HOUSTON,TX-- St. Thomas men's soccer team protected their home field on Wednesday night, defeating the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor 3-1 at SaberCats Stadium. The win moves the Celts to 2-1 overall on the season.

The opening half was a battle of momentum, with both sides trading early chances. UST broke through in the 23rd minute when Brandon Delaney scored his first career goal, finishing low to the center of the net off an assist from Angel Landaverde. That strike gave the Celts a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Celts wasted no time building on their advantage. In the 50th minute, Tony Castro buried his second goal of the year off a setup from Brian Garcia. Sixteen minutes later, Emmanuel Rodriguez tallied his first goal of the season, assisted by Jovany Garcia, pushing the lead to 3-0.

UMHB managed to get on the board in the 76th minute, but the Celts' backline held firm the rest of the way to secure the victory.

Match Notes:

• Brandon Delaney scored his first career goal

• Tony Castro recorded his second goal of the season

• Emmanuel Rodriguez netted his first of the year

• Celts finished with 7 total shots, 4 on goal

Up Next

The Celts return to action on Saturday, September 13 at 7:30 PM when they host North American University at SaberCats Stadium. For updates, visit www.ustcelts.com  or follow @USTathletics and @ustmsoccer on Instagram.