Fall sports may have arrived at UST, but someone should have remembered to give fall weather the memo. On a sweltering September afternoon in Houston, the University of St. Thomas Celts' women's soccer team hosted the East Texas Baptist University Tigers. The temperature, 92 degrees at kickoff, remained above 90 degrees throughout the match. After dropping the season opener, the Celts are unbeaten over their last 4 contests (3-0-1), putting them at 3-1-1 on the season.
East Texas Baptist, who entered the match 2-2 overall, struck first with a 9th-minute goal by senior Sarah Ramos. Ramos deposited the ball into the net following a little confusion when UST Goalkeeper Kylie Soich poked an ETBU shot away from the goal, but no Celt defenders could clear the ball. St. Thomas didn't wait long and leveled the match in the 17th minute when midfielder Grace Carmichael used a free kick to deliver a perfect ball to the far post. Carmichael's teammate Ashley Pugne forcefully redirected the ball, giving the ETBU Keeper no chance as the ball zipped past her and into goal.
After an exciting first 20 minutes of the match, both teams organized their defense, settled in, and finished the half still knotted at 1-1. The second half started as the 1st ended; a lot of possession around midfield for both teams. Neither the Celts nor the Tigers could gain an advantage as both Keepers faced few dangerous chances. It was not until the final seconds ticked away that UST almost ended the match in dramatic fashion when senior Paola Colon outraced her defender to the ball and delivered a beautiful cross to a wide-open teammate in the box, unfortunately the shot sailed inches above the crossbar and the game ended. Like the last 70 minutes of the match, the stat sheet was very even, with the visitors producing 12 shots to St. Thomas' 11.
The Celts remain unbeaten in their last 5 matches and improve to 3-1-2 overall.
St. Thomas has a week to prepare for their last non-conference match vs. Mississippi University for Women when the two teams meet for a neutral site match played at LSU-Alexandria on Sunday, September 22nd, at 2:00 pm. Follow the Celts at www.ustcelts.com or on Instagram and X @ustwsoccer.
