THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State overcame a slow start in a 3-1 win over Newman in the Heartland Conference semis to advance to Sunday's championship match with 14-ranked West Texas A&M.
The Mustangs look to avenge their lone blemish in the last two seasons at 1 p.m. on Sunday. MSU Texas suffered a 1-0 overtime defeat to the Buffs on Oct. 13, snapping a 35-match unbeaten streak.
Junior forward
Connor Cesar scored a pair of goals to spark the Mustangs' offense, striking for the equalizer with just over a minute to go in the first half.
After an early goal from Newman's Ignacio Lerech in the sixth minute, Cesar collected a rebound off a deflection in the 45th minute and fired from eight yards out to pull the Maroon and Gold even.
MSU Texas stymied the Jets in the second half, holding NU to three shots on goal in the final 84 minutes.
Redshirt junior
Hikaruhito Meike staked the Mustangs the lead in the 79
th minute. The Sendai, Japan, native broke free down the right wing and caught Newman keeper Jean Claude Consol too far off his mark with a shot over the right post from eight yards out.
Junior forward
Juan Ramirez helped MSU Texas to an insurance goal in the 86
th minute. The Winnsboro, Texas, native crossed the ball from the goal line to Cesar who curled a shot into the back of the net to cap the scoring, 3-1.
MATCH NOTES
- Midwestern State moved to its third-straight Heartland Conference championship match with a 3-1 win over Newman in the semifinals
- The Mustangs go for their second-straight tournament title on Sunday against West Texas A&M
- MSU Texas looks to avenge its lone setback in the last two seasons against the 14th-ranked Buffs
- The Maroon and Gold improved to 19-0-2 at Stang Park since the start of the 2017 season
- Junior
Connor Cesar recorded his first career brace for the Maroon and Gold with goals in the 45
th and 86
th minute
UP NEXT
Midwestern State hosts the Heartland Conference finals against 14
th-ranked West Texas A&M on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Stang Park.
--MSUMustangs.com--