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RIO GRANDE VALLEY\u00a0\u2013 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s soccer program battled to a 1-1 draw against the UIW Cardinals Thursday in an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) match at UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Support UTRGV Vaqueros\u2122<\/a> |\u00a0Become a Fan on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Read Full Article
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\nThe Vaqueros (4-5-5, 2-3-4 OVC) ended the season with a 1-0-5 home record. This is the first time since 1997 that UTRGV finished the regular season without a home loss.
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\nThe six home matches played this season are the most in program history for a season in which UTRGV finished undefeated at home. The Vaqueros join 30 other NCAA Div. I programs with unblemished home records in the 2026 season.
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\nFollowing the draw, UTRGV is tied for fifth in the OVC standings with Eastern Illinois, Southern Indiana and Western Illinois. The top six teams in the OVC standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the OVC Men’s Soccer Tournament.
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\nSenior Malang Mandiang<\/a> scored the first goal of the game in the 26th minute after using a give-and-go with junior Elias Taj<\/a> to create space inside the box. Mandiang used one left-footed touch to strike the ball past the diving UIW goalkeeper Victor Salmeron.
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\nThe Cardinals (5-7-3, 4-3-2 OVC) tied the match in the 37th minute as Evan Kraenzel scored on a free kick.
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\nThe Vaqueros maintained a steady offensive pace throughout the match, generating a season-high 14 corner kicks.
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\nThe first opportunity for UTRGV came early in the match as the Vaqueros generated two corner kicks in the first five minutes. The second UTRGV corner was played short and passed around before Mandiang controlled possession, turned, and fired to the top right corner of the goal. The shot was just punched away by Salmeron.
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\nAfter the Vaqueros scored in the 26th minute, UIW began creating more chances inside the box.
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\nUIW outshot UTRGV in the first half 7-4. However, the second half was all Vaqueros.
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\nUTRGV put up seven shots in the frame, including two on goal by Taj in the final 15 minutes. The final opportunity came in the 90th minute as sophomore Alvaro Abeal<\/a> fired a rocket from the right sideline but it was corralled by Salmeron.
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\nThe Vaqueros outshot the Cardinals 11-9 with a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. UTRGV generated 14 corner kicks to UIW’s two.
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\nSalmeron ended the match with six saves while Knight tallied two saves to secure the draw.
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\nUTRGV will now visit the HCU Huskies in its regular season finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
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\nFans can watch live domestically on ESPN+<\/a> or follow along through live stats<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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