EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women’s soccer team won the inaugural match of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, by beating the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 2-1 on Friday in the UTRGV Invitational at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.

 

The Vaqueros (1-0-0) gain three points in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, standings to take a 3-0 lead over the Islanders (0-1-0).

 

Junior Andreya Barrera assisted on both of the Vaqueros’ goals. She started the scoring with a corner kick that junior Hanna Spets forced in to make it 1-0 at 26:02.

 

Then, with the scored knotted up at 1 with 1:10 left in the half, Barrera drew a crowd at the top-right corner of the box. She passed the ball to sophomore Diandra Aliaga on her right, who was doubled, so she passed the ball to her right to sophomore Kelzy Jepsen, who sent a bouncer into the back of the net to make it 2-1.

 

Junior Harlingen South alum Erica Gonzalez (1-0-0) made one save for the win.

 

The lone blemish came at 31:30, when Kaitlyn Joy bent a shot past a diving Gonzalez off a feed by Brooke Erdmann.

 

Jordan Wainright (0-1-0) made five saves for the Islanders.

 

The Vaqueros outshot the Islanders 18-to-2, including 7-to-2 on goal. The Vaqueros attempted a program record 15 corner kicks while the Islanders attempted one.

 

The Vaqueros close out the UTRGV Invitational on Sunday at 11 a.m. when they host 2015 NCAA Tournament participant Fairleigh Dickinson. Gates open at 10.

 

The next events in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, are men’s and women’s cross country at Monte Cristo Golf Course on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. Each event is worth two points.

 

About The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was created by the Texas Legislature on Dec. 7, 2012, in a historic move that combined the resources and assets of UTPA and UTB, and, for the first time, made it possible for residents of the Rio Grande Valley to benefit from the Permanent University Fund. The institution will also be home to a School of Medicine and will transform Texas and the nation by becoming a leader in student success, teaching, research and healthcare. UTRGV enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine opens this fall.