AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's men's soccer found a breakthrough last week. With five matches remaining in the regular season, the Hilltoppers will look to turn that result into sustained momentum in a crowded Lone Star Conference postseason race.
St. Edward's hosts Oklahoma Christian on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. at Lewis-Chen Family Field before traveling to face UT Tyler on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. at Citizens 1st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.
The Hilltoppers enter the week 3-6-2 overall and 2-3 in conference play, tied with UT Dallas, Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M at six points. Texas A&M International sits just ahead with seven, while DBU and UT Tyler remain within reach with four. The top six teams advance to the LSC Tournament, giving each result added significance as the regular season approaches its final two weeks.
St. Edward's has won two of its past three matches, pairing a 5-0 victory over Sul Ross State with last Wednesday's 2-0 win over Texas A&M International. Between those victories, the Hilltoppers took an early lead at St. Mary's before falling 2-1.
Senior goalkeeper KALEO PEREZ-FRANCIS anchored the latest win with 10 saves, earning LSC Goalkeeper of the Week honors. He kept the match scoreless until St. Edward's broke through in the second half, then made seven saves after halftime to secure his third shutout of the season. His .842 save percentage leads the conference.
EASTON JONES provided the opening goal against the Dustdevils off an assist from JUAN SEGURA in the 63rd minute. BARTEK ZABEK doubled the advantage just over six minutes later, finishing a chance created by JAKE CICCARELLO shortly after Ciccarello entered the match. The Hilltoppers matched TAMIU with 18 shots and turned their opportunities into the separation needed to collect three conference points.
Those contributions reflect an attack that has drawn production from throughout the lineup. Zabek leads St. Edward's with three goals, while IZAIAH GARZA has a team-high seven points on two goals and three assists. Segura has supplied all three of his assists during conference play, and ISAAC GUAJARDO has added two goals and an assist since entering the rotation for the LSC schedule.
The Hilltoppers have increased their shot production from 13 attempts per match during nonconference play to 15.6 against LSC opponents, while reducing opponents' attempts from 16 to 14. Maintaining that balance—and making the most of chances against organized defenses—will be important this week.
Oklahoma Christian arrives with one of the conference's strongest defensive units. The Eagles are 7-3-3 overall and 3-0-3 in LSC play, holding third place with 12 points. They remain unbeaten through six conference matches and have won their past two, shutting out Sul Ross State 1-0 and Lubbock Christian 2-0.
Senior defender Tyler Ackah-Wheatcroft has earned consecutive LSC Defensive Player of the Week awards, helping Oklahoma Christian establish a program record with six shutouts. He also scored the winning goal against Lubbock Christian.
Goalkeeper Dante Caffaro has a 0.83 goals-against average and six shutouts. Going forward, Kenzo Shabazz-Edwards leads the Eagles with five goals, while Igor Caballero has a conference-high seven assists. Oklahoma Christian's ability to limit scoring makes Wednesday an opportunity for St. Edward's to demonstrate that its recent attacking progress can carry over against a team near the top of the standings.
Saturday's match presents a different challenge against a UT Tyler team trying to build on its first conference victory. The Patriots enter the week 3-5-4 overall and 1-4-1 in LSC play after defeating Sul Ross State 7-0, ending a four-match losing streak. They travel to Texas A&M International on Wednesday before hosting the Hilltoppers for Senior Day.
UT Tyler scored four times before halftime against Sul Ross and finished with a 24-5 advantage in shots. Jamie Joyce contributed two goals and an assist, while Noe Coutiño added a goal and an assist. Coutiño leads the Patriots with four goals and nine points, followed by Joyce with three goals and seven points.
Before that offensive breakthrough, the Patriots had scored once in their first five conference matches. Their two most recent losses, however, were narrow 1-0 results against Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's, underscoring the importance of converting chances in a matchup between teams seeking points in the postseason race.
For St. Edward's, Wednesday offers a chance to take points from an unbeaten conference opponent. Saturday provides an opportunity to create separation from a team pursuing the same tournament field. Building on last week's finishing and goalkeeping would give the Hilltoppers valuable momentum heading into their final three regular-season matches.
