TYLER, Texas. – Rogers State men's soccer (2-2-1) fell 2-0 on the road to UT Tyler (4-0) on Saturday.
 
The game began on a hot start as the Patriots forced the offensive pressure immediately out of the kickoff. In the second minute, they fired in a shot to take an early 1-0 lead. The Hillcats had a chance to chance to tie it up in the 15th minute as Erik Hjertsson blasted a shot off the crossbar, then in the 16th minute Grant King had a shot saved. In the opening 45 minutes, UTT outshot RSU 10-6, but both teams had two shots on goal.
 
The second half was a defensive stalemate as neither side was able to get a solid offensive opportunity for much of the half. RSU was only able to get off four shots in the period compared to the Patriots 12. The Hillcats had two good chances late in the half as Hjertsson again had a shot to the top left of the goal saved in the 82nd minute and Marcos Vasallo had a shot saved in the 88th minute. Unfortunately, in the 89th minute, UTT found the back off the next one final time to seal the 2-0 victory.
 
RSU will return home to Soldier Field on Thursday, Sept. 15 for the GAC/MIAA conference opener against defending champion Fort Hays State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.