TYLER, TEXAS – Two first half goals from Keaton Hartman and Giancarlo Saldana were just enough insurance for West Texas A&M as UT Tyler battled back in the closing stages of a 2-1 defeat.
 
It was a quick shot for the Buffs in the contest, getting a shot up just six minutes into the game. That shot was followed just one minute later by a goal from Keaton Hartman on a short sided shot from a sharp angle that just slipped by keeper Asier Vegas. That put West Texas A&M ahead early, and they held all of the momentum in the first half.
 
The Buffs would only manage one shot over the next 13 minutes as the Patriots settled in defensively. At the 18 minute mark, Zach Pannagiotou took the lone shot for the Patriots in the first half off of a set piece that went just wide of the left post.
 
At the 22:41 mark of the first half, West Texas A&M struck again, this time doubling their lead to 2-0 from the foot of Saldana. Saldana got a long pass ahead that was batted around, before collecting it and splitting a pair of Patriots and finishing with a strong shot from his right foot.
 
For the Buffs, they would string together another pair of shots, but neither would do any damage as Vegas collected a save on one to the bottom middle of the net.
 
The second half saw the Buffs continue to push the tempo on offense, collecting three more shots over the first eight minutes and forcing Vegas to make another save. Both teams traded a pair of shots each, but the momentum of the game was slowly starting to turn towards the Patriots.
 
After shots from Ralph Mangondoza and Sergio Sola came off a string of nice passes, the offense finally began to click together. At the 65^th minute mark, all of that work would come to fruition. After a long ball forward found Michael Myers, he cut back and dropped off a pass to a pressing Todd Fuller. Fuller fired a beautiful cross across the box that found Sola who had successfully boxed out his defender. Sola was able to get his head on it, and placed a strong shot just below the crossbar and found the net to get the Patriots back into the contest.
 
Over the next 20 minutes, the Patriots dominated possession as they began to press forward and look for the game tying goal. Thato Meko and Luis Mahecha each collected a shot as they looked for the opportunity, but the combined efforts of the team would come up just short as the Buffs closed out a slim 2-1 win.
 
For the Patriots, that becomes the first loss on their home turf of the season after previously holding a record of 4-0-1. They will get their chance at redemption on their home field next Wednesday against #8 Midwestern State.
 
However, before that contest, the Patriots will face a critical road test against #16 Oklahoma Christian in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. UT Tyler will look to put a crucial three points on the board in the Lone Star Conference race.