Wednesday night's matchup between longtime rivals University of the Incarnate Word and St. Mary's University was a one-sided affair that, aside from a late breakaway by STMU, was thoroughly dominated by the Cardinals for a 3-1 victory at Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium.
“It was good to see the guys get off to a fast start and really take it to an opponent again,” head coach Vince Martinez said, alluding to a two-game slide where the Cardinals had played to two draws on the road last weekend.
The Cardinals, 12-2-3 overall and the No. 1-ranked team in the South Central Division of NCAA Division II, out-shot the Rattlers 22 to 6.
Ivan Yanez got UIW on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute, trailing the hard work of senior teammate Jesus Cortez almost all the way into the STMU goal. Cortez dribbled around a defender and bulldozed his way all the way to the back line before slipping a quick crossing pass to Yanez who easily tapped in the chance for the 1-0 lead.
In the 39th minute, Yanez scored again, this time settling down a loose ball at the top of the penalty arch following a Cardinal blast into a wall of defenders. Yanez set his shot and fired without much hesitation and buried the ball into the far, upper corner of the net for the 2-0 lead.
In the closing minutes of the first half, UIW added another tally on a free kick opportunity just outside the penalty area. Vincent Bailey took the free kick chance and dropped a beautiful pass into the middle of the crowd of Cardinals and Rattlers – right on the head of James Nero, who headed it into the net.
Incarnate Word took its 3-0 lead into the break and was able to substitute nearly the entire bench into the game.
“It was good to get in all those guys so they could touch the field,” Martinez said. “With the postseason right around the corner, we need to make sure that everyone's ready to go because anything can happen.”
The Cardinals wrap up the 2011 regular season on Friday in a home game against Northeastern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. It will be senior night and one last chance for UIW to gain momentum heading into what looks like a sure NCAA Regional Tournament Bid next week.
With the No. 1 spot in the NCAA rankings for the region, Incarnate Word is in the driver's seat to host at least one NCAA Tournament game, most-likely in a week from Thursday. What team the Cardinals are going to play could range from a third matchup with Midwestern State or a team from Colorado.
“Now's the time for us to take it to the next level,” Martinez said.
