Men's Soccer Holds On to First Place with Win at OC

OKLAHOMA CITY – The tenth-ranked St. Mary's Men's Soccer team remained in control of first place in the Lone Star Conference standings with a big 1-0 win at Oklahoma Christian on Saturday night.
 
The Rattlers (8-0-5, 4-0-1 Lone Star Conference) shut down the highest scoring team in the league, keeping the Eagles (8-3-3, 2-2-1 LSC) off the scoreboard as junior goalkeeper Andre Schlaefli (Katy, Texas) made two saves and the defense limited them to eight shots.The Eagles entered the game just outside the top-25, receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.
 
"This is a big win for us tonight," said Head Coach Johnny Clifford. "I thought Oklahoma Christian played really well – especially in the second half. They made us defend deep and put us under pressure. But, we held on, fought hard and deserve the three points!"
 
In the 36th minute, senior Deni Cresto (Curitiba, Parana, Brazil) took a corner and senior Lewis Wilson (Aberdeen, Scotland) headed the ball into the lower right corner of the net for the team's fifth win in six tries (plus one draw). It is the sixth assist for Cresto and third goal for Wilson this season.
 
The clean sheet for the Rattlers is the 10th in 2022 and the lone goal in the last 11 was on a penalty kick. St. Mary's holds a three-point advantage in the LSC standings with a 4-0-1 record and hosts Midwestern State on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.