The UTRGV Women’s Soccer Team hosted its first WAC game of the season Friday night against the University of Missouri-Kansas City on the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex, resulting in a 3-0 loss for the Vaqueras.
In a night filled with rain, it almost seemed as if UTRGV would have to postpone its home opener game. After a delay of an hour and 45 minutes, the Vaqueras took the field.
The game got off to a quick start. At 1:16, freshman forward Emily Zapata took the first shot on goal of the night, but was stopped by UMKC’s freshman goalie Afton Fennewald.
Forty seconds later, the Kangaroos’ freshman forward and midfielder Rylan Childers responded with a goal to give UMKC a 1-0 lead.
With 22:22 left on the clock in the first half, UMKC’s senior midfielder Reighan Childers received the ball from Rylan at the top of the box and placed the ball on the right side of the goal to close the first half 2-0 in favor of the Kangaroos.
Rylan Childers scored the third and final goal of the night at 2:27 minutes into the second half to give the Kangaroos a 3-0 victory over the Vaqueras.
Despite the loss, UTRGV outshot UMKC 20-15. Head Coach Glad Bugariu cited limitations for the ineffective shots.
“I mean, UMKC is a very good team,” Bugariu said. “They limited us to shot selection that was probably poor. Ultimately, though, we created some chances. It’s a game of chances, really, and if one is put away at the right moment, the game can change, but we didn’t have those opportunities and in the end, like I said, it was a fair result. They were better than us.”
The Vaqueras are now 6-5-1 overall and 0-1-0 in WAC. The team will be back in action to continue WAC play at 1 p.m. on Super Saver Sunday against Utah Valley University at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Fans who donate five non-perishable canned foods get free admission.
