HOUSTON – The Celts of the University of St. Thomas continued their winning ways Sunday as they claimed a conference-opening, 2-1 win over Johnson & Wales (Colo.).
Katarina Maksimov (SR/Richmond, Texas)'s goal from just inside the penalty area in the 49th minute proved to be the match-winner as the Celts (4-3-1, 1-0 SCAC) won their fourth consecutive contest. Aeriana Lewis (SO/Houston, Texas) assisted on the goal.
Johnson & Wales (2-9) fell to 0-2 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
The Celts were the first on the scoreboard thanks to Narcedalia Yanez (SR/Channelview, Texas), who scored her first goal of the season in the 27th minute, off an assist from Maksimov.
Olivia Futch (SO/Katy, Texas) made four saves for the Celts in the goal. She was denied a shutout when she was whistled for a foul on a one-on-one attempt in the penalty area in the 68th minute. JWU's Natasha Martin put in the penalty kick to cut UST's lead to one goal, a margin the Celts would hold until the final whistle.
UST's starting defensive line of Kelsie Droptini (FR/Vidor, Texas), Sarah Zimmer (SO/Willis, Texas), Sydney Wright (SR/Katy, Texas), and Olivia Urrutia (JR/Tomball, Texas) stifled all other scoring attempts from the Wildcats. The Celts held an 18-9 advantage in shots on goal.
The Celts return to action Friday when they visit Trinity for the first of five consecutive road matches. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in San Antonio.
