HOBBS, N.M. -- The University of the Southwest wrapped up a challenging week on the road with a thrilling comeback victory on Thursday and a hard-fought draw on Saturday, collecting four important conference points against Texas A&M Texarkana and LSU Shreveport.
On Thursday in Texarkana, the Mustangs overcame a second-half deficit to defeat Texas A&M Texarkana 4-3 in dramatic fashion. Southwest controlled much of the match, outshooting the Eagles 32-17 and putting 15 shots on goal. Yahir Meza opened the scoring in the fourth minute off an assist from Jose Cobaleda, and Yahir Chacon doubled the advantage midway through the first half to give Southwest a 2-0 lead at the break.
The hosts responded with three unanswered goals in a 15-minute span during the second half, taking a 3-2 lead in the 67th minute. Facing adversity, the Mustangs answered quickly. Stefano Carvajal converted a penalty kick in the 82nd minute to level the match before Adrian Campbell found the game-winner less than two minutes later on an assist from Chacon. Goalkeeper Jeremy Rueda recorded two saves as Southwest secured the comeback victory.
Two days later, Southwest traveled to face conference contender LSU Shreveport and battled to a 1-1 draw. The Pilots struck first in the eighth minute, but the Mustangs remained organized defensively behind seven saves from Rueda, who repeatedly denied quality scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Southwest found the equalizer in the 70th minute when constant pressure in the attacking third resulted in an LSU Shreveport own goal, knotting the score at 1-1. The Mustangs nearly found a late winner when Campbell put a shot on target in the 82nd minute, but the Pilots' defense preserved the draw.
Rueda's seven-save performance helped Southwest earn a valuable result on the road against one of the conference's top teams. The Mustangs finished the week unbeaten, posting a 1-0-1 record while showing resilience in both matches and continuing to strengthen their position in the conference standings.
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