MEN'S SOCCER
No. 2-ranked Midwestern State has extended its winning streak to 12 matches, the longest since the 2010 team won its first 12 matches of the season. The Mustangs are 14-0-1 overall with a 6-0-0 conference record. This week, MSU welcomes St. Edward's to Stang Park for a match on Wednesday night at 7 p.m., and the Mustangs renew their rivalry with West Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon at The Pitch in Canyon.
The Mustangs can clinch the outright Lone Star Conference regular season title with a win over St. Edward's and would host the LSC Postseason Tournament semifinals and championship match on Nov. 4 and Nov. 6.
Midwestern State is 5-0-1 at home following a 1-0 victory over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday.
Mere Escobar scored his 14th goal of the season and the 41st of his career after ENMU goalkeeper Paul Waschkau wasted time before a restart, and the Mustangs were awarded an indirect free kick inside the penalty area.
MSU senior midfielder
Maycol Reyes made a short pass toward the right post, allowing Escobar to find an opening through a mass of Greyhounds in front of the goal to provide the difference. Escobar has scored goals in each of his last three matches and has at least one point in all but one match this season.
Escobar leads NCAA Division II with 36 points and has the third-most goals scored in the nation with 14. He is ninth in the country with nine assists. The senior from Austin, Texas, leads the Lone Star Conference in all three categories.
Jack Larkin,
Samuele Muroni,
Liam Pritchard and
Maycol Reyes have all scored four goals for the Mustangs, who are fifth in the nation in total goals scored this season. Pritchard is fifth in the LSC with five assists, and Reyes has four assists, which is ninth-most in the conference.
Midwestern State is outscoring its opponents, 44-9, and the conference-leading +35 goal differential is the fifth-best in the nation. Scoring 2.93 goals per game leads the LSC and is sixth-most in the country.
The Mustangs have 124 total points, which leads the conference and is fourth-most in the nation.
Adam Braman has posted seven clean sheets, which leads the LSC and is sixth-most among Division II goalkeepers. Braman leads the conference with a .616 goals against average (13th in the nation) and a .775 save percentage (43rd in the nation).
Midwestern State has won its last six meetings with St. Edward's and leads the all-time series, 34-6-5. MSU is 18-3-2 when hosting the Hilltoppers.
The last meeting was four years ago at Stang Park, and Taylor Lampe earned his 36th win, surpassing David Stockton to become the winningest goalkeeper in Midwestern State history with a 1-0 victory. Lampe made six saves, and
Colby Parton scored his first collegiate goal for the Mustangs, who were outshot 19-6. St. Edward's had 10 corner kicks in the match, and MSU only had two chances from the corner arc.
St. Edward's surrendered two goals in the second half of a 2-0 loss to Texas A&M International at Lewis-Chen Family Field in Austin on Saturday and is 0-8-5 this season with a 0-3-3 conference record. The Hilltoppers are winless on the road with a 0-4-1 record.
St. Edward's has been outscored this season, 29-11, and has been shut out four times.
Carlos Huato and Jethro Vourjolo leads St. Edward's with two goals apiece and seven other players have each scored once this season. Hunter Merritt has two assists and is the only Hilltopper with multiple helpers. Three players each have one assist.
St. Edward's head coach Brian Young is 168-112-37 (.588) in 17 seasons at the university, which just reinstated its men's soccer program this fall after a three-year hiatus.
Midwestern State is 8-0-0 on the road and travels to West Texas A&M for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday for the 66th all-time meeting with the Buffaloes.
WT is 6-4-4 overall and 3-1-2 in league play following a 2-2 draw with UT Tyler in Canyon on Saturday night. Matteo Landais and Beck Adams scored for the Buffaloes, who outshot the Patriots, 17-9. Goalkeeper Asaf Kristal made three saves for WT.
Entering this week, Landais has six goals and five assists for 17 points to lead the Buffaloes. Dylan Watson has four goals and two assists for 10 points. Six Buffaloes have all scored two goals this season. Six players have multiple assists for WT.
Kristal has a 0.95 goals against average in 14 starts and a .705 save percentage.
The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 37-23-5, and have won their last two encounters with WT.
Last month in a non-conference match, Escobar worked a give-and-go with Reyes and toe-poked a goal past Kristal in the 31st minute. MSU held on for a 1-0 victory at Stang Park. It was Escobar's first goal in seven appearances against the Buffaloes.
