THE JUNGLE | MOBILE, Ala. - Coming into the weekend as the unfavored team in both matchups, the University of Mobile Men's Soccer team proved that they still belong amongst the best as they picked up valuable results against William Carey University and Xavier University of Louisiana. The Crusaders have been one of the highest scoring teams in the NAIA this season and hold the No.5 spot in the latest national coaches poll while Xavier sit just outside of the top 25 having moved out of the rankings in the latest poll. Both Thursday's and Saturday's contests would end with the nothing to separate the two sides on the scoreboard as Mobile will be able to look back on a solid start to SSAC play.
Game One Recap - Mobile (0) vs. William Carey (0)
Mobile entered the day knowing that their opponents would be relentless on the attack, with the Crusaders having scored 29 goals through their first 7 games of the season. That would not deter the Rams in their approach to the match however as they would go to battle for the full 90 minutes in pursuit of a positive result.
The Rams and their opponents were combative with each other from the early minutes of the match as Kipper Miller would earn a yellow card just over 3 minutes into the game before a Crusader would find their way into the referee's book in the 9th minute. 4 more yellow cards would be shown by the referee in the first half with Noah Miller joining his brother on a yellow card in the 23rd minute. Nadji Rebai and Guido Solaro would also earn their way onto a caution during the match as both teams committed 19 fouls each throughout the evening.
The MVP of the match was most certainly the man in-between the goalposts for the Rams as Tanner Boxberger made 7 saves throughout the 90 minutes. The Crusaders had 17 shots in the game with 7 on target, all of which Tanner was there to deny. The work of the team as a whole contributed to the first goalless game for William Carey this season and helped earn Mobile a well deserved 0-0 draw at home.
Game Two Recap - Mobile (2) vs. Xavier University of Louisiana (2)
For the second game of the weekend, the Rams faced a 3-3 Xavier (LA.) team that had just lost 0-4 to Faulkner on Thursday. With a delayed start time due to heat in the Mobile area, kickoff took place at 6:45pm CT as opposed to the original 4:00pm start time.
Xavier would open the scoring on a well placed free kick in the 9th minute. Joaquin Rivera would tie things up with a wonder strike from the left side of the box as he found the upper right corner to beat the keeper from distance. At the half, things would remain tied at 1-1 with the sides both having 5 attempts on goal.
Coming out of the halftime break, Xavier would grab the lead after 20 minutes on a tap-in after a saved shot by Tanner Boxberger. The Rams would pile the pressure on for the next 20 minutes without finding an answer before Jaime Cobas latched on to a ball near the end of the box to beat the goalkeeper on the right side of the goal.
While the game would end in a 2-2 draw, the Rams outplayed the visitors for much of the second half, with the team leading their opponents in the shots category 13-4.
Up Next For the Rams
The Mobile Men's Soccer team will be back at home next week on Thursday evening at 7:30pm CT as they take on Thomas University.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
For complete coverage of the University of Mobile Athletics, follow the Rams on social media at /MobileRams (Facebook), @UMobileRams ("X" FKA Twitter), and @umobilerams (Instagram), or visit the official home of the University of Mobile Athletic Department at https://umobilerams.com/.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered university pursuing excellence "For the Kingdom. To the World." With a vision to multiply Kingdom leaders for the glory of God and the good of the world, the university equips students through Christ-centered learning and community to pursue God's calling with courage, purpose and Kingdom impact.
The university was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, UM offers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Learn more at umobile.edu/um-info and connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
