CONWAY, Ark. — In two weeks, the Sul Ross State men's soccer team has traveled to three different states while logging in 1,957 miles so far.
On Thursday night, the Lobos engaged in another physical match.
The defense had another solid showing, which led to a 0-0 draw with the Hendrix Warriors at the Warrior Soccer Field.
"First and foremost, I'm most proud of the overall group," said Sul Ross head coach
Jon Evan. "We had chances, what have you, but I'm most proud of the work, time and the effort that our group is putting in, in terms of on the defensive side.
"The scoring's going to come. Guys stepped up and did things to follow through on it."
The Lobos had six shots in the first half.
Nana Prempeh had three shots, with one coming at the goal.
On the other end, the Warriors were held to four shots in the first half.
The opportunities were there for Sul Ross on the offensive side, but Hendrix remained a strong fortress. Sul Ross also held its own.
Goalkeeper
Julian Sandoval had three saves. His counterpart James Leone recorded five saves.
In the second half, the Lobos tallied five shots to finish with 11 for the game.
Julio Hinojos talled three shots while
Cristobal Rodriguez,
Xavier Russell,
Justin Quinonez,
Luis Gonzalez and
Jair Moreno all had one each.
Hendrix was handed four yellow cards, three came in the second half. With lots of physicality being displayed, the Lobos suffered a few bruises.
Despite that, the bench stepped up.
The Warriors matched the Lobos with 11 shots. Hendrix recorded three shots on goal.
Having back to back draws, the defense has strung together two clean sheets. Coach Evan credits assistant Larry Segura for keeping the goalkeepers ready each match.
"I'll put them against anybody that's in the country," Evan said about his goalkeepers. "Our goalkeeping unit as a whole, is really solid right now."
>> RECORDS: Sul Ross (0-1-2); Hendrix (1-1-1)
>> UP NEXT: The Lobos take on the University of St. Thomas at Weaver Field in Snyder, Texas, at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10
>> WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:
"It's good to always keep a clean sheet. It's not the result we wanted. Obviously, we wanted to win. We travel all this way, we want to win." —
Julian Sandoval
"We're getting better every game. As a team, it went well. At least we didn't get scored on. We just need to get the ball in the net." —
Pablo Herrera
"We have trust in the team. The team energy is there. We just need to take our chances to win every single game. I think we're going to get better each game." —
Jair Moreno