WT was limited to three shots in the last meeting and did not have a shot on goal as Braman recorded his fourth shutout of the season. Braman's last four shutouts have all been at home for Midwestern State.
The Buffaloes are 4-0-3 at home this season, and head coach Butch Lauffer is 375-169-53 (.673) in 33 seasons at WT.
Wednesday, October 25
Saturday, October 28
| Time |
Match |
Digital Media |
| 1pm |
#2 Midwestern State at West Texas A&M |
Watch | Live Stats |
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WOMEN'S SOCCER
Midwestern State opened a three-match homestand with a 3-1 loss to Dallas Baptist at Stang Park on Saturday night. The Mustangs return to the pitch on Saturday to face West Texas A&M at 1 p.m. The Lady Buffs are seeking their first conference win of the season.
MSU is 6-4-5 overall with a 3-3-3 record in the LSC, sitting in seventh place with 12 points from conference matches. The Mustangs are trailing Texas A&M International and Angelo State by three points for fourth place in the standings.
Midwestern State was unbeaten at home prior to the 3-1 setback on Saturday night.
Cassidy Savoy scored her second goal of the season in the 49th minute to bring the Mustangs within one goal, but DBU extended its unbeaten streak to 12 matches overall and scored its seventh consecutive win in the series with MSU.
Allessandra Romano lifted a ball into the box as Savoy made a run toward goal in the center-forward channel. Savoy volleyed a one-timer past a leaping Carmen Lopez. The DBU goalkeeper reached up with her right hand, but Savoy was able to tuck the shot under the crossbar.
Savoy earned at least one point for the third time in the last four matches for MSU.
Lexi Beck has seven goals (fourth in LSC) and five assists (third in LSC) to lead MSU, and she is third in the conference with 19 points. Beck has three assists in the last six matches. Beck scored two goals in a 5-0 win over Eastern New Mexico but has not scored since that match at Stang Park on Sept. 27. Beck has scored four of her seven goals at home this season. The junior from Fort Worth has at least one point in nine of her 15 starts.
Isabella Cruz is second on the team with four goals and eight points.
McKenna Jenkins,
Cassidy Savoy,
Allessandra Romano and
Lillia Besedin all have two goals for the Mustangs. Jenkins and Savoy each have three assists.
Janae Sanchez has assisted on two goals.
MSU is outscoring its opponents, 22-17, and is fifth in the LSC in goals scored and total assists with 16. The Mustangs are sixth in the conference with a 1.133 goals against average.
Goalkeeper
Lexi Jackson has a 6-4-2 record in 12 starts with a 1.16 goals against average and a save percentage of .714.
Allison Dellis is 0-0-3 in three starts at goalkeeper, and the freshman has a save percentage of .842 with a 1.03 goals against average in three starts.
WT leads the all-time series with the Mustangs, 25-23-3, but MSU has won two of the last three meetings, including a 2-1 victory at DBU Soccer Field in the semifinals of the 2022 LSC Tournament.
Savoy and
Senna Garcia netted second-half goals as MSU advanced to the final of last year's conference tournament by beating the Lady Buffs. Savoy assisted Garcia on the game-winning goal in the 81st minute. MSU outshot WT, 18-16, and put seven shots on frame. The Lady Buffs had three shots on goal.
The last time WT traveled to Stang Park in October of 2021,
Alyssa Salinas, Kelly Cannistra and Savoy scored for the Mustangs in a 3-2 victory. MSU led 3-0 in the 48th minute, and WT scored twice in a two-minute span late in the match. Asha James scored the first of her two goals in the 83rd minute, and she found the back of the net again with a shot in the 85th minute. WT outshot the Mustangs in that match, 16-9.
WT enters the week with a 1-7-5 overall record and a 0-5-3 record in conference following a 1-0 loss to Texas Woman's at The Pitch in Canyon on Saturday. The Lady Buffs were shut out for the sixth time this season and for the fourth time in their last five matches.
Entering the week, WT had not scored a goal in 193 minutes. Reagan Matacale scored in the 77th minute of a 1-1 draw at UT Tyler on Oct. 14. The Lady Buffs host St. Edward's on Wednesday night, while the Mustangs are idle.
