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Hilltop Views
The Student News Site of St. Edward's University

Hilltop Views
The Student News Site of St. Edward's University

Hilltop Views

Arthur Souza’s late goal lifts Hilltoppers 1-0 over the Oklahoma Christian University Eagles

Jack Connolly, Staff Writer • October 31, 2024
Dani Brannon / Hilltop Views
Freshman forward Christian Mezas runs up the field towards the box in an attacking effort against an Oklahoma Christian defender. Mezas was one of the players responsible for assisting Arthur Souza, who scored the goal for the Hilltoppers at the 82nd minute.

The St. Edward’s (SEU) men’s soccer team and the Oklahoma Christian University (OCU) Eagles both came into the Oct. 23  game trending in opposite directions. OCU was on a three game losing streak and SEU was 3-1-2 in their last six matches. The Eagles came in with a game plan to play conservatively, and it nearly paid off since both teams were scoreless until an 82nd minute goal from SEU’s scoring leader, Arthur Souza. 

After surviving two great shots from Hilltoppers Todd Fuller and Izaiah Garza in the opening three minutes, the Eagles defensive strategy was to play back and load up their side of the field with defenders. The Hilltoppers were up by 10 in shots on goal, but OCU made it challenging to get clean looks. 

SEU had to withstand adversity when goalkeeper Angel Ramirez was shaken up on a collision inside the box in the 20th minute. Kaleo Perez-Francis subbed into the game for Ramirez and kept the match scoreless until the break. Ramirez eventually re-entered the match for the second half.

“We have a lot of depth on our team,” St. Edward’s head coach Brian Young said. “It’s great to have guys that want to play and can execute. I was proud of everyone, including the guys that didn’t play. We could feel their spirit.”

The second half began with the HilItopers controlling the possession battle, getting a couple of shots off, but still nothing easy given up by the Eagles defense. 

The Hilltoppers finally broke through after stringing four crisp passes together, including an assist from Jommar Reyes, leading Souza into the top of the box to break the scoreless tie in the 82nd minute.

“It was a great play. I want to rewatch it because so many passes were completed,” Souza said. “I was just happy to be there to finish the play.”

The Hilltoppers held on to defeat the Eagles 1-0, and went on the road against University of Texas at Tyler, tying 1-1, and defeated Sul Ross State University 1-0. They moved to a 6-4-4 overall season record. They return to home field on Saturday, Nov. 2, for their Homecoming game against Dallas Baptist University. 

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About the Contributor
Jack Connolly
Jack Connolly, Staff Writer
Jack is a junior from Omaha, Nebraska and this is his second year writing with "Hilltop Views" as a Staff Writer. He loves sports but will also write about music, social issues and politics.