Men's Soccer Extends Win Streak to Seven With 2-0 Victory

OKLAHOMA CITY — The St. Mary's University Men's Soccer team staved off a flurry of second-half shots by Oklahoma Christian on Saturday afternoon to remain undefeated in Lone Star Conference play, winning 2-0 at Eagle Soccer Field.

The Rattlers improve to 11-2-2 on the year and 7-0-0 in LSC action, while the Eagles fall to 5-7-3 overall and 2-5-1 in conference play.

"Today was a huge win," said Head Coach Johnny Clifford. "We really had to battle against adversity, and after scoring early, we spent long periods without the ball. However, it's a huge win for us on the road and I'm really proud of our guys' ability to defend and withstand pressure."

OC took 12 shots in the second half, with three on goal, after recording only two shots in the first 45 minutes, but junior goalkeeper Johnny Thurbin (Lingfield, Surrey, England) was up to the task, posting his seventh clean sheet of the year and his second of the week with two saves.

StMU scored a goal in the first half for the fourth straight match, as senior defender Bradley Greene (Essex, England) took a corner kick from senior Lewis Nohar (Cumnock, Scotland) at the front post and flicked the header to the back post for his third goal of the year and second in as many games.

In the 83rd minute, senior Cooper Stephens (Richardson, Texas) stole a pass from the Eagles approximately 35 yards out and drove down to the box, passing to sophomore Gael Gallegos (Laredo, Texas) for the insurance goal. It is the eighth goal of the year for Gallegos and Stephens' second assist.

The three points for the victory give the Rattlers an eight-point cushion in the Lone Star Conference standings as Midwestern State lost 3-1 at West Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon and clinches a spot in the LSC Tournament for the Gold and Blue. 

StMU has three matches remaining on the regular season slate, playing at DBU on Wednesday, hosting West Texas A&M on Saturday for Senior Night and wrapping up at MSU on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. The Patriots are currently tied with St. Edward's for third-place in the standings and host Lubbock Christian on Saturday evening.