RICHARDSON, Texas — St. Edward's men's soccer's late-season push ended Saturday with a 5-0 loss to UT Dallas in the Lone Star Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the UTD Soccer Complex.
The Hilltoppers finish 5-8-4 after winning their final two regular-season matches to secure a postseason berth.
St. Edward's created opportunities early, with ALEX LOYA testing goalkeeper Ryder Claborn in the fifth minute and SHUNJI WATANABE, JAKE CICCARELLO, and BARTEK ZABEK adding attempts before UT Dallas broke through.
Callum Thompson headed in Jordan Jones' corner-kick delivery in the 25th minute, and Gavin Vo doubled the lead in the 36th off Avery Brazzell's cross.
KALEO PEREZ-FRANCIS made three first-half saves, supplemented by a team save, while IZAIAH GARZA forced Claborn into another stop before halftime. The Hilltoppers trailed 2-0 despite holding a slight possession advantage and remaining within one shot of the Comets, 8-7.
UT Dallas pulled away after the break. Perez-Francis added three saves before Brazzell scored twice in 78 seconds, extending the lead to 4-0 in the 64th minute. Parker Bowman completed the scoring in the 81st off an assist from Aaron Pondeca.
Loya and Zabek led St. Edward's with two shots apiece. Perez-Francis finished with six saves before Edward Alonzi played the final 23:27. UT Dallas held an 18-11 advantage in shots and a 12-2 edge in attempts on goal.
The loss closes a season highlighted by a Senior Day comeback against DBU and a postseason-clinching victory at West Texas A&M. UT Dallas improves to 11-2-6 and advances to the LSC semifinals.
