The UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team defeated the University of Nevada, Las Vegas 4-1 during the quarterfinal round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Wednesday night at Championship Field in Seattle, Wash.
At the 11:36 mark, UNLV freshman midfielder Nico Clasen hit the ball on the crossbar. Rebels senior midfielder Bay Kurtz received the rebound, giving UNLV a 1-0 lead.
UTRGV tied the game 1-1 at 24:50. Junior forward Kyle Edwards scored a goal after dribbling the ball around the UNLV defense.
Vaquero senior forward Rooby Dalusma scored a goal with less than three minutes remaining on the clock, resulting in a 2-1 lead in favor of UTRGV to end the first half.
In the second half, junior forward William Akio received an assist from Edwards at the 57:37 mark. Akio took a shot on goal and gave UTRGV a 3-1 lead.
Dalusma dribbled ahead and beat UNLV junior goalkeeper Enrique Adame on the left side, scoring the fourth and final goal for the Vaqueros.
The victory over UNLV is a first for the Vaqueros in a WAC tournament.
In an interview with a WAC reporter after the game, which was posted on the conference website, Head Coach Paul Leese said he was pleased with the team’s performance.
“The boys now, I think they’re in a very good rhythm,” Leese said. “It’s taken a long time to build in that style of play and all credit to them. They understand what it is they need to do and their individual roles. And, it’s really magical to see when they play that way.”
With the victory over UNLV, the Vaqueros qualified to the WAC Tournament semifinal match. UTRGV will play against San José State University at 10 p.m. Friday on Championship Field.
