DATE: Mar. 9
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
OPPONENT: Midwestern State  
LOCATION: Tyler, Texas | Citizen's 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex   
PATRIOT'S RECORD: 1-2-1 (1-1-1 LSC)
MUSTANG'S RECORD: 2-1-0 (1-1-0 LSC)
LIVE STATS LINK: https://uttylerpatriots.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
LIVE VIDEO LINK: https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/utt/
 
TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler men's soccer team will welcome Midwestern State to Perkins Soccer Complex tomorrow afternoon looking to come away with conference points for the third straight match.
 
The Patriots enter the match tied for the lead in the Lone Star Conference points standings with UT Permian Basin with four points, while six of the other seven teams in the league sit right behind the two frontrunners with three points. Midwestern State enters the match on Tuesday afternoon as one of those seven teams with three points.
 
UT Tyler is coming off of their first win of 2021, a 2-0 victory over Oklahoma Christian on Mar. 4.  
 
LET'S KEEP THE POINTS COMING
 
Head coach Kenny Jones' squad finished the two matches last week with four points, tying UT Permian Basin on Saturday, Feb. 27 and beating Oklahoma Christian 2-0 on Tuesday, Mar. 4. UT Tyler recorded the highest shot total in program history in Lone Star Conference play in the 1-1 draw against UT Permian Basin as Ramiro Alvarez put the first goal in the back of the net for the Patriot's in 2021 in the 48^th minute.
 
That goal tied the contest up at 1-1, a mark which would last the remainder of the regulation 90 minutes and through two overtime periods. Alvarez paced the Patriots with six shots in that 1-1 tie, while Sergio Sola led the way with four shot on goal attempts.
 
That offensive pressure would finally produce multiple goals for the Patriots in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Oklahoma Christian. UT Tyler outshot Oklahoma Christian 18-to-8 and used goals from Luis Mahecha and Nathaniel Lopez to secure three points for the Patriots.
 
Mahecha's goal was set up by a touch pass by Jack Simonini that allowed Mahecha to beat his defender off the dribble and finish with his right foot past the arms of the outstretched keeper in the 73^rd minute. Lopez corralled a deflected shot off of a Mustang defender and redirected the bouncing ball from just outside the goalie box a few minutes later to provide an insurance goal for the Patriots.
 
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
 
Keeper Mathias Eriksen was recognized for his efforts in those two games for the Patriots with a Lone Star Conference Goalkeeper of the Week nod. Eriksen allowed just a single goal in his 180 minutes in net for the week to help lead the Patriots to a record of 1-0-1.
 
He recorded his first clean sheet of the year in the 2-0 win over Oklahoma Christian, stopping both shots on goal that he faced. The sophomore made four saves in the 1-1 draw against UT Permian Basin to finish the week with six saves.
 
GIVING THEMSELVES PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES
 
UT Tyler and Midwestern State both rank in a tie for first in the Lone Star Conference with 61 total shots for the year entering Tuesday afternoon's meeting between the two sides.  28 of those shots that UT Tyler has posted have been on goal, while Midwestern State has notched 36 on target attempts for the year.
 
Mahecha and Alvarez rank first and second in the conference with 15 and 12 shot attempts for the year respectively. Mahecha also leads the league with nine shot on goal attempts while Sergio Sola of UT Tyler ranks third in the category with four in 2021.  
 
The Mustangs have been much more efficient with those shot on goal attempts, totaling 11 goals in just three games played this spring. Midwestern State has scored five more points than the next highest team in the league.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
 
The majority of the Mustang offense came in a 7-0 non-conference victory back on Feb. 24 against Hardin-Simmons. Midwestern State defeated Lubbock Christian on Mar. 2 in their LSC opener by a 3-0 final, but lost in an upset to Oklahoma Christian on Saturday afternoon by a 2-1 final.
 
Trevor Amann has led the Mustangs with two goals in conference play, both of which came in the victory over Lubbock Christian. Julian Barajas and Mere Escobar recorded the other two goals in league play for Midwestern State.
 
HISTORY WITH THE MUSTANGS
 
The Patriots have lost both meetings against Midwestern State in 2019 and 2018 by 3-0 and 2-0 final scores. Tuesday's match will be just the second time the two sides have met in Lone Star Conference competition as the 2018 edition of the series was a non-conference match.