This Week in Rattlers Soccer
Tuesday, Oct. 29 • St. Mary's (6-5-3, 4-3-2) at Texas A&M International (3-6-6, 2-4-4) • 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1 • Oklahoma Christian (8-3-4, 4-3-3) at St. Mary's • 6 p.m.
Winding Down: There are only two weeks left of the regular season for the St. Mary's Women's Soccer team. They open the week on Tuesday at Texas A&M International before returning home to host Oklahoma Christian on Friday evening for Senior Day.
All-Time with Texas A&M International: The Rattlers hold a commanding 30-7-2 lead in the all-time series with Texas A&M International, though the Dustdevils won 3-2 in San Antonio last season. St. Mary's is 15-3-1 in games played in Laredo and the two teams are fighting for one of the seven spots in the LSC Tournament.
All-Time with Oklahoma Christian: St. Mary's is 12-3-1 all-time against the Eagles and the two teams have similar records in conference play this season as OC is 4-3-3 and the Rattlers are 4-3-2. StMU has never lost at home to the Eagles, posting an 8-0-0 record and they are unbeaten in the last six between the clubs (5-0-1).
First Goal: Senior Bella Ramirez scored the first goal of her career on Saturday at Eastern New Mexico, heading in the game winner in the 56th minute. Ramirez headed the corner kick from freshman Alysia Cano over the outstretched hands of the ENMU keeper for the 2-1 score. Ramirez is the eighth Rattler to score a goal this season, while Cano becomes the eighth to record an assist in 2024.
A Score Equals No Loss: The Rattlers are unbeaten this season when they score, posting a 6-0-2 record when finding the back of the net and 0-5-1 when failing to put a goal on the scoreboard.Â
Standing Alone: Junior Shelby Paniagua scored her fourth penalty kick of the season on Saturday at Eastern New Mexico and is the only player in Division II who is 4-for-4 in 2024. Eight other players are 3-for-3 on the year.
Second Half Team?: Though 15 of the team's 22 goals this season are in the second half, the Rattlers are 3-0-0 this season when leading at halftime and they are 4-0-1 when scoring the first goal of the contest.
Adding On: Senior goalkeeper Rebecca Difronzo continues to add on to her career saves record. Difronzo recorded five saves at Eastern New Mexico, bringing her career total to 275. She broke the all-time record at Midwestern State on Oct. 12, bettering Alyssa Taramona's (2012-15) mark of 261. Difronzo also holds the school records for shutouts (19) and minutes played (6369).
It's An Honor: Sophomore Malia Dominguez was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 after helping lift the Rattlers to a sweep in the first week of conference play. Dominguez had six points, scoring three goals in the two victories.
A Variety of Weapons: St. Mary's has scored 22 goals this season and eight different players have at least one. Malia Dominguez and Shelby Paniagua each have five goals, while Natalie Gonzalez has scored four. Eight players have at least one assist on the year, led by Paniagua with five.
Among the Active Leaders: Rebecca Difronzo currently ranks fifth among active Division II goalkeepers in career minutes played (6369) and is 12th with her 275 saves. She ranks second in the Lone Star Conference among active keepers in saves, trailing only WT's Reagan Heelan (349).
