WICHITA FALLS, Texas – There's no better time to score your first goal in almost two months than in the championship game of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, however for senior
Oriol Gazquez Perez and the rest of the St. Mary's University Men's Soccer team, it wasn't enough to beat No. 4 Midwestern State University, as the Mustangs claimed their sixth-straight championship with a 3-1 win over the Rattlers.
Gazquez Perez (Murcia, Spain) found the top right corner of the goal in the 86th minute from about 20 yards out on a loose ball after a shot to avoid the shutout, but MSU (15-0-5) had scored three times earlier, finding the back of the net in the 30th, 58th, and 66th minutes, with two of the goals by the league's leading scorer and regular-season MVP Parker Plaxco.
Sophomore
Kai Louviere (Hondo, Texas) put all four of his shots on frame in the game and was honored afterward with All-Tournament team honors, as were senior
AJ Valdivia (Perris, Calif.) and sophomore
Ryan Guillaume (Trelex, Vaud, Switzerland), who had a goal and two assists in the semifinal win over Oklahoma Christian.
It was the third time since the Rattlers (12-6-2) joined the conference in 2019 that the team played for the tournament championship, and all three losses are at the hands of the Mustangs. St. Mary's will now wait for the NCAA Selection Show on Monday to see if its body of work is strong enough for an at-large bid.
Freshman
Nichita Misac (Lisbon, Portugal) tied a career-high with six saves on the night, stopping two in the first half and four of the team's five saves in the second period, as the Mustangs doubled up the Rattlers in shots, 20-to-10, and took all three of their corners in the first half, while the Rattlers had one in the second.
The NCAA Selection Show will air on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. (CT). The Rattlers are currently ranked 12th in Super Region 4 and 39th overall according to the NPI and 10 teams are selected from each region to the 40-team bracket.
