FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University men's soccer team (5-6-2, 3-3 SAC) suffered a 1-0 loss in Sooner Athletic Conference competition against Wayland Baptist University (10-5, 4-3 SAC) at Martin Field on Tuesday.
The Pioneers bombed away early on from distance, taking six of the game's first seven shots. A series of three corner kicks in 1:19 starting in the 20th minute from
Brien Avalos led to a number of chances for the Rams. Texas Wesleyan took four shots in that stretch. Two were blocked and one was saved by WBU goalkeeper John-Ramses Thomas.
The shot count levelled off to 11-8 in the first period, but the game remained scoreless through the break.
In the second half, a Texas Wesleyan foul just outside the box on the left wing led to two quality shots for Juan Sanchez, but TWU goalkeeper
Arturo Sanchez turned away the second shot after the first was blocked by the TWU defense.
The Pioneers finally broke through in the 69th minute after a defensive miscue placed the ball at the feet of WBU's Yago Xavier. Two minutes later,
Brien Avalos drew a foul at the top of the 18, but his free kick sailed high and Thomas held the Rams at bay for the remainder of the contest.
For the game, the Pioneers led 20-12 in shots while corner kicks were even at 4-4. Sanchez (3-5-2) made nine saves, while Thomas needed just one save to preserve the shutout.
The Rams will return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Siloam Springs, AR, for an SAC contest at John Brown University. That game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Rams.
- Nine saves were a career-high for Sancez.
- The Pioneers have won four of their last five games.
- The Rams are now 9-7 all-time in SAC play, 2-3 vs. WBU, and 1-4 vs. JBU.
