By james art LUBBOCK, TX – West Texas A&M men’s soccer snapped a six-game winless streak after the Buffs defeated rival Lubbock Christian 1-0 on Wednesday night at the LCU Soccer & Track Facility. With the win, the Buffs improve to 3-6-4 on the year and pick up their first Lone Star Conference win of the season.
WT almost took the lead less than a minute into the game when a ball played from the back line went up the field. After Lubbock Christian headed the ball in, Sharif Mohammed controlled the second ball from outside the penalty area before firing a shot just over the goal. The Buffs followed that up with another strike under the one minute mark when Quintin Ben-John sent a curling attempt into the hands of waiting Chaps keeper Connor Pettigrew. In the eighth minute, WT won a penalty kick after Pettigrew brought down Mohamed in the box. although Matteo Landais took the penalty, the referee waved at the goal as a Buffalo player entered the box early. LCU got one of its first looks on goal in the 18sth minute when a corner kick hit the back post. As the ball fell, Andrea Monticelli headed it in but a WT defender cleared the ball off the line. After the clear, the Buffs controlled the tempo of the game, spending the next few minutes of the game on the Chaps side of the field. 15 minutes to the end of the first half, a free kick from the foot of Theo Bennetts went into the box. Ben-John discovered Rothem Weiss from the free kick that he shoots before the ball hits the ground. The shot forced a corner where the restart bounced around the box before Mohamed lasered in, forcing Pettigrew into a quick save. Pettigrew made another crucial save in the 39thth minute when Landais fired from the penalty spot, eventually bringing the game to a scoreless half-time.
After a scoreless first half, the Buffs upped the ante early, forcing a free kick five minutes into the second period. Ben-John stepped up to take the free-kick but forced it too much as the shot went over the bar. In 52n.d minute, Luke Southerington recorded his first save of the night when Francisco Horta sent a shot on target. Sensing a shift in momentum, WT went on the attack in the 58thth minute like Daniel Burton put a shot in the frame followed by another shot save by Landais. on the rebound Philip Leano flew in to make sure the Buffs wouldn’t be denied on offense. Leano, who is back on the field for the first time this season, scored the first goal of his WT career. Landais nearly doubled the Buffs’ lead two minutes later when the senior stole the ball in the box before firing a shot just wide of the open back post. Trailing by a goal, LCU pushed for the equalizer, putting the WT defense on its heels. Despite the Chaps’ offensive surge, the Buffs continued to find holes through the LCU defense. In the 72ndn.d minute Landais received a center ball from Ben-John, but a sliding save from Pettigrew kept the game within one. With 13 minutes to play, Sourington made their biggest save of the night when Justin Martinez broke away for a one-on-one opportunity. Martinez got low with his shot but Southerington cut the angle to save. In the final minutes of the game, LCU went all out with the Buffs standing up to walk away with the win.
WT returns to The Pitch on Saturday, Oct. 23 for a rivalry game with No. 18 Midwestern States. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the women’s game.