The rematch of the season finished with a season-ending loss for the St. Edward’s University women’s soccer team.

In the Sweet 16 round of the Division II NCAA Tournament, No. 5 St. Edward’s lost 1-0 to conference rival No. 2 Dallas Baptist University in Bellingham, Washington.

Earlier in the season, at the Heartland Conference championship on Nov. 8, and in two regular season games on Oct. 15 and Sept. 24, Dallas Baptist was the winner. This time, in the third round of the playoffs on Nov. 19, history would repeat itself.

The Patriots wasted no time getting on the board, scoring a goal three minutes into the game. This solitary goal would be the difference in this well-fought Division II South Central Regional Championship.

Having to apply defensive pressure as best as possible, St. Edward’s blocked two shots in the first half, as junior goalkeeper Lorrie Santoy also managed two critical saves.

Offensively, St. Edward’s junior defender Jennifer Boudreau would lead the charge, but have a shot blocked and saved by Dallas Baptist senior goalkeeper Jenna Ackerly. Two Hilltopper corner kicks did not result in a score either.

At the end of the first half, Dallas Baptist would lead 1-0, taking seven shots and three shots-on-goal. St. Edward’s would have two shots and only one shot-on-goal.

In the second half, the Hilltoppers were determined to score.

Sophomore forward Kelly Andrus had a shot saved, sophomore defender Viktoria Malmros’ shot was wide and senior defender Katie Donahue’s corner kick in the 57th minute was unsuccessful. Sophomore forward Gracen Jacks would then have a shot blocked. Sophomore forward Elin Rosenberg-Cemazar’s back-to-back shots both resulted in saves for Ackerly.

For most of the second half, the Hilltoppers did a good job keeping the ball in scoring position. Dallas Baptist has their fair share of defensive highlights as well, such as blocking a corner kick from St. Edward’s freshman midfielder Sabrina Cone in the 82nd minute.

In the last eight minutes of the game, Dallas Baptist attempted to secure the win with another goal, but goalkeeper Santoy and St. Edward’s defense would prevent that from happening.

The greatest scoring opportunity for St. Edward’s came with less than five minutes left in regulation, after a foul on Dallas Baptist against Boudreau resulted in a penalty kick for St. Edward’s.

The Heartland Conference Player of the Year and team captain Donahue stepped up to take the penalty kick, which ultimately resulted in a save for Ackerly.

In the 89th minute, a fifth and final corner kick was the last chance for a Hilltopper score. As the final seconds of the game counted down, the Patriot crowd knew they had won.

In the past five seasons, both of these teams have been on the winning side. Last year, it was St. Edward’s, this year it was Dallas Baptist. For St. Edward’s Head Coach Nick Cowell, this is his fifth Sweet 16 appearance in the past 10 seasons.

After winning two shutout victories against nationally-ranked teams in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the St. Edward’s women’s soccer team finished their season as the second best team in the Heartland Conference. They finish the season with a record of 14-6-1.

Hilltop Views has reached out Cowell for comment.