AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's men's soccer has spent September measuring itself against teams with national ambitions. The Hilltoppers now have to turn those tests into Lone Star Conference points, beginning with the defending national champion.
St. Edward's (1-3-2) hosts No. 6 Midwestern State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Lewis-Chen Family Field, then visits Lubbock Christian on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Hilltoppers have beaten the Mustangs in each of the past two seasons, including a winner with six seconds remaining in Wichita Falls last year. Saturday's trip is a rematch of last season's LSC tournament opener.
The opening six matches have given St. Edward's reasons to believe it can compete with that opposition, even if the results have not always followed. The Hilltoppers shut out then-No. 20 Cal State Dominguez Hills on the road and drew with Cal Poly Pomona. On Friday, they matched Seattle Pacific's 20 shots and created chances after being reduced to 10 men, but lost 3-1. SHUNJI WATANABE had brought St. Edward's level early in the second half before the Falcons answered six minutes later.
That match sharpened the question heading into conference play: Can the Hilltoppers turn sustained pressure into enough goals to change a result? They have taken 78 shots through six matches but put 28 on frame, scoring seven times. MISAEL RANGEL and BARTEK ZABEK lead the team with two goals each, while IZAIAH GARZA has three assists. Garza's service and the movement of Rangel and Zabek give St. Edward's multiple ways into the penalty area; Wednesday will demand a decisive final pass or finish when those openings appear.
Midwestern State (6-0-2) presents a test at both ends. The Mustangs average 17.1 shots and three goals per match, yet have conceded only seven times in eight games. Jose Ortiz leads them with seven goals despite starting twice, and Parker Plaxco has five, including four in his past three matches. Their production extends beyond the two forwards: Ethan Krchnak has four assists, while Cooper Tea, Alan Rivera and Oscar Nunez have three apiece. That spread makes Midwestern State difficult to contain simply by marking its leading scorers.
The Mustangs have also shown they can win without dominating the scoreline. They followed high-scoring wins over Cal State East Bay and Colorado Mesa with a 1-0 shutout of Western Oregon and a 2-1 victory over Cal Poly Pomona. They arrive on a 19-match unbeaten streak dating to last season. For St. Edward's, limiting second chances will matter: Midwestern State has earned 57 corners, and an opponent that generates that much pressure does not need many clean looks to take control.
The Hilltoppers' best stretches against ranked teams have come when they can build through midfield and find Garza in space, giving their forwards a chance to attack a moving defense. Wednesday's challenge is to keep that composure when Midwestern State presses forward, then make its own possession count. St. Edward's has already shown it can score in transition against a ranked opponent in its 3-0 win at Cal State Dominguez Hills; against the Mustangs, protecting the ball through the middle and recognizing when to play quickly into wide areas could be just as valuable as long spells of possession.
Lubbock Christian (3-3-1) offers a different scouting problem Saturday. The Chaparrals have allowed eight goals in seven matches and are coming off a 4-0 shutout of Sul Ross State in which they held an 18-8 shot advantage. Aron DePaula scored twice, while Alex Lachevre and Augusto Militao each have two goals and two assists this season. Lubbock Christian has had eight different scorers, so the Hilltoppers will have to track runners beyond whichever Chaparral leads the attack.
The Chaps average 13.4 shots per match but have had uneven results against stronger opposition, including losses to MSU Denver and UCCS and a draw with Fort Hays State. They open LSC play Wednesday at St. Mary's before returning to Lubbock. That leaves both teams with a short turnaround before Saturday, when St. Edward's will need to reproduce its attacking energy away from Lewis-Chen Family Field.
Conference play offers the Hilltoppers a fresh measure. The nonconference schedule showed they can create chances against nationally ranked teams. This week asks them to defend those moments with greater consistency and finish enough of their own to take points from two familiar LSC opponents.
