PINEVILLE, La. – In a season that hadn't gone the way it had hoped, the Louisiana Christian University men's soccer team saved its best effort for its last, scoring twice in the second half and holding #7 LSU Shreveport, a team averaging nearly three goals a game, scoreless for more than 88 minutes, and then held off a furious rally in the final two minutes for a 2-1 win over the Pilots Saturday evening at Wildcat Field.
 
Neither side budged during the opening 45 minutes. While LSUS (12-1-5, 10-1 RRAC) took seven shots in the first half, LCU (6-8-1, 4-6-1 RRAC) few found their way towards Ricardo Gross in goal and none caused him much bother to keep out of the net. The Wildcats took two shots in the first 45, but neither was on target. The two teams went to the halftime break scoreless.
 
But early in the second half, the Wildcats broke through. Aran Hernandez Vivar was able to get the ball ahead to Ezra Williams, who went around the Pilot goalkeeper and rolled the ball into the empty net, giving LCU a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the final 45.
 
LCU stunningly doubled its lead in the 72^nd minute. In pursuit of his second goal of the match, Williams took aim again, but his shot smashed hard against the crossbar. The ricochet, however, found the feet of Thiago Lopes, who tapped it back in the net to put the Wildcats up 2-0 with just more than 18 minutes left to hold on for the improbable result.
 
The task became more challenging in the 75^th minute as the Wildcats went down to 10 men following a player picking up a second yellow card and being sent off. LCU's defense continued to hold, even down a man as the clock ticked under five minutes to go.
 
And then, with less than two minutes left and victory on the horizon, a second LCU player picked up a second yellow and was sent off, giving the Wildcats just nine players to defend the last frantic push by the Pilots.
 
LSUS scored off the free kick following the second red card, making it 2-1 and giving the Pilots hope of stealing a draw and keeping their undefeated status intact. With the two-man advantage, LSUS took sent the ball into the box and got a couple more looks at goal, but the defense blocked one attempt and Gross gobbled up another as the final countdown began and the Wildcats held on for the win.
 
Williams took two shots in the match with his only one on target resulting in his first goal of the season. He also was credited with an assist on the later goal.
 
Lopes also took two shots with one on frame, which was his third goal of 2025. Both LCU shots on frame in the match went into the back of the net.
 
Juan Sierra took the other two shots to account for all six Wildcat attempts at goal in the match.
 
Gross (4-5-1) faced a barrage of shots in the second half as LSUS put up 15 attempts at net. In total, seven Pilot shots ended up on frame during the match with Gross getting credit for stopping six of them, allowing just the one goal.
 
The Wildcats wrapped up their 2025 season with a 6-8-1 overall record and 4-6-1 in Red River Athletic Conference play, earning 13 points in conference.