This past week has been a victorious one for the Hilltoppers as the women’s soccer team advanced their Heartland Conference record to an impressive 8-0.

On Nov. 1, St. Edward’s University hosted the St. Mary’s University Rattlers (8-8) in an exciting Battle of the Saints game.

Prior to the kickoff, the senior soccer players: Ally Lindquist, Riana Soobadoo, Mikayla Engel, Katie Donahue, Jessica Traves, Cailyn Trapani, Zoe Ansell and Megan Anderson, were honored for their athletic and academic achievements.

Eleven minutes into the first half, senior defender Katie Donahue scored after a corner kick, giving the Hilltoppers an early 1-0 lead.

Both the Hilltoppers and the Rattlers had many chances to score in the first and second half, yet neither team was able to make another goal.

The final score of the game stayed at 1-0, in favor of St. Edward’s, pushing the Hilltoppers’ record to 11-4 and a perfect 7-0 in conference play.

On Nov. 3, the team hosted their biggest game of the season yet, in a matchup against the Texas A&M International University Dustdevils.

Both the Hilltoppers and the Dustdevils were playing tight defense leading to a scoreless half.

In the 67th minute senior forward Riana Soobadoo scored to put the Hilltoppers 1-0 ahead.

The Hilltoppers and Dustdevils both had multiple conner kick and free kick opportunities, yet neither team was able to score.

In the 85th minute, a penalty was made by freshman forward Elin Rosenberg Cemazar. The shot was Cemazar’s first career goal as a Hilltopper.

“It felt good to finally get my first goal, even if it’s a penalty,” Cemazar said.

With two minutes left in the game, St. Edward’s sophomore goalie, Lorrie Santoy, made an impressive save which helped secure a Hilltopper shutout against the Dustdevils.

The final score of the game was 2-0, giving the Hilltopper’s a perfect Heartland Conference record to 8-0.

With this crucial win, the undefeated Hilltoppers are now the 2014 Heartland Conference Regular Season Champions.

Head Coach Nick Cowell was thrilled with his team’s success.

“I was proud of the fact that we were able to win today without our starters. We won the right to host playoffs on (Nov. 1), so we felt it was in our capability today to play whoever we wanted to play and still try to win the game,” Cowell said.

Fans were also excited to see their team win.

“I am very proud of the women’s soccer team. They work so well together and I wish all of them best of luck in their upcoming games,” freshman Dayanira Velasco said.

On Nov. 6, the Hilltoppers will again host St. Mary’s at noon in the semi-final match of the Heartland Conference Tournament. The championship game is scheduled to be played on Nov. 8.