EDINBURG — Rylee Low found the back of the net in the 78th minute to lead Tarleton State to its first WAC win of the season against UTRGV on Sunday afternoon at the UTRGV Soccer and Track and Field Complex.
With the win, the Texans improved to 1-0-1 in the WAC and 4-5-3 overall. After starting out the conference slate with a win against Abilene Christian, UTRGV (3-5-2, 1-1-0) dropped its first WAC match of the season.
Low was the difference maker in the game, firing a free kick past the diving UTRGV keeper to net her fourth goal of the season, all coming via a free kick.
Mikayla Kendall racked up her second shutout of the season and her first in WAC play, notching a save on the only shot she faced.
About halfway through the first half of the match, Jaycie Bass fired a shot from thirty feet out that had goal written all over it, but the Vaqueros’ keeper was just able to get a hand on it and tip it over the crossbar. The Texans were then granted a pair of corner kicks, but were unable to convert either into a goal.
The Texan defense was taut in the first half not allowing the Vaqueros to get a shot off, or have a true scoring chance in their offensive zone.
Both teams switched sides to start the second half, giving UTRGV the wind at their back after having kicking into the wind in the first half. The Vaqueros took six shots, with none falling on net in the first 25 minutes of the second half.
In the 69th minute of play, Avery Harr dribbled the ball to the far right sideline in the Texans’ attacking third. She sent a cross to the right of the box that found Adriana Alonso-Gomez in stride. She one-touched the pass towards the goal but was off target in the Texans’ first scoring chance of the second half.
Tarleton broke onto the board with a free kick goal in the 78th minute by Low, the Texans leading goal scorer. After a Vaqueros foul, Low took the free kick from the middle of the pitch just outside the 18-yard box. She snuck it past the diving keeper in the bottom right of the goal to break the scoreless tie and give Tarleton the lead with just under 12 minutes of play remaining.
UTRGV took advantage of its last second opportunity streaking down the field with less than 20 seconds remaining. The Vaqueros were able to get two inside the 18-yard box with Jeweleen Reuille firing a shot with just 13 ticks remaining. Kendall grabbed her first save of the afternoon and secured the 1-0 Texan victory.
Tarleton State will play just one game next week in the continuation of WAC play for the Texans. Tarleton will conclude their three-match road trip with a trip to Abilene to take on Abilene Christian at 5 p.m. on Sunday evening at Elmer Gray Stadium. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ along with all other WAC matches this season.
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