-6-3, and the Patriots actually hold the advantage when the game is played in Mississippi, with the record being 4-3-1.
The history with the Falcons is much more recent. With only three games played between the two schools, the record is 1-1-1. Most recently the teams matched up on Saturday evening as previously chronicled. This will be the first ever meeting between the two teams in Tyler, as all previous matchups have taken place in Odessa, Texas.
THE SCOUTING REPORT
Mississippi College is 4-4-1 overall this season and currently sit at 3-2-1 in Gulf South Conference play. The Choctaws are currently outscoring their opponents 16-9 on the season while taking nine total shots more. Junior Noah Wagner and graduate student Filippo Bellú lead the Choctaws with six and five goals, respectively.
The Choctaws are coached by Kevin Johns. Johns is in his 18
th season of coaching Mississippi College and has a career record of 174-98-37. Most recently, Johns coached the program to a regular season conference championship last season.
UT Permian Basin is now 1-6-2 on the season. The Falcons are averaging 1.22 goals per game, and average 10.2 shots per game. Junior forward Gustavo Barroso leads the Falcons with three goals, and just behind him is senior Mike Nweke with two goals.
The Falcons are led by coach Dennis Peterson. Peterson is in his 22
nd season in charge of the program. Most recently, Peterson led the Falcons to their first winning season in the Lone Star Conference.
AROUND THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
Lone Star Conference members combined for a 4-4 record over the previous weekend. The Patriots, Texas A&M International, St. Mary's, and Midwestern State each came away with a win.
Players of the week for the conference: Offensive- Cian Foley, St. Mary's; Alain Peralt, St. Mary's; Andre Schlaefli, St. Mary's.
SHIFTING THE OFFENSE INTO GEAR
The Patriots offense is starting to click once again. In their last two games, the program has scored five goals and added four assists on those goals. As a team, they have taken 29 total shots and 14 of those were on goal.
Leading the way for UT Tyler in shots over the last two games has been
Sören Wald. Wald has six shots, and also leads the team with two goals over the last two games. Following just behind Wald is the combination of
Shane Popieluch and
Sergio Sola, each with five shots.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the Lone Star Conference opener this weekend against the Falcons, the Patriots will have a pair of matches next week. The program will travel to Canyon, Texas to take on #6 West Texas A&M on Wednesday, Oct. 13 for a 7 p.m. contest. On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Patriots will welcome Oklahoma Christian to Tyler for a 5 p.m. kickoff.
It will be all conference games on the schedule from here on out for the Patriots. All but St. Mary's will be getting their conference slate going on Saturday.
