AUSTIN, Texas — ISAAC GUAJARDO gave St. Edward's men's soccer a lead less than two minutes into Wednesday's match, but the Hilltoppers settled for a 1-1 draw against Oklahoma Christian after a strong second half came up short of a winning goal at Lewis-Chen Family Field.
St. Edward's weathered a first half in which the Eagles generated nine shots, then flipped the match after halftime, outshooting Oklahoma Christian 6-2 and earning four corner kicks. BARTEK ZABEK supplied the final threat with a shot on goal in the 89th minute, but Eagles goalkeeper Dante Caffaro made the save to preserve the draw.
Guajardo scored his third goal of the season at the 1:53 mark, following a Zabek shot that Caffaro saved. The early breakthrough came after KALEO PEREZ-FRANCIS denied Igor Caballero just 15 seconds into the match, setting the tone for an active opening half for the Hilltopper goalkeeper.
Oklahoma Christian responded with sustained pressure, forcing Perez-Francis into another save against Kenzo Shabazz-Edwards in the 10th minute and generating two corner kicks before the 18-minute mark.
Perez-Francis stopped Frederico Palacios in the 23rd minute, but the Eagles forward broke through a few minutes later, scoring off an assist from Caballero at 25:25 to even the match.
The Hilltoppers continued to lean on Perez-Francis, who denied Alejandro Gomez in the 32nd minute for his fourth save of the half. Oklahoma Christian finished the opening period with a 9-3 advantage in shots and all three of the half's corner kicks, while Zabek sent an attempt wide in the closing minutes before halftime.
St. Edward's tightened its defense and generated more opportunities after the break. The Hilltoppers held Oklahoma Christian without a shot for nearly 29 minutes to open the second half, giving themselves time to work toward a second goal.
Zabek had an attempt blocked in the 57th minute, leading to St. Edward's first corner kick, then sent shots wide in the 63rd and 69th minutes. EBUKA BRIGHT-OSIGWE added an attempt over the crossbar shortly after entering the match.
Perez-Francis answered Oklahoma Christian's first shot of the half with a save against Mason Tracey in the 74th minute. The Eagles managed only one more attempt the rest of the way.
St. Edward's continued to push over the closing stretch. FILIP ADAMSKI sent a shot wide in the 81st minute, and the Hilltoppers earned three corner kicks over the final nine minutes. Zabek forced Caffaro into his second save of the night with 1:01 remaining, setting up one final corner that St. Edward's could not convert.
Zabek finished with six of the Hilltoppers' nine shots, putting two on goal. Perez-Francis made five saves, while PAOLO VELA, EASTON JONES, and JACKSON STUBBS each played the full 90 minutes.
St. Edward's held 57 percent of the possession and finished even with Oklahoma Christian at four corner kicks apiece. The Eagles held an 11-9 advantage in shots and a 6-3 edge in attempts on goal.
The Hilltoppers move to 3-6-3 overall and 2-3-1 in Lone Star Conference play. Oklahoma Christian remains unbeaten in conference at 3-0-4, with a 6-4-4 overall record.
