Men's Soccer Posts Second-Straight Clean Sheet to Start 2023

SAN ANTONIO —It was a difficult decision during the spring for St. Mary's University senior Cian Foley on whether to play his extra season of eligibility for the Rattlers Men's Soccer team or begin his doctoral program in Psychology at another institution, but St. Mary's fans are thrilled he worked out a way to conclude his career in the Gold and Blue as he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Sigma Beta Chi Field.
 
Foley, from Wexford, Ireland, has scored all three goals this season for the Rattlers, with one against UT-Tyler on Thursday and both on Saturday against the Buffs in a non-conference matchup.
 
After senior Cooper Stephens (Richardson, Texas) was tripped inside the penalty box in the 10th minute, Foley stepped up to the line and hit the back right of the net for the 1-0 lead.
 
That score held until the 71st minute of the match when Foley took a deflected pass from senior Juan Jose Valdez Lopez (Asuncion, Central, Paraguay) at the restraining arc and blasted the goal into the left side of the goal for the 2-0 victory.
 
The win is the team's second clean sheet of the 2023 season. Senior goalkeeper Andre Schlaefli (Katy, Texas) made four saves in his first game in goal this year, including a key stop with two minutes remaining to keep the Buffs off the scoreboard.
 
Thursday, the Rattlers host #2 Colorado State-Pueblo in an early matchup of top-10 nationally-ranked teams. The two teams squared off twice last season with each winning on the opponent's home turf. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Sigma Beta Chi Field.