AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's women's soccer enters the conference stretch run with more than consecutive victories to build on. An improving defense and emerging attacking contributors have given the Hilltoppers an opportunity to gain ground in the Lone Star Conference tournament race.
St. Edward's travels to UT Dallas on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. match before returning to Lewis-Chen Family Field to host Texas A&M International on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Hilltoppers enter the week 3-7-3 overall and 3-4-2 in conference play, sitting 10th with 11 points and five regular-season matches remaining. The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament, with UT Dallas and West Texas A&M occupying the final two qualifying positions at 14 points apiece. St. Mary's sits ninth with 13 points.
Wednesday offers an opportunity to close the gap directly. A victory would bring St. Edward's level with UT Dallas on points and secure a head-to-head result against a postseason competitor. Saturday presents another important opportunity to collect points before the Hilltoppers close the regular season against DBU, Lubbock Christian, and Sul Ross State.
The urgency extends beyond the current standings. West Texas A&M has won four consecutive matches, including victories over Midwestern State and UT Tyler, raising the pace of the race around the tournament cutoff.
St. Edward's answered with a six-point week of its own, defeating Eastern New Mexico 3-0 and UT Permian Basin 1-0 for its first consecutive victories and shutouts of the season.
Those results continued a defensive improvement that began with the Sept. 19 breakthrough against West Texas A&M. After allowing 12 goals during an 0-5-1 start, the Hilltoppers have surrendered six across their last seven matches while going 3-2-2. Opponents averaged 17.5 shots during the opening six matches; that figure has dropped to 11.9 during the subsequent seven.
The Hilltoppers' shot production has remained nearly unchanged at approximately 12.6 attempts per match, but more of those opportunities are reaching the goal. St. Edward's placed 30.3 percent of its attempts on frame during the opening six matches, compared with 40.9 percent over its last seven.
DARIA SCHLUMBOHM anchored last week's sweep with 10 saves, earning LSC Goalkeeper of the Week honors while becoming the program's career saves leader. Her fourth stop against Eastern New Mexico established the record at 264, and six more against UTPB brought her career total to 270. St. Edward's enters Wednesday having held opponents scoreless for 180 consecutive minutes.
The attacking rotation has also evolved. JORJA BRAGGs' minutes increased across three consecutive appearances before she scored against Eastern New Mexico, then earned her first start and delivered the decisive goal at UTPB. Bragg struck the crossbar early Saturday before finishing off a RILEY SISSON assist in the 62nd minute, giving her goals in consecutive matches.
SIERRA PADILLA's expanded role began before last week's victories. She logged 75 minutes against UT Tyler and 45 against Midwestern State before playing 81 minutes and scoring her first goal in her first start against Eastern New Mexico.
ISABELLA RUIZ has become another regular contributor, starting six consecutive matches beginning against West Texas A&M. Her involvement in the Angelo State own goal, scoring combination with Maddie Creswell at St. Mary's and assist against Eastern illustrate the value of connected attacking play. Creswell leads St. Edward's with three goals.
The Hilltoppers also sustained pressure after taking the lead at UTPB, finishing with an 18-12 shot advantage and eight corners to the Falcons' one. Continuing to create opportunities while protecting a lead will be important against a UT Dallas team that has consistently limited opponents' chances.
The Comets enter 8-3-2 overall and 4-3-2 in conference play, with goalkeeper Melyna Martinez recording nine shutouts and a 0.85 goals-against average. UT Dallas has outshot opponents 210-99 and holds a 77-26 advantage in corner kicks.
Its recent scoring production, however, has slowed. Following a 1-0 victory over TAMIU, UT Dallas lost 5-0 at DBU and drew Lubbock Christian 0-0. Across those three matches, the Comets generated 27 shots but put only five on goal. Against LCU, they held a 14-5 shot advantage but placed just one attempt on frame.
Gabby Thompson leads UT Dallas with six goals, while Jules Chavez has five goals and three assists. Thompson and Ella Spiller share the team lead with 35 shots apiece.
TAMIU enters the week 2-10 overall and 2-7 in conference play, having lost four consecutive matches. The Dustdevils have scored once during that stretch, but narrow losses at UT Dallas and Lubbock Christian demonstrate their ability to remain competitive against teams currently in tournament position. TAMIU hosts Oklahoma Christian on Wednesday before traveling to Austin.
Finishing has been the Dustdevils' primary challenge. TAMIU has scored six goals on 111 shots, converting 5.4 percent of its attempts, and has been shut out seven times. Both victories came with clean sheets: 1-0 at Angelo State and 2-0 against UTPB. Milly Garcia leads the team with two goals and 20 shots.
Despite its record, TAMIU has allowed no more than three goals in any match and holds a relatively narrow 46-42 deficit in corner kicks. St. Edward's will need patience in creating opportunities while maintaining the defensive balance that has helped it return to postseason contention.
With five matches remaining, the Hilltoppers have an opportunity to turn their recent improvement into a stronger postseason position. This week will test whether their defensive progress and expanding attacking contributions can produce another important set of results.
