Pioneers earn draw against Mustangs

Box Score The Wayland Baptist men's soccer team forced a tie with University of Southwest, 2-2, here at Hilliard Field Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Pioneers (2-2-1) fell behind the Mustangs (3-0-1) 1-0 in the first half as a string of penalties didn't allow them to find their rhythm early on. Even with the penalties, WBU kept the game close enough to make a push in the second half.
 
At the 76th-minute, Alex Castillo launched a strike to tie the game and four minutes later, Guillermo Deal pushed one into the net to give the Pioneers the lead.
 
"Our mentality started to change," Coach Cristhian Ospina said about his team's performance late.
 
Unfortunately, there was still enough time for the Mustangs to respond, and they didn't take long to do so.
 
At the 83rd-minute, Antonio Salazar scored the final goal of the game off a corner kick to keep USW unbeaten.
 
The Pioneers outshot the Mustangs, 17-9, and earned more corner kicks, 8-2. WBU also picked up seven cards, with two players (Gian Scalise and Ezequiel Amestoy) being ejected for red-card violations.
 
"I'm nothing but proud of them," Ospina said. "They worked hard and played well with each other."
 
The Pioneers play back at Hilliard Field Friday at 5 p.m. against Our Lady of Lake (2-2). WBU defeated the Saints in their last meeting, 2-0.
 
"This will be a tough game," Ospina said. "We have to play organized and put our chances away early before they do."