No. 6-seed men’s soccer set for rematch with No. 3-seed Xavier (La.) in RRAC Quarterfinals

The Texas A&M University-Victoria men's soccer team is riding high heading into the Red River Athletic Conference tournament.

The Jaguars (8-8-2) booked their 11^th appearance in the conference tournament in 12 seasons as an RRAC member thanks to a late goal by Mosiah Bonney in a 2-1 win over North American on Saturday to secure the sixth and final seed in the tournament.

A&M-Victoria now gets a rematch with three-seeded Xavier (La.) on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Lafreniere Park in Metaire, Louisiana, in the quarterfinals of the RRAC tournament. The winner advances to the semifinals in Texarkana on Nov. 10 where they will face either top-seeded LSU Shreveport or the No. 2 seed LSU Alexandria.

"It was a good moment getting in the way we did," said head coach Vince Martinez. "I think it builds confidence in this team. I think they're excited and ready to go. That was our first team goal, to get into the conference tournament. Everyone is buzzing right now, so I'm happy with our state of mind."

Bonney's goal in the 65^th minute Saturday was just the second of the season for the defender from Cochrane, Dominica.

He is one of 11 Jaguars to find the back of the net this season and one of six with multiple goals. A&M-Victoria has also had 13 different players provide assists, showing the team is capable of producing goals anywhere on the field.

That balance is something that give confidence to the Jaguars looking to re-write the script from a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Xavier at home earlier this season where the Gold Nuggets scored from a free kick in the 85^th minute to steal the win.

"It was a complete game by us playing the full 90 minutes (against North American)," Martinez said. "I think it bodes well for us against Xavier, who we battled for about 85 minutes and they got one in on a set piece. I think it was a good confidence builder."

The Jaguars will look to Baillie O'Reilly and Jervan Matthew to continue to set the pace offensively. A&M-Victoria is 6-0-1 this season when scoring multiple goals and 9-0-1 when scoring first this season.

Matthew leads the team in goals with eight this season and O'Reilly leads the team in points with 20 after converting a penalty against NAU for his sixth goal of the season.

Matthew is due for a goal after last scoring against University of the Southwest on Oct. 11. In the last two games, the junior from Cochrane, Dominica, has had five shots.

"It's been an emotional roller coaster the past couple of weeks, but the team has battled back," Martinez said. "They seem to overcome it and find a way to dig deep to get results. So, it's been nice, especially toward the end of the season."