LAST TIME OUT

UT Tyler men's soccer moved to 4-5-5 overall and 2-4-2 in Lone Star Conference play after earning a 1-0 road victory over Texas A&M International before battling St. Edward's to a 2-2 draw at home last week. The Patriots traveled to Laredo Wednesday to face the Dustdevils before returning to Citizens First Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex Saturday to host the Hilltoppers for Senior Night.

The Patriots opened the week with a strong defensive performance Wednesday night, earning a 1-0 victory over Texas A&M International at Dustdevil Field. UT Tyler controlled much of the attacking action in the first half, recording three shots while limiting the Dustdevils to just one attempt. Luis Martinez and Caden Naizer each tested the opposing defense, but the teams entered halftime scoreless. The match remained deadlocked after the break as goalkeeper Niclas Becker and the Patriots' defense withstood increased pressure from Texas A&M International. Becker recorded all four of his saves in the second half to keep the Dustdevils off the scoreboard, while UT Tyler generated eight shots after halftime in search of the decisive goal. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 88th minute when Dennis Nyame found the back of the net at 87:03 to give the Patriots a 1-0 advantage. The goal was Nyame's second of the season and proved to be the game-winner as UT Tyler held on for the shutout victory. The Patriots finished with an 11-8 advantage in total shots and put four attempts on target, while Becker recorded four saves to secure the clean sheet and help UT Tyler earn its second conference win of the season.

UT Tyler returned home Saturday for Senior Night and battled St. Edward's to a 2-2 draw after scoring twice in the second half before the Hilltoppers found a late equalizer. St. Edward's opened the scoring in the 27th minute, and despite generating opportunities and earning five corner kicks in the first half, the Patriots entered the break trailing 1-0. UT Tyler responded in the 57th minute when Caden Naizer scored his first goal of the season off an assist from Luis Martinez to even the match at 1-1. The Patriots continued to apply pressure and took the lead in the 82nd minute as Nyame scored his third goal of the season, once again assisted by Martinez, to put UT Tyler ahead 2-1. However, St. Edward's found an equalizer in the 89th minute, and the teams finished level after 90 minutes. Martinez led the Patriots' offensive effort with two assists, while Naizer and Nyame each scored a goal. UT Tyler outshot the Hilltoppers 19-14, including a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal, and earned 10 corner kicks compared to three for St. Edward's. Becker finished with two saves in the contest as the Patriots moved to 2-4-2 in conference play.

The Patriots will look to build on their strong second-half performances as they continue Lone Star Conference play in the final stretch of the regular season. After securing a road shutout victory and earning the draw against St. Edward's, UT Tyler will aim to carry its offensive momentum and defensive resilience into their Saturday matchup October 24th against the Oklahoma Christian Eagles.

PATS STATS

Through 14 matches, UT Tyler has received contributions from throughout its lineup. Noe Coutiño leads the Patriots with nine points on four goals and one assist, followed by Jamie Joyce with seven points on three goals and one assist. Dennis Nyame has added six points on three goals, while Luis Martinez has recorded five points on one goal and three assists. Jaime Casado, Yanis Lasri, Caden Naizer and Azael Ochoa have each contributed three points, while Henrique Caputo, Hugo Dunger, Bryan Garcia Valle, Fabrice Ndayishimiye and Landon Neely have each recorded two points. Theo Alaniz and Carson Stiglets have each added one assist.

Coutiño leads the Patriots with four goals, while Joyce and Nyame have each scored three times. Martinez, Casado, Lasri, Naizer, Ochoa, Caputo, Dunger, Garcia Valle, Ndayishimiye and Neely have each added a goal. UT Tyler has received a balanced offensive effort, with Martinez leading the team with 29 shots, followed by Nyame with 17. Joyce and Neely have each recorded 13 shots, while Coutiño and Lasri have added 19 and 11, respectively. Coutiño, Joyce, Nyame and Martinez lead the Patriots with seven shots on goal apiece. Casado has put four of his seven attempts on target for a .571 shots-on-goal percentage, while Joyce has recorded a .538 mark with seven shots on goal. Dunger and Ndayishimiye have each put two of their three attempts on target.

Defensively, the Patriots have allowed 20 goals through 14 matches. Niclas Becker has made 37 saves with a .755 save percentage and a 1.24 goals-against average across 869:58 minutes, recording three shutouts and one combined shutout. Beaux Benson has recorded 18 saves with a .692 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average in 360:28 minutes, while Bronson Paus has added one save without allowing a goal in 29:34 minutes. Together, the UT Tyler goalkeepers have made 56 saves and recorded four individual or combined shutouts, with Becker leading the group in minutes played, saves and goals-against average.

PATRIOTS NEWS AND NOTES
 

• UT Tyler posted an 8-8-3 overall record last season, advancing to the Lone Star Conference Championship Semifinals. At season's end, Luan Rangel earned D2CCA Second Team All-South Central Region and All-Lone Star Conference Second Team honors. William Kenne and Jaxson Stovall were named to the Lone Star Conference All-Tournament Team, while Sid Cleofe, Niko Vasileiou, Luan Rangel, Hugo Marques, William Kenne and Oscar Sosa earned CSC Academic All-District honors. Cleofe was also named to the Lone Star Conference Academic Team, while Niclas Becker earned Lone Star Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honors on Oct. 27.

• Noe Coutiño returns for the Patriots after playing in 19 matches last season, logging 1,165 minutes while scoring four goals and adding two assists. He recorded a .429 shots-on-goal percentage.

• Head coach Kenny Jones is in his 25th season at the helm of the program. Jones, the only head coach in program history, is 252-115-68 in his tenure at UT Tyler and earned his 250th career victory against Colorado School of Mines.

• October 24th's matchup against Oklahoma Christian will mark the final home game of Kenny Jones' 25-season tenure with the UT Tyler Patriots, as the retiring head coach looks to add one last home victory to his storied career record of 252-115-68.

OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN

Oklahoma Christian enters the matchup with a 9-3-4 overall record and a 5-0-4 mark in conference play. The Eagles are riding a two-match winning streak and have gone 7-1-1 at home, 2-2-3 on the road and 0-0 at neutral sites this season.

Through 16 matches, Oklahoma Christian has scored 20 goals while allowing 11, averaging 1.33 goals and 10.9 shots per match. The Eagles have put 40.2 percent of their 164 shots on target, recording 66 shots on goal. Oklahoma Christian has also recorded 16 assists and 66 corner kicks this season. The Eagles have yet to attempt a penalty kick, while their opponents have converted both of their penalty-kick attempts.

Defensively, Oklahoma Christian has allowed 11 goals through 16 matches, with opponents averaging 0.73 goals and 11.2 shots per game. Opponents have recorded 54 shots on goal, while the Eagles have made 46 saves. Oklahoma Christian has also committed 133 fouls and received 30 yellow cards and one red card this season, compared to 26 yellow cards and no red cards for its opponents. The Patriots hold a historical record of 6-2-1 against the Eagles, with their first matchup coming in 2019.