Men's soccer ready for rivalry games at TAMUSA, vs. OLLU
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Team Stats
| Game Statistics | A&M-Victoria | Texas A&M University- San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 5 (2) | 12 (3) |
| Saves | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls | 9 | 18 |
| Corner Kicks | 1 | 10 |
| Offsides | 1 | 4 |
| Game Statistics | Our Lady of the Lake | A&M-Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 9 (4) | 23 (11) |
| Saves | 9 | 2 |
| Fouls | 10 | 16 |
| Corner Kicks | 3 | 4 |
| Offsides | 3 | 1 |
The Texas A&M University-Victoria controls its destiny heading into the final three matches of the season.
The Jaguars (7-7-1, 3-4-1) hold onto the last spot in the Red River Athletic Conference tournament in sixth place on 10 points, three points clear of Louisiana Christian. That means A&M-Victoria needs two wins over the final three matches to secure a spot in the conference tournament.
They begin the final stretch on the road Thursday with the newly-branded Battle of the Big Cats with their Jaguar counterparts from sister school Texas A&M-San Antonio before coming home to face Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday.
"We've been talking about this the last couple weeks, how we've been treating every game like it's a playoff game," said head coach Vince Martinez. "Going into the last three games, we control our destiny. So, if we take care of business, we don't have to start looking at what other teams are doing. We know these teams in San Antonio are recruiting rivals, so they're going to want to beat us. We're well aware of what's in front of us to make postseason."
A&M-Victoria hopes to snap a two-match losing streak on Thursday.
The Jaguars want to regain their offensive spark after seeing their offense shut out in consecutive matches for the first time this season. A&M-Victoria is 6-0 this season when scoring multiple goals.
Jervan Matthew continues to lead the way with eight goals this season while Baillie O'Reilly leads the way in assists with seven.
"We talked about it a little bit in training," Martinez said. "We played two of the top teams in the conference, so it's not easy to score but we did create. We were just unfortunate to not get at least one in each game. We're going to have to do better in the next three games."
A&M-Victoria's defense will be tested against A&M-San Antonio on Thursday.
TAMUSA ranks second in the RRAC with 3.08 goals scored per game and Ronald Aguilar leads the conference with 18 goals.
"We've watched film on them, so we have a good idea of how they play," Martinez said. "Focusing on them is a priority. These final three games is really about knowing where we're at as a team to make sure we're ready to go. So, we've got to take care of business to secure a playoff spot."
Saturday's match with OLLU is Senior Day with Felipe Rangel, Tyler Kaeppeli, Baillie O'Reilly, Yahir Pena and Eric Thust being recognized for their contributions to the program at halftime. Saturday will also have a Halloween-theme to it and fans are encouraged to dress up in Halloween costumes for the match.