STAFFORD, Texas -- The University of the Southwest earned a hard-fought road win Thursday evening, defeating North American 2-1 at SaberCat Stadium. Powered by a first-half brace from Nicolas Amparan, the Mustangs improved to 6-7-4 overall and 4-6-4 in conference play, while North American dropped to 3-5-1 (2-3-1 conference).

Southwest took control midway through the first half, breaking the deadlock in the 35th minute when Amparan fired home an unassisted goal to open the scoring. Just three minutes later, Amparan struck again, this time finishing a well-placed pass from Jose Attong to double the lead.

North American responded just before halftime, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the 44th minute. Despite a surge of second-half pressure from the hosts, Southwest's defense held firm.

Goalkeeper Jeremy Rueda anchored the backline with two saves, including a crucial stop in the 82nd minute to preserve the lead. Southwest absorbed 12 second-half shots and conceded five corner kicks, but remained composed under pressure.

Offensively, the Mustangs recorded seven total shots, with Amparan leading the way with three attempts and two on target. Yahir Chacon and Genesis Carillo also contributed to the attack, while Alexis Sanchez delivered three consecutive corner kicks early in the second half to keep the pressure on. 

The match featured physical play, with both teams combining for seven fouls and four yellow cards.

The Mustangs will look to carry this momentum into Saturday, where they will face Texas A&M University-Victoria with a kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CT).

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