The UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team defeated the University of Missouri-Kansas City 3-0 tonight at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
At the beginning of the first half, the Vaqueros recorded two back-to-back corner kicks that were taken by senior forward Isidro Martinez. Soon after, came the first goal of the match.
With 36:38 remaining in the half, senior forward Jaako Hietikko received an assist from defender Matt Beaulaurier. The ball had gone out and Beaulaurier took the throw in.
Hietikko was waiting for the ball in the middle of the box. He then took a shot and kicked the ball into the left side of the goal to give UTRGV a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after the goal, UMKC began pressuring the Vaqueros defense. With 26:50 remaining on the clock, the Kangaroos took a shot on goal but were stopped by UTRGV’s freshman goalkeeper Trevor Schneider.
In the Vaquero offense there began to be more movement that triggered the second goal of the night with 18:47 left on the clock. Junior forward William Akio took the ball up into the box and passed it to junior forward Kyle Edwards.
Edwards placed the ball into the goal, giving the Vaqueros a 2-0 lead until the end of the half.
The second half was at a slower pace than the first but that did not stop UTRGV from scoring another goal. With 30:44 remaining on the clock, senior forward Rooby Dalusma ran to the center of the box and looked for Edwards, who was waiting on the right side of the field.
He received the ball and made the third and final goal of the night, giving the Vaqueros a 3-0 sweep over the Kangaroos.
Edwards now has six goals, which makes him this season’s lead scorer. He said six goals is not enough for him.
“I’m hungry, I want more. I want more,” Edwards said.
The Vaqueros are now 7-4-0 overall and 2-2 in WAC. Head Coach Paul Leese said the team took advantage of the early part of the game to begin on the right foot.
“Very pleased, pleased because we’ve come off the back of a two-week, two, three-week fatiguing,” Leese said. “Road trips, travel, so I know that we’ve needed to recover this week which, fortunately, I think we did a good job of and that showed. I think the guys were fresh tonight. We came out and started well and that was crucial.”
UTRGV has now won the last four home games. The team hopes to continue the winning streak at 7 p.m. Sunday against Houston Baptist University at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field.
