BELTON, TX— The St. Thomas women's soccer team dropped a hard-fought 1–0 contest on the road against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at the Cru Sports Plex. The Celts put together a resilient defensive effort against a relentless attack, but a late second-half goal handed St. Thomas the narrow loss. With the result, the Celts now hold an overall record of 1–2–2 on the season.

The first half proved to be a defensive battle as Mary Hardin-Baylor applied heavy pressure from the opening whistle. Goalkeeper Kylie Soich delivered a massive performance in net for St. Thomas, turning away six shots in the opening 45 minutes to keep the match scoreless. Ashleyh Ruiz created the primary scoring chance of the period for the Celts in the 41st minute (40:20) with a shot on goal, but the attempt was saved as both teams headed into halftime deadlocked at 0–0.

The pressure continued into the second half as the Celts' backline and goalkeeper worked tirelessly to protect the net. Soich racked up seven more saves in the second frame to keep St. Thomas within striking distance late into the match. However, Mary Hardin-Baylor finally broke the tie in the 87th minute (86:54) by converting a penalty kick. St. Thomas pushed forward in the closing minutes, but the host side held on to secure the 1–0 final score.

Mary Hardin-Baylor held a 25–1 advantage in total shots, placing 14 on target. Goalkeeper Kylie Soich played all 90 minutes between the posts for the Celts, putting together an incredible performance with 13 total saves.

Match Notes:

• Goals: None

• Assists: None

• Shots: UST 1 (1 on goal), UMHB 25 (14 on goal)

• Saves: UST 13 (Kylie Soich 13), UMHB 1

Up Next: The Celts return home to SaberCats Stadium for their next matchup against the University of Houston-Victoria on September 17 at 7:30 PM. Follow the team at www.ustcelts.com or on Instagram @ustathletics and @ustwsoccer for game times, live stream links, and updates.