Box Score WICHITA, Kansas – St. Edward's forward KYLE RUCK scored the only goal of the tough defensive battle against Newman for the 1-0 victory. The Hilltoppers improved to 8-1-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play and have now won eight straight matches.
 
St. Edward's started the attack early and had two corner kick opportunities during the opening minutes of play. ANDERSON MCDANIEL took the second corner and ten seconds later ended up with the ball for the shot, but it sailed wide left and the game remained scoreless.
 
The Jets had two chances of their own during the 12^th minute to take the initial lead, but KEVIN LEIB denied shots by Zac Gramke and Luca Anelli. Leib made his first start at goalkeeper this season.
 
KYLE RUCK got the Hilltoppers on the board to take the early 1-0 lead during the 21^st minute of play. Ruck headed in his third goal of the season off an ANDERSON MCDANIEL free kick. McDaniel received credit for the assist.
 
Both squads were aggressive late in the first period; Luca Anelli recorded his second shot, but it sailed wide left. On the other side, St. Edward's had a corner kick opportunity but couldn't capitalize on the situation. Several minutes later Anelli tallied another shot, but this time is went wide right, keeping the game in favor of St. Edward's.
 
The Hilltoppers went on one final attack just minutes before the first horn sounded. MATT MCLAUGHLIN took a shot, but never had a chance as it went above the goal. Freshman CHAZ WASHINGTON had an opportunity, but goalkeeper Steven Hamersky made the save.
 
The aggressive style of play began to rise throughout the early stages of the second half. Six fouls were called between both teams during that span of play. After a shot by both squads during the 55^th minute, Luca Anelli received a red card and was ejected from the match. Newman played a man down for the rest of the contest.
 
St. Edward's was once again on the attack as KARL DEZOETEN registered a shot, but it was blocked resulting in a corner kick for St. Edward's. DeZoeten took the corner, but the Hilltoppers couldn't generate a scoring opportunity to increase their one goal lead.
 
The last chance that the Jets had of knotting the score was a shot by Zac Gramke during the 79^th minute, but it resulted in a block. The Hilltopper defense did an excellent job of not allowing any scoring opportunities by the opposition for the rest of the game. They secured the 1-0 lead and went on to victory.
 
St. Edward's outshot Newman 7-6, and had two more shots on goal than the Jets. The game was physical as 33 fouls were called, including a red card. The Hilltoppers committed 19 of the 33 fouls. KEVIN LEIB recorded his first victory of the season with a shutout. St. Edward's has shutout their opponent's in four of the 10 matchups this season.
 
"Newman has always been a tough place to play," said head coach Brian Young. "We went up early and kept the ball well to finish off the game for the win. The team and staff are excited to get back to Austin for our four game home stretch."
 
The Hilltoppers will be back in action on Saturday, as they return home for a non-conference matchup against Midwestern State. St. Edward's defeated the Mustangs 2-1 in an overtime thriller earlier this season. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Lewis-Chen Field on the campus of St. Edward's. Live stats will be available through the Hilltopper Athletic website.