TYLER, TEXAS – The offense broke out of a slump and ran wild in rainy and windy conditions at Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex on Wednesday night.
 
The first half was a slow one for both teams. The Rattlers accounted for the only two shots on goal in the entire period and both of those came in the first 15 minutes of the contest. The second of those shots forced Mathias Eriksen to make a diving save after a pair of passes connected deep into the penalty box.
 
The contest completely flipped script for the Patriots in the second half. As the skies opened up with more rain and more wind, the offense provided a much needed lift for the defense.
 
Just 8 minutes into the second period, Malte Andres got the scoring going. After receiving a pass from Shane Popieluch, Andres took the ball just outside of the box on the right and floated what looked to be a cross to the six yard box, but it found its way right into the back of the net to make the score 1-0.
 
In the 62^nd minute Eriksen was called to duty once again. This time the Rattlers connected on a trio of really nice passes down the left sideline before sliding a pass into the left side of the box. Alonso Rodriguez sent a scorching shot to the right side of Eriksen, who made a huge save to keep the one goal lead for the Patriots.
 
Six minutes later the Patriots capitalized on a loose ball in the box. Bryan Rivas-Guzman dropped a pass right at the feet of Xjavier Martinez who was able to slot it home past the Rattlers goalkeeper and give the Patriots added insurance.
 
The nail in the coffin came in the 85^th minute, as freshman Jack Simonini stole a loose pass from St. Mary's the other way, making a pair of defenders miss, and slotting home a shot off of the inside of the post for the final goal of the game.
 
The UT Tyler defense showed up incredibly strong and resilient throughout the contest. Out of the 18 shots that the Patriots faced, seven of those were blocked by defenders. Eriksen tacked on an additional six saves to record a clean sheet on the evening.
 
The Patriots will be back in action on Saturday evening as they take on DBU in what very well could be a match that decides the final playoff spot in the LSC tournament. That game will be on the road in Dallas, Texas and kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.