The Student News Site of St. Edward's University

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

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

Hilltop Views

St. Edward’s secures 2-1 LSC Tournament quarterfinal victory over UT Tyler with late penalty goal

Magnolia Westfall, Reporter • November 13, 2024
Daniel Mendoza / Hilltop Views
The calm before the kick – Christian Mezas focused and preparing to strike in University of Texas at Tyler game. “I believe in them,” head coach Brian Young said. “I’m proud of the guys, we went down a goal and came back from it. We’re still a young team of mostly freshmen and sophomores, once we got that goal the spirit was definitely lifted.”

The St. Edward’s men’s soccer team took home field on a breezy fall day for a thrilling matchup against the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots for the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Tournament quarterfinal. In front of a crowd filled with supporters from both sides, St. Edward’s secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

The crowd relishes in celebration as the St. Edward’s men’s soccer team claims a well-earned triumph, marking a memorable victory on and off the field. (Daniel Mendoza / Hilltop Views)

In the first half, UT Tyler came out strong trading early blows and scoring a goal at the 25 minute mark. This gave the Patriots a brief advantage, and kept St. Edward’s goalkeeper Angel Ramirez on his toes, making three critical saves. Hilltopper Masood Porsa was soon substituted in and able to score a goal off an assist from Jommar Reyes. Porsa brought the game to 1-1, cranking up the heat just before halftime.

“This game was special,” said Porsa, senior kinesiology major. “Coming back from being down 1-0 in the quarter final, and my second year back in the program. We tied UT Tyler a few weeks ago in the last twenty seconds of the game, so this win felt really good.”

The boys hit the ground running in the second half with UT Tyler applying early pressure, but St. Edward’s held down their defense. The game’s turning point came when freshman Pablo Zavala was awarded a penalty due to a Patriots foul, giving him an unopposed shot on the goal. Zavala stepped up and confidently slammed the ball into the net, giving St. Edward’s the 2-1 lead, locking in their win.

The men’s soccer team celebrates Zavala’s late penalty goal. In comparison to last year’s season — men’s soccer first season back from the pandemic and when the team was last in LSC Conference standings — this has been a memorable run for the young group. (Daniel Mendoza / Hilltop Views)

“I was pretty nervous stepping up to take the penalty, but it was very relieving,” said Zavala, a business major. “My first collegiate goal as a freshman, it was a special feeling, very memorable for sure.”

Despite UT Tyler’s determination and attempts to equalize the game, they couldn’t find the back of the net a second time, leaving St. Edward’s with the win. Both teams showed remarkable effort, but Zavala’s penalty shot ultimately tipped the scales, sealing a memorable success for St. Edward’s.

The win sends the team to the LSC Tournament semifinals — which will be held on the St. Mary’s University campus, since they are first in the LSC standings. The Hilltoppers will face the Midwestern State University Mustangs on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m., a rematch from the regular season game in which the Hilltoppers took home a 5-0 win.

 

 

 

 

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