SAN ANTONIO — As time expired at Sigma Beta Chi Field on Wednesday night, St. Mary's University Women's Soccer senior
Abigail Wilson threw her body in goal to make sure the shot that ricocheted off the crossbar by Midwestern State's Morgan Countryman did not cross the line, preserving a 2-2 draw.
Each time the Mustangs (6-1-5, 6-0-3) struck, the Rattlers (5-5-2, 4-4-1) had an answer, as they evened the score twice throughout the match. The night also picked up in intensity as the two goalkeepers combined to make five of their nine saves in the final six minutes of action. StMU keeper
Haley Faucette (Burlington, N.C.) recorded six saves, with five in the second half, as it is the fifth time this year she's collected five or more saves in a contest.
The Rattler goals were scored by the usual suspects, as senior
Shelby Paniagua (Cibolo, Texas) scored in the 31st minute, while junior
Elena Kossler (Ötztal-Bahnhof, Austria) scored in the 75th minute to knot the score at 2-2. It is the eighth goal of the year for Paniagua and the seventh for Kossler.
Kossler also added her first assist of the season, crossing from the far side of the field to Paniagua in the middle just outside the box for a left-footed boot into the bottom right corner of the net.
Kossler beat a quartet of defenders downfield, stopped on a dime, turned and fired into the lower right corner of the net with her right foot from approximately 20 yards out.
Midwestern State outshot the Rattlers 19-to-11 in the game, controlling the tempo through much of the first half, where they took nine shots compared to only two for StMU. The Rattlers responded after the break, taking nine shots with three on goal.
Kossler and Paniagua are the second-highest scoring tandem in the Lone Star Conference this season, combining for 15 scores. Gabby Thompson (9) and Chelsea Vilca (7) from UT Dallas are the highest-scoring duo.
The Rattlers have a bye on Saturday and will travel to UT Tyler for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The Patriots lost 1-0 at Angelo State on Wednesday and host Sul Ross State on Saturday before welcoming the Rattlers to town.
