AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's Women's Soccer team came into Wednesday afternoon's matchup with a brand new No. 6 national ranking. A quick start by 12^th-ranked Western Washington gave the visitors a 2-1 victory over the Hilltoppers at Lewis-Chen Family Field.
 
In a rematch of the NCAA Elite Eight in 2013, Western Washington (4-1) raced out early with a goal by Emily Webster in the ninth minute. St. Edward's (3-1) tried to clear the ball out of its own goal box, but Webster corralled it and sent a low shot past Hilltopper goalkeeper LORRIE SANTOY.
 
St. Edward's almost tied the game up in the 16^th minute when VALENCIA MOBLEY's shot hit the post. The Hilltoppers had two more shots midway through the first half, but Catherine Miles gave the Vikings a 2-0 lead with her goal in the 33^rd minute. A through-ball played by Savanna Moorehouse put Miles one-on-one with Santoy. Miles got her shot just past a diving Santoy for her third goal of the season.
 
That is how the first half would end. Both teams would register four shots each.
 
In the second half, it didn't take long for St. Edward's to get back in the game. SABRINA CONE, fresh off her two-goal performance against CSU-Pueblo on Sunday, notched her third collegiate goal as she picked up a loose ball and found the back of the net to make the score 2-1.
 
The Hilltoppers kept the ball in the Viking half of the field for most of the second half, and outshot Western Washington, 4-2, but they could not gain the equalizer.
 
"We got down early and Western Washington had us on our heels," head coach Nick Cowell said. "They are a very good team. In the second half, it was as if we scored way too early. It made our team sit back and think that we had plenty of time to tie the game up with another goal."
 
When asked if they would do anything different before the next match because of a loss, Cowell stated, "We are a pretty even-keel bunch. We don't overreact to a loss or a big win."
 
The Hilltoppers will be back in action Sunday when they host #5 Bridgeport (Conn.). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Lewis-Chen Family Field. Live coverage can be found on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.