HOUSTON, Texas -- Junior forward Daniel Castro scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 73rd minute, to send fourth-seeded University of St. Thomas to its third straight SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament championship match following Friday's 2-1 victory over top-seeded Colorado College at SaberCats Stadium. Official Championships Website | Tournament Stats | Photo Album | Interview w/ St. Thomas junior forward Danny Castro

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Colorado College struck first when Curtis Hale posted an unassisted goal in the 13th minute to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.
• Castro responded with his 11th goal of the season in the 37th minute - an effort assisted by Italo Rodriguez - that evened the match at 1.
• The match remained tied at 1 through the remainder of the first half and the first 25 minutes of the second, until Castro placed his second goal of the match in net to give the Celts a lead they would not relinquish.
• St. Thomas outshot Colorado 12-8 with the Celts holding a 8-4 margin with shots on goal. St. Thomas also owned a 6-2 edge in corners.

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Daniel Castro (F): 2 goals, 4 shots, 4 shots on goal
• Dany Ramirez (F): 4 shots, 2 shots on goal
• Angel Ramirez (D): 1 shot, 1 shot on goal, 1 assist
• Leonardo Mansur Scarparo (M): 2 shots, 1 shot on goal
• Gustavo Otero (GK): 90 minutes, 1 goals allowed, 3 saves

COLORADO COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Alexander Ward (D): 3 shots, 2 shots on goal
• Curtis Hale (M): 1 shot, 1 shot on goal, 1 goal
• Connor Webster (M): 2 shots
• Rex Karjian (D): 1 shot, 1 shot on goal
• Jasper Broad (GK): 90 minutes, 2 goals allowed, 6 saves

NOTABLES

• The two goals by St. Thomas' Castro give him five for his SCAC tournament career - tying him with TLU's Luis Green for the most in SCAC tournament history.
• It also marked the 16th time a men's player has scored multiple goals in a SCAC tournament match, but Castro stands alone as the only men's player in conference history with two such performances. He also had a two-goal effort in last year's title game victory over Trinity.
• St. Thomas advances to the SCAC championship match for the third consecutive year. After losing in a penalty shot shootout at the 2020-21 championship, the Celts have defeated Trinity in back-to-back seasons in the title match - 1-0 in 2021 and 3-1 in last year's championship match. 
• Colorado College, the top ranked team in the most recent NCAA Region X rankings, falls to 13-3-1 with the loss and will await word of a possible at-large NCAA tournament berth when bids are announced on Monday.

UP NEXT

St. Thomas (13-3-1) will face the winner of tonight's other semifinal between second-seeded Trinity and third-seeded Southwestern. Sunday's championship match at SaberCats Stadium is scheduled to kickoff at 2:00 pm CT.