SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Southwest men's soccer team is headed to the Red River Athletic Conference Championship after earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory over No. 1 Texas A&M University-San Antonio in the RRAC Semifinals on Thursday evening.
Despite facing constant pressure throughout the match, the Mustangs remained composed defensively and found the breakthrough when it mattered most. With the match scoreless deep into the second half, Yahir Chacon delivered the game-winner in the 77th minute, scoring the lone goal of the contest to propel Southwest into Saturday's championship match.
The Mustangs relied heavily on a resilient defensive effort and another standout performance from goalkeeper Jeremy Rueda. Rueda turned away 10 shots on goal and helped preserve the clean sheet as Texas A&M-San Antonio outshot Southwest 27-5 and placed 18 attempts on target. The Mustangs also received a key team save while repeatedly fending off the Jaguars' attack.
Texas A&M-San Antonio threatened several times throughout the evening, including hitting the post early in the first half and the crossbar just before halftime. However, Southwest's back line stood tall under pressure and kept the match scoreless until Chacon's decisive strike.
After entering the match as a substitute early in the second half, Chacon made an immediate impact. His unassisted goal at the 76:23 mark proved to be the difference as the Mustangs weathered a late push from the Jaguars to secure the semifinal victory.
With the win, University of the Southwest improves to 10-3-6 on the season and advances to the RRAC Championship match on Saturday with an opportunity to capture the conference title.
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