CANYON, Texas – Clicking on all cylinders, the St. Edward's men's soccer team handed West Texas A&M its worst home loss in school history Saturday night, scoring four unanswered goals, and cruising to its third win of the season.
 
St. Edward's (3-2) has struggled to capitalize on its scoring opportunities so far this season. Determined to silence its critics, the Hilltoppers put on its finest offensive performance of the young season, scoring four goals on just six shots on goal.
 
Early in the first half, Josh Taylor found the head of teammate Kyle Pujtas on a cornerkick set piece, to give St. Edward's an early 1-0 lead in the 17^th minute of play.
 
Minutes later the Hilltoppers would strike again. Kyle Ruck swiftly maneuvered around the Buffalo defense, finding Samuel Jackson for his first goal of the season, putting St. Edward's ahead, 2-0 in the 23^rd minute of the contest.
 
Unsung hero and Hilltopper goalkeeper, Kevin Leib, would provide five of his seven saves in the first half, giving St. Edward's a 2-0 halftime lead.
 
"I was really happy for Kevin (Leib) and the back line," said head coach Brian Young. "They deserved these last two shutouts against high-caliber opponents on the road."
 
St. Edward's would carry its brilliant play into the second half, determined to win on West Texas A&M's home turf. West Texas A&M (4-2), had beaten the Hilltoppers six-straight times at The Pitch, dating back to 1999.
 
In the 63^rd minute of play, Taylor split the Buffalo defense and ripped a shot far post, only to ricochet off and onto the feet of teammate Ruck, who chipped the ball into the back of the net, giving the Hilltoppers a promising 3-0 lead.
 
Frustration would build for the Buffalos and physicality began to intensify. St. Edward's would be punished with five fouls in the next six minutes, resulting in two yellow cards as well as a straight red against Ty Mobley. For the remainder of the match, the Hilltoppers would play a man down.
 
Despite the disadvantage, St. Edward's would continue to attack. In the 71^st minute of play, Andrew Fox found Jackson for his second goal of the match, providing the Hilltoppers its fourth and final goal of the contest.

"Since we only play each other once during the regular season, this was a massive game for both teams," said Young. "History proves that playing at The Pitch has been a difficult task; however, our boys are focused on each game individually and it really doesn't matter where we play."
 
St. Edward's will look to keep its two-game winning streak alive Monday, in an important regional matchup against Eastern New Mexico at 1 p.m. in Portales, N.M. Live stats will be available on Eastern New Mexico's Athletic Website.