TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler men's soccer team will take on Texas A&M International on Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Citizen's 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.
 
Wednesday's game will be the first of three final games for the Patriots in their abbreviated 2021 spring schedule. Two of those three contests will take place at home, as UT Tyler is set to conclude their season on Apr. 6 at 7 p.m. against Dallas Baptist at the Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.
 
A LOOK BACK
 
UT Tyler fell by a 2-1 final in their most recent Lone Star Conference contest on the road at Lubbock Christian on Mar. 13. Brock Barbee scored in the 75^th minute for UT Tyler to tie up the match with the Chaps after an uneventful first half that featured just two shots on goal between the two sides.
 
Lubbock Christian didn't allow the Patriots to keep the contest tied for long, however, as they recorded their second goal of the match just two minutes after the Barbee goal to take back the one-goal advantage at 2-1 in the 77^th minute.
 
That advantage would hold through the final 14 minutes of play as Shane Popieluch provided the final chance for the Patriots with a shot on goal just minutes after the eventual game-winning goal for the Chaps.
 
Todd Fuller was credited with the assist for the Barbee goal that came via a set piece for UT Tyler. Fuller delivered the free kick into the box and set up a Barbee finish to the back post that beat the Chap keeper.
 
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS
 
The Patriots will face essentially must-win scenarios in each of the final three games of the 2021 spring schedule if they hope to qualify as one of the top four teams in the Lone Star Conference standings into the Spring 2021 Lone Star Conference Men's Soccer Championship tournament. West Texas A&M, Texas A&M International, Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's currently occupy the top four positions in the standings, as Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's are currently tied for the third and fourth spots with nine conference points.
 
UT Tyler will enter Wednesday's match with four points in conference play, and will have a golden opportunity to accumulate points while preventing Texas A&M International or St. Mary's from increasing their lead in the top four of the standings over the course of the next two games.
 
A BALANCED EFFORT
 
Four Patriots have accumulated a pair of points in the six matches for the Patriots this spring, as all four of the goals posted by the squad have come from a different scorer. Barbee's goal in the 2-1 loss to Lubbock Christian is the lone goal to have been assisted this season.
 
Ramiro Alvarez, Nathaniel Lopez and Luis Mahecha have been the other three goal scorers throughout the spring. Mahecha and Alvarez have been joined alongside Michael Agyeman as the three Patriots to have totaled double-digit shot attempts this season.
 
HISTORY WITH AND SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS
 
UT Tyler upset the Dustdevils in the lone meeting between the two sides in last season's season finale at Citizen's 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex on Nov. 9, 2019. UT Tyler scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of play to post the program's first ever win over a Division II Top 25 ranked foe as the Dustdevils entered the match ranked 20^th in the country.
 
Dario Rossell and Birkir Eydal served as the two goal scorers for the Patriots in that lone meeting between the two programs.
 
Texas A&M International will enter Wednesday's meeting with a record of 3-2-1 and currently sits second in the LSC standings with 10 points in league play up to this point. The Dustdevils hold wins over West Texas A&M, Oklahoma Christian and Dallas Baptist so far this spring, including a 2-0 win over Dallas Baptist in their most recent match on Mar. 19 in Dallas.
 
Kristian Colaci and Gabriel Gacovicaj lead the squad with five points each. Both individuals have totaled a pair of goals and an assist on the year.