Friday night's non-conference matchup between the No. 5-ranked University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team and St. Edward's University felt like a back and forth contest, despite the 2-0 shutout victory for the Cardinals.
UIW improved to 10-1-1 overall in a game that saw possession flow back and forth for the majority of the night. In the end, however, it was the Cardinals' ability to create scoring chances – and put two away – that was the deciding factor.
Incarnate Word out-shot the Hilltoppers 12-2 in the game and earned 11 corner kicks to the visitors' two chances in the offensive end. In fact, UIW senior goalkeeper Chris Fidler was only troubled to make one save in the entire game on a long-distance shot by an SEU player taking a free kick, which Fidler jumped up and snagged out of the sky.
It was Fidler's sixth shutout of the season.
UIW's first goal came in the 15th minute of play as Carlos Picado was one of several players fighting for possession of the ball just feet from the St. Edward's goal. Picado out-hustled everyone else and turned towards the goal with the ball nearly on the back line and ripped a high, fast shot at a nearly impossible angle to score and put Incarnate Word up 1-0.
It was Picado's sixth goal of the season (second-best on the team).
Finally, in the closing minutes, UIW scored again when Tenny Adebowale dribbled and fought his way into the SEU penalty area and at the Hilltopper's goal, drawing a defender and the goalkeeper. Before he was dispossessed of the ball, he somehow was able to thread a pass through multiple players and find the foot of teammate Julien Brown-Latham, who redirected the pass and roofed the shot for the 2-0 advantage.
The goal gives Brown-Latham a third-best five goals this season for Incarnate Word.
UIW won't be competing against anyone this Sunday as the team prepares to travel to Wichita Falls for the second meeting between the Cardinals and Midwestern State University. Incarnate Word defeated MSU, 1-0, on September 16th in San Antonio, which catapulted UIW up in the NSCAA rankings and dropped the Mustangs from their spot as the No. 3-ranked team at that time.
The two teams will go head-to-head just days after the first South Central Regional rankings are released by the NCAA for Division II.
Friday's game will kick off at 7 p.m.
