TYLER, TEXAS – The Patriots suffered their first defeat of the season last Saturday, falling 1-0 to #23 Rogers State.
 
UT Tyler went into the match riding a six game unbeaten streak in the regular season that dated back to the spring season. It was a defensive affair, with no team having an abundance of quality chances. It took two overtime periods before the Hillcats broke through with the game winning goal.
 
THE WEEK AHEAD
 
The Patriots will have two games this week. Their first appearance on the pitch will come in San Antonio, Texas as they travel south to take on St. Mary's in what will be a non-conference matchup. It will be a 5 p.m. kick off on Wednesday.
 
On Saturday, Sept. 25 the Patriots will come back home and host Texas A&M International for a 7 p.m. start at Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex. This game splits a pair of two game road trips for the men's program.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
The Rattlers and the Patriots have faced off just three times previously, and all of those matchups have come in the last two years. The Patriots are 1-2 in those matches, but the most recent game was a victory for the Patriots in San Antonio. That victory came in the middle of a three game winning streak that saw UT Tyler make the postseason LSC tournament for the first time in program history.
 
The Patriots have matched up against the Dustdevils just twice previously. UT Tyler holds a 2-0 record in the series and has yet to make the near eight-hour trek down to Laredo. The previous matchup was a 1-0 victory that kickstarted the Patriots end of season run to the LSC tournament.
 
THE SCOUTING REPORT
 
St. Mary's has started their season 3-2 with a pair of losses to top 10 teams in the country. The Rattlers have outscored their opponents 10-7 on the season and are averaging 16 shots per game. Graduate student Erwin Regules leads the team in goals with three and also leads the team in points with six. The Rattlers are led by fourth year head coach Johnny Clifford.
 
Texas A&M International is off to a 2-3 start to the year with a pair of overtime losses. On the year, the Dustdevils have been outscored 8-6 but are putting up 14.4 shots per contest. Senior Kristian Colaci leads the team in goals with four and leads in points with eight. The Dustdevils are led by head coach Claudio Arias who is in his 17^th season.
 
AROUND THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
 
Lone Star Conference opponents went a combined 3-2 over the weekend. The Saturday slate saw DBU, Midwestern State, and West Texas A&M take home victories in their respective matches.
 
Players of the week for the conference: Offensive- Giancarlo Saldana, West Texas A&M; Defensive- Grayson Ellett, Midwestern State; Goalkeeper- Mathias Eriksen, UT Tyler.
 
PLAYING STRONG DEFENSE
 
The UT Tyler Patriots are 2-1-1 on the young season. However, the team has only allowed two goals on the year. Leading the team has been the strong presence of keeper Mathias Eriksen who was named LSC Goalkeeper of the Week for week three. Eriksen is a junior from Vejle, Denmark and has started all four contests for the Patriots this season.
 
He currently has a .833 save percentage, second best in the conference. UT Tyler also leads the conference in goals against average per game with just .50 per contest.
 
NEXT ON TAP FOR THE PATRIOTS
 
Following the Saturday matchup against the Dustdevils, the Patriots will get a week off to prepare for another two game road trip. The Patriots will head west to Odessa, Texas to take on UT Permian Basin on Oct. 2.
 
The following Wednesday will see UT Tyler head to Clinton, Miss. to take on Mississippi College in a midweek matchup on Oct. 6.
 
These will be the final two games for the Patriots before conference play begins on Oct. 9 against UT Permian Basin at Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.