Bonus Battle of the Saints Action Goes in Favor of the Rattlers Women's Soccer Team

SAN ANTONIO – Two goals in less than a minute snapped an eight-match losing streak to rival St. Edward's on Monday night as the St. Mary's University Women's Soccer team won the Lone Star Conference Quarterfinal 2-0 at Sigma Beta Chi Field.
 
The Rattlers (10-4-5) advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament and will face Angelo State, which advanced with a 3-0 victory over Texas A&M International. Midwestern State upset Texas Woman's in the other quarterfinal, 2-1 in double overtime and will face top-seeded DBU.
 
The lone yellow card issued in the game happened in the 77th minute, as senior Alexis Truitt (Boerne, Texas) was tripped just outside the box on the far side from the team benches. Sophomore Shelby Paniagua (Cibolo, Texas) took the free kick, lobbing the ball up for senior Love' Tovar (El Paso, Texas) to head into the bottom right corner.
 
The Hilltoppers (6-7-3) had a short possession on the ensuing kickoff but turned the ball over. Senior Juni Ejere (Weatherford, Texas) took possession at midfield, turned on the speed and was tackled from behind in the box for a penalty kick, which Paniagua placed into the middle of the net 2-3 feet off the ground for the 2-0 score.
 
It is the first time since 2016 the teams have met in postseason play, and the StMU win moves them to 4-5 all-time in conference tournaments against the 'Toppers. 
 
The Rattlers and Rambelles will play the late match on Friday at Patriot Soccer Field on the campus of DBU. The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. St. Mary's defeated Angelo State 3-1 back on Oct. 4, but the Rambelles have not lost a match since, going 6-0-2 in their last eight matches.