SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Midwestern State makes its ninth consecutive appearance in the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament Sunday night against St. Mary's at Sigma Beta Chi Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
 

MIDWESTERN STATE (13-5-3) vs. ST. MARY'S (11-1-6)

Sunday, Nov. 13 | 6 p.m.
Sigma Beta Chi Field | San Antonio

Series History | Midwestern State leads, 34-4-0

LAST MEETING | St. Mary's scored two goals off of rebounds and recorded its 11th clean sheet in its last 12 matches to beat Midwestern State 2-0 at Sigma Beta Chi Field. St. Mary's took full advantage of a free kick in the 43rd minute of the match. Sophomore Bradley Greene launched a free kick from just beyond halfway into the box which was headed out to Jalil Blalock, who settled the ball and intended a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. But Juan Jose Valdez Lopez trapped the ball, wheeled and struck a shot toward the right post. MSU goalkeeper Adam Braman made a diving save to his left but was unable to hold on to the ball allowing Dani Gimena to tap it in for his first goal of the season to stake the Rattlers to a 1-0 lead. St. Mary's tacked on a goal in the 52nd minute after MSU's Colby Parton whistled for a foul just outside of the 18-yard box. Sebastian Rivera hammered a shot on goal off of the free kick that, once again, was saved by Braman before Deni Cresto tapped in the rebound for his second goal of the season. Midwestern State produced a quality opportunity on its first shot of the match in the 14th minute. Freshman Eduardo Cerna put a cross from the left attacking channel right on the far post for a charging Omar Boutari. Unfortunately, Boutari's header was knocked right into St. Mary's goalkeeper Andre Schalaefli, who pushed away the shot by reacting with two hands in front of his chest. It was the Mustangs' only shot on goal in nine attempts for the match as Schalaefli closed his 10th shutout of the season and eighth in the last nine games.

LAST TIME OUT | Junior striker Mere Escobar continued to make himself right at home at Sigma Beta Chi Field Friday night in the opening round of the NCAA Division II tournament. The Austin native provided the difference in MSU's 1-0 win over Biola helping the Mustangs advance to a second round matchup with St. Mary's. Escobar continued his late season splurge by scoring his sixth goal over his last six matches. The LSC Postseason Tournament MVP scored goals in the semifinal and final rounds last week. Escobar gained possession of a turnover in the 40th minute and worked his way into the MSU offensive end. He worked a pass to Jack Larkin on the right wing, who served a pass into the box. Max Gonzales head the ball down to Escobar's feet toward middle of the pitch at the top of the box. Escobar took one touch then drilled a shot past Biola goalkeeper J.D. Gunn into the lower left corner of the net to give the Mustangs a 1-0 advantage. The Midwestern State defensive effort was more than up for the challenge of making the goal stand up.

TRACKING THE MUSTANGS | Midwestern State is 4-0-1 in neutral site matches this season…MSU is unbeaten in its last 14 matches played at a neutral site…Midwestern is appearing in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship for the 17th time…MSU also made 17 appearances in the NAIA Men's Soccer Championship…MSU appears in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship for the ninth consecutive full season… Midwestern State head coach Michael Meachum is 68-17-8 in five seasons… Midwestern State is third in the Lone Star Conference with 1.70 goals per game…Mustangs lead the Lone Star Conference with 35 total goals in its 21 matches overall, which ranks 54th in the nation… MSU has outscored its opponents, 35-18…+17 is the second-best goal differential in the LSC and 38th in the nation…Mere Escobar leads the Mustangs and is second in the LSC with 11 goals this season…MSU is second in the conference and 47th in the nation with 28 total assists…Mustangs are second in the LSC and 68th in the nation with 1.40 assists per game…Rory Doyle and Mere Escobar each have six assists, which is second in the LSC and 47th in the nation…Midwestern State is third in the LSC and 79th in the nation with 4.80 points per game…MSU is second in the conference and 51st in the nation with 98 total points… Escobar leads the LSC and is 38th in the nation with 33 total points, and Sulahmana Bah is ninth in the LSC with 13 total points…Escobar has four game-winning goals, which is the best total in the LSC …118 of 268 (.440) shots have been on goal, making MSU third in the conference and 110th nationally in shot accuracy…24 of 54 (.444) shots have been on goal for Escobar, who is third in the LSC in shot accuracy and 121st in the nation… Mustangs average 5.09 corner kicks per game, which is third most in the LSC and 58th in the nation…MSU is fourth in the conference with a team goals against average of 0.850, which is 29th in the nation…Goalkeeper Adam Braman is third in the LSC with a 0.870 goals against average, which is 32nd best in the nation… Braman is seventh in the LSC and 101st in the nation with a .738 save percentage…Braman has six shutouts…Braman has made 45 saves this season, sixth most in the LSC and 141st in the nation…MSU is second in the LSC and ninth in the nation with 57 yellow cards.

SCOUTING ST MARY'S | St. Mary's earned its second-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, earning a bye in the first round… St. Mary's is 1-0-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests, defeating Western Washington in the second round in 2019 before losing in penalty kicks at Cal State LA in the Round of 16…Head coach Johnny Clifford is 53-19-12 in five season at St. Mary's…Rattlers are 5-1-3 at home this season…St. Mary's has posted 12 clean sheets this season, including a 2-0 win over MSU on Oct. 19…Rattlers have the third best shutout percentage in the nation at .667…St. Mary's .891 save percentage is is second best in the nation…Andre Schlaefli is 10-1-6 with a .900 save percentage and 0.30 GAA…St. Mary's +27 goal differential (33-6) is 14th best in the nation…Dani Gimena and Lewis Wilson have each scored four goals to lead the Rattlers…Deni Cresto leads the Rattlers with 12 points (2G, 8A)…Cresto leads the team with eight assists…St. Mary's has won four of the last eight meetings with the Mustangs…

UP NEXT | The MSU/St. Mary's winner faces No. 3 seed Colorado State –Pueblo after the Thunderwolves eliminated Cal Poly Pomona, 2-1.