The Angelina College Roadrunner soccer team had the right game plan in place for facing the top-ranked team in the nation. For the first 30 minutes of the match, the plan worked to near-perfection.
But the undefeated and No. 1 Tyler College Apaches proved why they’re the top team in the NJCAA’s Division I ranks, scoring two goals in the final 14 minutes of the first half and three more in the second to knock off the Roadrunners 5-0 in a physical battle Saturday at Jase Magers Field in Lufkin.
The Apaches’ Yazeed Matthews and Fredi Ortega scored two goals each for Tyler, with George Braima accounting for the team’s first goal in the 30 th minute.
Employing a defensive strategy that meant holding back while leaving just one or two Roadrunners up front, AC nevertheless created several scoring chances that just missed. Lalo Escareno kicked wide on an attempt after a feed from Jace Slagle in the first half’s 27 th minute; and Luis Garcia’s attack late in the second half hit the upright as two of the better scoring chances for the Roadrunners.
AC will host Northeast Texas Community College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Jase Magers Field. The game was rescheduled from September 10.
