Campus News

M SOCCER: Tigers take hit with 3-0 loss at UT Tyler Monday

TYLER, Texas (10/19/09) – Two first-half goals by Texas-Tyler Monday night were enough to lead the Patriots to a 3-0 victory over ETBU in American Southwest Conference men’s soccer action.

The loss dropped ETBU to 4-5-2 on the season, and the Tigers slipped to 4-3-1 in the ASC race. UT Tyler improved to 4-6-3 and 4-3-3.

The Tigers entered the game in third place in the league standings, as ETBU continues to stay in the hunt for the program’s first conference playoff berth as a full-fledged member of the ASC. UT Tyler, the preseason favorite to repeat as conference champion, kept alive its hopes of making the tournament with the victory after entering the night in ninth place in the league standings.

The top six teams in the ASC will advance to the conference’s postseason championship tournament the first weekend in November.

The Tigers were coming off their best offensive performance of the season Saturday in a 5-1 win at Concordia Texas. But the net was closed in Tyler Monday night, with the Patriots racking up a 27-7 advantage in shots and UT Tyler’s Mark Oliphant saving the Tigers’ four shots on goal during the game.

ETBU goalie Zane Barnes registered eight saves himself, but the Patriots managed to slip three shots by the Tigers’ senior keeper to rack up the victory.

The Tigers return home this weekend for a critical homestand, starting Friday with a 3 p.m. contest against rival Ozarks, which entered the week just one game behind the Tigers in the standings. ETBU will then host fellow playoff contender UT Dallas, which sits at 5-3-1 entering the week’s action, on Saturday at 3 p.m.