Waxahachie, TX – The Nelson University Lions battled to a 2-2 draw against Texas A&M University-Victoria Tuesday evening at the Lion's Athletic Complex in their home opener.
After a scoreless opening half, the Lions broke through early in the second half as Maquan Aldridge found the back of the net in the 49th minute to give Nelson a 1-0 advantage. Aldridge continued to make an impact offensively throughout the match, finishing with seven shots, including three on goal.
Nelson continued to apply pressure as the second half progressed, eventually doubling its lead in the 79th minute. Aldridge struck again, this time off an assist from Caleb Cuellar, to give the Lions a 2-0 advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining.
The Lions found themselves in a great position to secure their second victory of the season, but could not hold off the offense of A&M Victoria.
Victoria managed to cut the deficit in half in the 86th minute and went on to convert a penalty kick just 14 seconds later to bring the match level at 2-2.
Neither team was able to find the decisive goal in the closing minutes, sending the match into a draw.
Despite the draw, the Lions showed many bright spots in their first home contest of the year. Nelson controlled much of the offensive action throughout the contest, finishing with a 13-8 advantage in shots and putting six attempts on target. Michael Smith made four saves in goal for the Lions, while the Nelson defense held A&M-Victoria to just one shot in the opening half.
Aldridge led the Lions with two goals, while Cuellar added an assist. Nelson also received strong contributions defensively from Fitzroy McLeod III, Tyler Peloquin and Thyeim Shaw, who each played all 90 minutes.
With the draw, Nelson moves to 1-0-1 on the season.
Up Next
The Lions will return to action on Saturday, September 5 at the Lion's Athletic Complex, where they will take on Jarvis Christian at 5:00 PM.
Nelson University (formerly SAGU) is a private Christian university, established in 1927 by P.C. Nelson. The University is located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas, and offers more than 70 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees on campus or online. For more information, visit www.nelson.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-NELSON.
