SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – A stunning free kick goal from Zach Panagiotou gave the Patriots a one goal advantage, but a second half goal from Dani Gimena pulled #6 St. Mary's even and forced a tie to give each side one point in a crucial midweek battle.
 
The contest began with both teams playing tremendous defense in the early going. Only two shots combined were managed over the first 24 minutes. However, the lone shot from UT Tyler came by way of some beautiful passing to set up a shot on net.
 
A loose ball was kicked forward for Malte Andres, who then delivered a gorgeous through ball to a streaking Sergio Sola, who drilled a hard, low shot but it was deflected always by the keeper to keep the score 0-0.
 
In the 24^th minute, the Rattlers got their first big opportunity. That came from Ariel Cardozo who struck a hard shot that forced Asier Vegas to make a good save and deflect it out for a corner. That corner kick led to another shot from Bradley Greene, but it went out wide.
 
In the 44^th minute, Zach Panagiotou would strike gold in a big way for the Patriots on a set piece. After UT Tyler earned a foul just off the left side of the box, Panagiotou set up for the free kick and delivered a ball deep into the box that bounced awkwardly but slipped right under the bar to give UT Tyler the lead.
 
After the two teams combined for just seven total shots in the first half, the two teams came out swinging in the second half. Five shots went through over the first 15 minutes, including a shot on goal from Brajdi Cekrezi that was saved.
 
In the 60^th minute, Dani Gimena would connect on the lone Rattlers goal of the night. After a free kick from the right side of the box, Greene would strike a header that caught the bar. That ball bounced right back at him, and he hit a big shot that was saved by Vegas, before collecting the deflection yet again but this time sliding it past Vegas for the goal.
 
That drew #6 St. Mary's even with the Patriots, who now needed to dig deep to try and earn a crucial three points. The UT Tyler defense would allow just two shots for the remainder of the game from the Rattlers as the offense would have opportunities to score the game winner.
 
The first big chance came from Malte Andres as Panagiotou swung in a cross in the 77^th minute. Panagiotou struck a nice ball that found its way deep into the box for a streaking Andres, but the ball just cleared the crossbar and went out of play.
 
Just two minutes later, another turnover was forced by Thato Meko. Meko took advantage of the free space and made a tremendous run, splitting defenders and getting all the way inside the box before dishing a pass over to Nolan Giles, but the shot went just high and struck the crossbar before going out of play.
 
That would be the final big chance for either side, as the two teams would close out the game in a 1-1 tie for their second draw of the season.
 
For UT Tyler, they remain in the hunt for the LSC Tournament following the draw and will need a big win on Saturday night against DBU to continue those hopes.
 
That contest will start at 7 p.m. and will be the final game inside Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex this season.