Box Score


LONGVIEW, Texas – Scrappy and physical!

That's the type of game that the LeTourneau University men's soccer team endured Friday night at the Joyce Family Athletic Complex.

"The guys handled their emotions pretty well tonight for how physical the game was," head coach Collin Cone said about a game that featured two red and four yellow cards. "Sometimes in collegiate soccer you just have to find a way to win."

The YellowJackets (2-1) did just that, defeating visiting Jarvis Christian College (1-1-1), 2-1.

With 25 minutes left in a scoreless match, LETU's Enrique Salazar banged home a pass from Cordrick Sabbatini to the bottom left corner, giving the Jackets a 1-0 lead. At the 32^nd mark the YellowJackets stung the Bulldogs again, after Christian Hunter found a streaking Oliver Placencia for a strike to the back of the net, extending the LETU lead, 2-0.

The Bulldogs of JCC tried to bite back, moving into the scoring column when Ignacio Gutirrez snuck one past LeTourneau's goalkeeper Cj Leyva, putting Jarvis Christian down one at the 40^th minute mark.

A tight defensive stand by the YellowJackets led to a scoreless second half for the Bulldogs, giving the Jackets a 2-1 victory. The defensive efforts for LETU were led by goalkeeper Leyva, who tallied three saves from JC's four shots on goal. Defender Ethan Anderson also pitched in on the efforts, playing the full 90 minutes.

"I thought that we had periods of the game where we looked dangerous in possession," coach Cone commented. "But we still need to find a way to put in a full 90-minute performance."

"We have to put this game behind us now. We must prepare for Millsaps Sunday, who is well coached and never a tough team to beat."

Inside the Box:
LETU outshot JCC 19-8, including nine shots on goal.
Jarvis Christian had seven saves compared to LeTourneau's three.

Up Next:
The YellowJackets will host Millsaps College Sunday at 4:30 p.m.