By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
 
PINEVILLE, La. – Huston-Tillotson University's men's soccer team were on the less-than-enviable side of the box score in two road games prior to Labor Day, falling at North American (Texas) 2-1, and then at Louisiana Christian by a score of 4-1.
 
HT (0-3-3) returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 8, when both the men's and women's soccer teams travel to Fort Worth, Texas for the Battle of Methodist Ovines, as Huston-Tillotson visits Texas Wesleyan University. Both schools are affiliated with the United Methodist Church, and the mascot for both schools is the "Rams."
 
The men's game between HT and Texas Wesleyan is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will kick off after the conclusion of the women's game between the two programs.
 
NORTH AMERICAN 2, HT RAMS 1
Under a hazy twilight sky in the shadows of the refineries in Houston's eastern industrial suburbs, the Rams struck first Thursday but it was the host Stallions who came away with the victory.
 
Freshman Daniel Cerda (Del Valle, Texas / Del Valle) scored his second goal of the season in the 18th minute off a pass from his high school teammate Manuel 'Lito' Guevara. The assist was the third of the season for sophomore Guevara (Del Valle, Texas / Del Valle).
 
Sandile Mdauli tied the match for North American in the 27th minute and then assisted on Desailly Bastien-Cowan's go-ahead goal less than six minutes after halftime.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Luke Phillips (Liberty Hill, Texas / Liberty Hill) tied a career high with 11 saves for the Rams against North American. He matched his save total from last season's HBCU Athletic Conference tournament match against Wiley.
 
LOUISIANA CHRISTIAN 2, HT RAMS 1
The host Wildcats of Louisiana Christian scored three first-half goals Saturday en route to the win.
 
Senior transfer Joel Prince Kisukulu (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Texas Wesleyan) scored his first HT goal less than a minute after the halftime restart.
 
The match in Pineville pitted HT head coach Aaron Yancy against his former head coach while playing for the Rams, Arick Lassiter, now the head coach at LCU. Lassiter led the HT to two Red River Athletic Conference tournament championships during his six years on Bluebonnet Hill.
 
– HT –