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HOUSTON – HBU got a pair of first half goals and kept a clean sheet to earn a 2-0 victory over visiting Utah Valley in Western Athletic Conference men's soccer action on Saturday evening at Houston Sports Park after rainy weather in Houston forced a move off campus.
"We scored two very good goals tonight," said HBU head coach
Ryan Pratt. "We also could have been punished for a few of our mistakes that went unpunished. At the end of the day, that's the game of soccer. I'm just so proud of our guys, and how we fought, and beat a very good team tonight."
Utah Valley (3-5-0, 0-1-0 WAC) was the main aggressor early, forcing HBU (3-2-2, 1-0-0 WAC) into four saves in an eight-minute stretch and missing an attempt on an open goal within the first 13 minutes of the match. The momentum shifted in the 17
th minute when a
Gianluca Natera shot was stopped by UVU's Joseph Wheelwright. At the 25:20 mark,
Khalil Thomas and
Dominick Faletto paired up to find senior
Darrell Johnson just outside the 18-yard box with space to collect himself and let fly, curling the ball into the goal in the top right corner.
Josue Palomino put a pair of shots on goal in a 40-second span five minutes later but Wheelwright came up with both saves but it was
Dequan Thomas who found the net in the 33
rd minute, directing the ball in off a pass from Natera who took a pass from Faletto before crossing it into the box. In the second half, the Wolverines put three shots on target but HBU's
Jorge Cabrera stopped a pair and senior defender
Gabriel Camera came up with a big team save, clearing a shot out of the keeper's box in the 63
rd minute. Junior
Thomas Menke just missed out on making it a three-goal game at the 85:38 mark with a shot that got past Wheelwright but bounced off the post.
Saturday's win marks the first time since the 2013 season that HBU has won its WAC opener. The game-winning goal for Johnson was his first of the season and it was Thomas's second of the year. For Cabrera in goal, his seven saves bring his save percentage to .838 on the season which is good for second in the conference.
"It takes a lot to change venues at the last minute, and I told our guys at the end that everybody involved in our program, from SIDs, to trainers, to coaching staff, to managers and players, got an A+ today," Pratt added. "We got it all right, and it was worth it tonight at the end. I just want to say thank you to all of our administrators and everyone involved in our program to get the game played tonight."
HBU remains at home for its next two WAC matches, beginning Friday, Sep. 28, with a visit from San Jose State before taking on Seattle on Sunday, Sep. 30, at Sorrels Field.
