TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's soccer put up a tremendous battle with Texas A&M International on their way to a 1-1 draw on their home pitch on Wednesday night.
 
It was a tale of two halves for UT Tyler as the Dustdevils dominated the first 45 minutes before the Patriots took over during the second half to force the draw.
 
It took just two minutes for the Dustdevils to put up their first shot on goal, but the Patriots battled back with two shots on goal of their own over the next seven minutes. That pressure from the Patriots was highlighted by a near scissor kick goal from Luis Mahecha, but the Dustdevils keeper made a strong save to keep the game scoreless.
 
19 minutes into the game, the Dustdevils capitalized as Yahir Gallardo scored off of a Tajani Fairclough assist to give the Dustdevils the 1-0 lead. Just one more shot on goal would occur through the first half, as the Dustdevils forced Berlingeri to make another save in the 43^rd minute as they closed out the half with an 8-4 margin in shots and a 1-0 margin in corners.
 
Trailing at halftime, the Patriots dug deep and found their stride just over four minutes into the second half. After some strong offensive possession, an errant pass found its way to Rodrigo Mendes who dropped off a pass to Thato Meko. Meko pushed forward and earned a hand ball just outside the box for the Patriots.
 
It was Mendes who stepped forward to take the shot, and he delivered perfection with his left foot to tie the game up at 1-1 just a few minutes into the second 45.
 
That goal seemed to flip the script in the contest, as it was all downhill on offense for UT Tyler. They would outshoot the Dustdevils 4-1 over the rest of the contest and 6-1 overall in the second half as they looked for the game winner.
 
The Patriots would have a few big opportunites to take the lead, but the biggest one came at the 64^th minute as Philip Akem Jr struck a great header on a cross but the Dustdevils keeper again made a brilliant save to keep the tie intact.
 
Three corners would go the Patriots way over the final 10 minutes, but they couldn't piece together the game winner and settled for their third draw of the season to extend their unbeaten streak to seven consecutive games.
 
For Mendes, that is his second goal of the season and first since September 9^th against Jarvis Christian.
 
Next up for UT Tyler will be a rare off weekend as they get time to rest and prepare for Texas A&M International yet again next Wednesday night.
 
That game will be the Lone Star Conference opener for the Patriots as they travel down to Laredo, Texas for a 7 p.m. start on October 4^th.