It was a banner week for St. Edward’s University’s women’s soccer. Following the announcement that eight Hilltoppers had been named to the All-Heartland Conference team, St. Edward’s then secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on a dramatic, last minute goal from senior forward Kelly Servage.

On Nov. 5, the Hilltoppers defeated rival Dallas Baptist 2-1 in the Heartland Conference Tournament championship game. Servage scored the game-winning goal off an assist from sophomore forward Rachel Murray with just 39 seconds remaining in the contest.

Servage was named the tournament MVP after scoring four goals in the two Heartland Conference tournament matches. On Nov. 3, the Hilltoppers scored a 5-0 win over St. Mary’s and Servage notched her first career hat trick. Up next for the Hilltoppers is the NCAA Tournament, and the goal is to transcend last year’s Elite Eight finish.

The Dallas Baptist Patriots had the home field advantage, but the Hilltoppers still managed to squeak by with a win. The Hilltoppers didn’t get to host the tournament after losing to the Patriots, 1-0, in a crucial home match on October 22nd.

On Saturday, St. Ed’s got off to a fast start thanks to an early goal by senior Briana Hinnenkamp. With the game tied 1-1 and under a minute to go, Murray found Servage who sent a far post shot past the Patriot goalie for the clincher.

Strangely, in all three matches between St. Edward’s and Dallas Baptist, the away team won each time.  

The Hilltoppers record currently stands at 15-2-1, including tournament play. Eight of the team’s players were named to the All-Conference team. The highest honor went to junior midfielder Olivia Collado, who was named the 2011 Heartland Conference Player of the Year by league coaches.

“It feels rewarding because I know my hard work paid off,” Collado said. “It would not have been possible without the help of my team.

Head Coach Nick Cowell added his two cents.

“Because [Collado] is a defensive player she does not always get the recognition from other coaches, but in our system she plays the most critical role out of anyone on the team. It is great to see her get rewarded for that,” Head Coach Nick Cowell said in an SEU Sports Information press release.

Forwards Murray and Servage, along with defender Vanessa Sanchez and goalkeeper Claire Tilton were all named to the All-Conference First Team, along with Collado. Murray was named Heartland Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30. It marked the third time this season Murray had been given the honor. She now leads the conference in goals scored and assists, with 13 and 5, respectively.

Defender Caitlin Reedy, as well as midfielders Bethany Bennett and Jordan Ynostrosa were all named to the second team.

“Having eight players named to the All-Conference team shows the depth of our squad,” Cowell said in the press release.

St. Edward’s will begin NCAA Tournament play on Nov. 10 in Abilene. The Hilltoppers enter the tournament as the #4 seed, and will face #5 seed Midwestern State on Nov. 11 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The winner of that match will play #1 seed Abilene Christian in the second round on Nov. 13.

The Hilltoppers have their sights set on the Final Four, which will be played in Pensacola, Florida in early December.