WICHITA FALLS, Texas –
CHRISTIAN MEZAS authored and punctuated an epic St. Edward's men's soccer comeback Wednesday night, stunning No. 18 Midwestern State with a game-winning goal in the final six seconds for a 2-1 victory to open Lone Star Conference play.
Midwestern State entered conference play riding a four-game unbeaten streak into the latest United Soccer Coaches national rankings. The Mustangs quickly showed their quality, scoring exactly 10 minutes into the game when Cooper Tea headed home a deflected cross into the back of the net.
St. Edward's settled into the game late in the first half, generating back-to-back shots from
BARTEK ZABEK and
ARTHUR SOUZA just before the end of the first half. That momentum carried into the second half as the Hilltoppers came out firing with early chances from Souza, Zabek, and
MATTHEW DEVANEY, then drew a pair of yellow cards on Midwestern State defenders Cristopher Guevara and Davis Mays.
The breakthrough came in the 53rd minute.
IZAIAH GARZA's shot from outside the box was deflected into a crowd, where Mezas dug the ball out and calmly laid it back to Devaney, who slotted home the equalizer into an open net.
From there, St. Edward's took control. The Hilltoppers outshot Midwestern State 15-5 in the second half and repeatedly tested the Mustangs' defense. Midwestern State managed three shots on target after the break, but goalkeeper Kaleo Francis was up to the task, making four saves — including a crucial stop in the final two minutes.
With the match appearing destined for a draw, the Hilltoppers delivered one final surge. In the closing moments,
SHUNJI WATANABE cleared a dangerous cross from the box. Zabek then stripped a Midwestern State player of possession, tightroped the sideline, and threaded a pass into space for Mezas.
From just past midfield, Mezas carried the ball down the wing and toward the top of the box. With seconds left on the clock, he unleashed a curling shot that soared high and right, glancing off the post and into the net to seal a dramatic 2-1 victory.
The win marked St. Edward's first road victory of the season and gave the Hilltoppers a strong start to conference play. They return home Saturday to host Lubbock Christian at 3 p.m. at Lewis-Chen Family Field.
