AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's turned two defensive recoveries into goals Saturday afternoon, and Nuno Gourgel had his first victory as the Hilltoppers' head coach. DAYLAN NATES scored late in the first half, MADISON CRESWELL added a second goal late in the match, and St. Edward's defeated West Texas A&M 2-0 at Lewis-Chen Family Field.
The win gave the Hilltoppers their first Lone Star Conference victory of the season after a demanding opening stretch. DARIA SCHLUMBOHM made four saves for the shutout, all in the first half, while St. Edward's held the Lady Buffs without a shot on goal after halftime.
ISABELLA RUIZ set an energetic tone in her start, working alongside ANNIE ROCHA to press the attack. Rocha put a shot on goal in the eighth minute and finished with a team-high four attempts. West Texas A&M answered with a stretch of pressure that required three Schlumbohm saves between the 16th and 22nd minutes.
Gourgel's substitutes changed the match before halftime. In the 41st minute, Carmen Massey controlled a Lady Buffs throw-in in their attacking third and flicked the ball to TESS DABNEY. Dabney drove it into the space behind West Texas A&M's back line, where TRULY CUEVAS split two defenders and chased it down near the right edge of the box. Cuevas turned inside and laid the ball back for Nates, who struck a first-time shot high into the right corner for her first goal of the season.
St. Edward's kept looking for a second goal after the break. Ruiz forced a save in the 49th minute and sent another attempt wide in the 57th. JORJA BRAGG brought another burst of energy when she entered in the 69th minute, putting a shot on goal almost immediately and finding openings with her passing.
That work paid off in the 80th minute. RILEY SISSON headed a clearance toward the right side, where Bragg outran two defenders and turned the corner. She slipped a pass into Creswell's path, and Creswell settled it with one touch before firing past the advancing goalkeeper for her second goal of the season.
The Hilltoppers outshot West Texas A&M 13-8, including a 7-3 advantage in the second half. St. Edward's improved to 1-5-1 overall and 1-2-0 in LSC play.
