THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – West Texas A&M's Julio Vargas' golden goal broke a scoreless tie in the 96th minute to snap No. 3-ranked Midwestern State unbeaten run at 35 matches.
 
The streak, which dates back to the start of the 2017 season, ends as the fourth longest in NCAA Division II history matching Southern Connecticut State's streak from Oct. 10, 1995 to Nov. 23, 1996. MSU Texas' last loss came in the 2016 NCAA Division II national quarterfinals at UC-San Diego.
 
The Mustangs posted the first unbeaten season in school history in 2017 going 20-0-3, but the season ended 6-5 in penalty kicks to Cal Poly Pomona in the national quarterfinal round. MSU extended the run starting this season with 11 wins and a draw before falling Saturday afternoon.

Midwestern mustered just two shots on goal in 96 minutes against the Buffs despite taking 13 corner kicks including nine in the second half.
 
Defensively, the Maroon and Gold held the high-powered Buffs in check, a team that came in averaging nearly four goals per game this season and ranking top 10 in the nation offensively.
 
Sophomore keeper Taylor Lampe made three saves and was aided by his back line of Kristian Martinez, Dylan Burke, Rory O'Keeffe and Koby Sapon-Amoah who all never stepped off the field in the match's 96 minutes.
 
The lone score of the match came with 4:10 remaining in overtime. A foul allowed the Buffs a free kick from the center of the pitch. WT's Lucca Lima headed the ball to the right side before Vargas finished with his foot to give the Buffs the win.

It was West Texas A&M's first win against the Mustangs since 2012 ending a string of nine consecutive losses in the series. It was the Buffs' first win in Wichita Falls since claiming the 2007 regular season finale.
 
MATCH NOTES
- Midwestern State's unbeaten streak of 35 consecutive matches comes to an end after a 1-0 loss to West Texas A&M
- The streak will go down as the fourth-longest in NCAA DII history, matching Southern Connecticut State's streak from Oct. 10, 1995 through Nov. 23,1996
- Saturday marked the first time the Mustangs have been shutout since a 2-0 loss to St. Edward's in the Heartland Conference title game on Nov. 6, 2016
 
UP NEXT
The Mustangs are back in action on Thursday, Oct. 18, against Newman on the road.