Men's Soccer 10/12/2012 3:21:00 AM

Men’s Soccer Gets Crucial Win over UTPB

Box Score LAREDO, Texas – As the TAMIU men’s soccer team’s chase for a third straight Heartland Conference title reaches the home stretch, the Dustdevils scored a huge 2-0 win over UT-Permian Basin Thursday night at the TAMIU Soccer Complex.
After an equally matched opening half, a game changing play in the 61^st minute by sophomore forward Jovany Macias set the stage for TAMIU’s triumph.

A beautiful through ball by left Macias one-on-one with the Falcons keeper Craig Branum. Branum dove at the feet of Macias making heavy contact which resulted in a red card and a penalty kick for the Dustdevils. Shooting to his right, Macias had just enough on the shot to beat keeper Chris Benavides to give TAMIU a 1-0 lead.

“That play changed everything tonight, but it was not an accident” said Head Coach Arias. “During the half we talked about stretching the field more and bringing more energy and that’s exactly what happened when Macias broke free.”

With the Falcons forced to play the remainder of the game a man short, the Dustdevils were able to control the game until the final whistle. Diego Manzano-Cano added a late insurance goal in the 86^th minute, after a beautiful touch-pass in the box by freshman forward Eduardo Gonzalez.

“Playing with a man advantage allowed us to possess the ball more and not be so rushed in our decision making,” said Arias. I think with the opportunities we had after the red card we should have scored one or two more goals, but we’re happy to have the win over a good team.”

TAMIU held a 21-14 advantage in shots and a 12-6 lead in shots on goal. Macias led the Dustdevils with five shots on the night, followed by Manzano-Cano with four and Sebastian Ramirez with three. Dustdevils’ keeper Jesus Cisneros picked up his fifth shutout win of the season finishing with three saves.

The win propels TAMIU into second place in the conference standings, one-half game behind St.
Edward’s University. The Dustdevils will step out of conference on Saturday afternoon hosting McMurry, before returning to conference action October 18 battling Newman. The Hilltoppers will face Oklahoma Christian this weekend before taking on UT-Permian Basin on the 18^th.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game versus McMurry is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start at the TAMIU Soccer Complex.

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