This Week in Rattlers Soccer
Wednesday, Oct. 15 • Midwestern State (6-1-4, 6-0-2) at St. Mary's (5-5-1, 4-4) • 7 p.m. (PINK OUT)Â
Tough Home Test: St. Mary's Women's Soccer has only one match this week, hosting undefeated Midwestern State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for the team's annual Pink Out Game (postponed from last week). The Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation will be on campus helping raise awareness and taking donations.
Scouting Midwestern State: The Mustangs have yet to drop a Lone Star Conference contest and enter the week 6-0-2 in league play and 6-1-4 overall. Tanner Sorenson has started nine of the team's 11 games in goal with 12 saves, while Lauren Short has made eight saves in four games and two starts. The Mustangs back line has prevented either keeper from facing too much traffic. Nyxalee Munoz leads the team with 11 points (5 goals, 1 assist), while Marlene Myrvold has nine points (4 goals, 1 assist) as 11 different players have scored a total of 24 goals this season.
History With the Mustangs: Midwestern State knocked the Rattlers out of the Lone Star Conference Tournament a season ago in the quarterfinals, taking an 8-7-3 lead in the all-time series. It was Midwestern State's first win since 2021, as the Rattlers posted two wins an a tie in the three meetings between. StMU is 4-4 at home in the series that dates back to 1995.
Double Trouble: For the first time in St. Mary's NCAA era (since 2000), the same two players scored at least one goal in three games straight, as junior Elena Kossler and senior Shelby Paniagua each scored against West Texas A&M (Oct. 2), Oklahoma Christian (Oct. 4) and Sul Ross State (Oct. 8). Five others times in school history the same pair has scored in back-to-back games, but never in three straight.
Everything But the Kitchen Sink: The Rattlers threw everything at the goal against Sul Ross State, taking a season-high 21 shots on goal. It is the most SOG for St. Mary's since March 14, 2021 when the Rattlers poured in 22 shots on goal against Texas Lutheran in a 12-0 victory.
Balanced Attack: St. Mary's has scored nine times in the first half and 10 times in the second this season, with 79 shots coming in the first half and 80 after the break. On the flip side, 13 of the 18 opponent goals have come after halftime.
Freshman Impact: A trio of freshmen: Marily Garza Contreras, Mileena Griego and Aryana Martinez have played in all 11 games this season with Garza Contreras starting in nine, Griego eight and Martinez four. Fellow freshman Gracie Van Sluis has played and started in 10 in helping anchor the Rattlers defense, while Alyssah Martinez has played in nine of the 11, and has started the last five.
Making History: Head Coach Kevin Driggs became the third coach in StMU Women's Soccer history to win 50 games in their career with win No. 50 against Oklahoma Christian on Saturday. He is second in school history with his 51 victories, passing Lance Noble (50, 1996-99).
Lethal From 12: Senior Shelby Paniagua is 4-for-4 this season in penalty kicks, after sinking two more in the 6-0 win against Sul Ross State on Wednesday. She currently leads the nation with four PKs and one of 27 with more than one on the year. For her career, Paniagua is 12-for-13 and has made 11 consecutive since 2022.
Taking the Shot: Junior Elena Kossler leads the Lone Star Conference in both shots per game (4.27) and shots on goal per game (1.97), ranking 15th and 25th in the NCAA Division II statistics, respectively. Senior Shelby Paniagua also ranks fourth in the conference in shots (3.64) and seventh in shots on goal (1.64).
Anchoring the Defense: Senior Valerie Hover has played 948 of the team's 990 minutes this season. She played all 90 minutes seven times, including three of the last four. The only other Rattlers with 900 or more minutes this season are the scoring threats of Elena Kossler (917) and Shelby Paniagua (904).
Offensive Explosion: At least once in all six seasons with Kevin Driggs as the head coach, the Rattlers have tallied at least one game during the year with five or more goals, as they defeated East Central 5-1 on Sept. 13 and another six in the 6-0 win over Sul Ross State last week. The most goals scored during the Driggs era was 12 against Texas Lutheran on March 14, 2021. Wednesday was the eighth time an StMU team scored five or more.
Helping Hand/Foot: Senior Shelby Paniagua is seventh on the NCAA Division II active players list with 23 assists and 10th in assists per game (0.32). She ranks third in St. Mary's career history with those 23 assists, is fifth with her 26 goals, and is fifth with 75 points. Her points rank her 17th on the DII active list.
Faucette In Goal: Senior goalkeeper Haley Faucette may be in her first season with the Rattlers, but she brings a wealth of Division II experience with her. Faucette currently ranks 46th among Division II keepers with a 1.24 goals against average for her career after playing three seasons at Wingate with 97 saves and a 13-6-5 record for the Bulldogs. She made the 100th save of her career in the season opener at Fort Lewis, saving four shots, and now has 143.
Picked Fifth: The Rattlers were voted fifth in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll. Should the prediction hold, the Rattlers will compete in their sixth-straight LSC Tournament. A season ago, StMU placed fifth with a 9-7-3 overall record.
What's Coming Back: The Rattlers return 19 of the 30 goals scored last season, along with 13 of the 18 assists, including a team-leading eight goals and six assists by senior Shelby Paniagua. The team also returns three defenders from last season's squad that allowed 1.42 goals per game, and senior Abigail Wilson, who was part of the 2023 team that surrendered only 1.27 goals a contest.
New Faces: The Rattlers have 20 newcomers to the 2025 team, including 15 freshmen, three sophomores, one junior and one senior transfer. The newcomers outnumber the returners 20-to-14 on the 34-player roster for sixth-year head coach Kevin Driggs.
