HOBBS, N.M. – The University of the Southwest men's soccer team completed a two-match sweep of Justice College this week, earning a 4-2 victory on Monday before following it up with a dramatic 4-3 comeback win on Wednesday. Southwest combined for eight goals across the two contests and improved to 3-1-4 on the season.
Monday: Southwest 4, Justice College 2
Southwest overcame an early deficit Monday night to take down Justice College 4-2 at Bob Moran Soccer Field. After Justice College struck first in the 19th minute, the Mustangs responded with an equalizer from Juan Perez in the 32nd minute to send the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.
The Mustangs took control early in the second half. Just 29 seconds after the restart, Yahir Chacon found the back of the net off an assist from Yahir Meza, giving Southwest its first lead of the match. Less than four minutes later, Perez added his second goal of the evening, again set up by Meza, pushing the advantage to 3-1.
Justice College cut the deficit to one in the 68th minute, but Southwest sealed the victory late when Hiram Chavez finished off a pass from Juan Jimenez in the 89th minute.
Perez led the attack with two goals, while Chacon and Chavez each added one. Meza collected two assists, and Jimenez added an assist. Goalkeeper Jeremy Rueda recorded six saves as Southwest secured the win.
Wednesday: Southwest 4, Justice College 3
Two days later, Southwest delivered an even more dramatic performance, rallying from a two-goal second-half deficit to earn a 4-3 victory over Justice College.
Playing down a player after a first-half red card, Southwest battled through adversity and trailed 2-1 at halftime. Justice College extended its lead to 3-1 in the 65th minute, putting the Mustangs in danger of snapping their winning streak against the Lions.
Southwest answered in a hurry. In the 74th minute, Chacon scored off a pass from Emiliano Rojo to cut the deficit to one. Just 30 seconds later, Perez buried the equalizer after receiving a feed from Chacon, tying the match at 3-3 and swinging momentum firmly in Southwest's favor.
With time winding down, the Mustangs earned a penalty kick in the 90th minute. Perez calmly converted from the spot in the 89th minute, completing the comeback and securing his second goal of the match and the game-winner.
Perez finished with two goals, while Chacon added a goal and an assist. Southwest goalkeeper Stephen Chairez turned in a standout performance with nine saves to help keep the Mustangs within striking distance before the late rally.
Across the two victories, Perez scored four goals and Chacon contributed two goals and two assists as Southwest completed the sweep of Justice College and extended its strong start to the season.
Head Coach Edrian Negrete
a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } "Getting two wins against the same opponent in a week is never easy. We did a lot of good things offensively, scoring eight goals across the two matches, but I'm most pleased with our resilience. These games give us momentum, but they also show us areas where we can continue to improve as we move forward into the heart of our schedule."
NEXT UP:
The Mustangs will strive to continue its momentum heading into conference play at Louisiana Christian on September 24.
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