Wildcats fall to St. Thomas-Houston
The Wiley College men's soccer team was unable to find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to the University of St. Thomas-Houston Thursday in a Red River Athletic Conference match at Wildcats Field.
The loss drops the Wildcats (9-6, 5-4 in RRAC) to 7-2 at home. They fall to 1-6-1 against the Celts and haven't scored a goal in the last three meetings.
The game was scoreless until the 73rd minute. Erik Reyes (SR/Fort Worth, TX) jumped to make a play on the ball but made contact with a player on St. Thomas-Houston – which caused both players to fall down. The official called Reyes for the foul and awarded a penalty kick – which the Celts converted.
Wiley College had limited scoring opportunities. It only mustered two shots on goal. The Wildcats drew even with St. Thomas-Houston in overall shots with nine. Tafadzwa Madamombe (SR/Zimbabwe, Africa) and Jonathan Palomo (SR/Donna, Texas) each put up a shot on goal and had two shots overall.
"Two times we hit the crossbar," head coach Demetrio Hernandez said. "Tafadzwa had the best opportunity and kicked it over the goal."
Reyes did all he could to give the Wildcats a chance. He made stops on six of seven shots. The loss drops Reyes to 6-5. The game was physical, especially in the second half. Five yellow cards were issued. The Wildcats were called for 10 of the 16 fouls.
Wiley College closes the regular season with the Red River Athletic Conference leader the University of Houston-Victoria at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Jaguars defeated Texas A&M University-Texarkana 3-2 in overtime. The Wildcats can clinch a tournament spot with a victory and move as high as third-place. They can clinch with a tie or loss but would need help from other teams.
"We still have a chance against Houston-Victoria," Hernandez said. "We must keep our heads together. The show is not over. A tie could also help us. We will regroup and give it our best on Saturday."