Opponents have outscored WT this season, 22-8, and the Lady Buffs have been outshot, 218-84.
Matacale is the only Lady Buff to have scored twice this season. Six players have scored one goal for WT this season. The Lady Buffs have four assists, and no individual on the team has more than one assist.
Midwestern State wraps up the homestand against Lubbock Christian on Halloween with a 5 p.m. kickoff at Stang Park.
Saturday, October 28
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VOLLEYBALL
Midwestern State is on the road this week to face a Texas Woman's squad that has lost its last three matches and a Western New Mexico squad that recently defeated St. Edward's in five sets for its first conference victory of the campaign.
The Mustangs have lost four consecutive matches since a straight-set win over Eastern New Mexico, but in their two losses at home this past weekend there was noticeable improvement. MSU, which is hitting .136 for the season, hit .160 against Dallas Baptist. The following day, the Mustangs hit .226 against UT Tyler. In the fifth set against UT Tyler, MSU hit .519 with 15 kills on 27 swings and just attack error.
Midwestern State is second in the LSC and ninth in the nation in digs per set with 18.51.
Taygon Jones is leading the Mustangs with 4.39 digs per set.
Lauryn Bourne is second on the team with 3.28 digs per set.
Riley Rabedeaux leads the Mustang attack with 2.76 kills per set, while
Isabella Dickens is hitting a team-high .254, and
Brooke Parker has a .233 hitting percentage.
Alayna Guerrero is seventh in the conference with 6.71 assists per set, and Parker is second on the team with 3.98 assists per set.
Jaiden Wright is tops among the Mustangs with 38 blocks this season, and Dickens is second with 29.
Jones leads the team with 22 aces, including one to end the first set against UT Tyler as the Mustangs took the lead with a 25-23 triumph.
Midwestern State won a five-set thriller against TWU at Ligon Coliseum last season, hitting .229 and pounding out 65 kills.
The Pioneers lead the all-time series with Midwestern State, 36-17, and had won seven consecutive matches in the series prior to the loss last season. TWU is 21-5 when hosting MSU. Midwestern State has lost its last 11 visits to Kitty Magee Arena. The last time MSU won a match at TWU, Karolina Damjanovic had 14 kills, and Taryn Westerman had 43 assists in 2010, when the Mustangs prevailed, 3-1.
Texas Woman's is 14-7 overall with a 6-4 conference record. The Pioneers are coming off back-to-back home losses to UT Tyler and DBU, and the Pioneers were swept by West Texas A&M.
TWU serves the second-most aces per set in the LSC with 1.89.
Grace Reynolds is third in the conference with 33 total aces for the Pioneers and second in the league with 0.49 aces per set. Tori Woods has delivered 28 aces (7th in the LSC), and Kiana Reed has dealt 27 aces (8th in the LSC).
TWU is second in the LSC and 15th in the nation with 12.83 assists per set, and Reynolds leads the Pioneers with 5.99 assists per set. Kiana Reed is second on the team with 4.68 assists per set.
The Pioneers are the third-best hitting team in the league with a .247 hitting percentage, which is 29th in the nation. Cara Pool is second in the LSC and 18th in the nation with a .385 hitting percentage. Kady Hansen is fifth in the conference, hitting .349, and Kaia Saylor boast a .304 attack percentage.
Tori Woods is averaging 3.28 points per set and is knocking down 2.80 kills per set for the Pioneers.
On Saturday, Midwestern State faces Western New Mexico. WNMU snapped a nine-match losing streak with a five-set win over St. Edward's at Drag's Court on Oct. 14. WNMU is coming off a 3-1 loss at New Mexico Highlands on Oct. 18.
Opponents are hitting .219 against Western New Mexico, which is the highest in the conference. WNMU is hitting .135 for the season, which ranks 16th in the LSC.
WNMU only manages 9.25 assists per set and is tied with Cameron for the lowest total in the LSC. WNMU is 16th in the league with 10.12 kills per set. The Mustangs from Silver City only manage 14.80 digs per set, which is 16th in the LSC.
Jazmyne Walker leads WNMU with 3.12 kills per set, and Leticia Correa is averaging 7.30 assists per set to lead the WNMU Mustangs.
Western leads the all-time series with MSU, 13-6, and defeated MSU earlier this season in the LSC Crossover event in Portales, New Mexico, 3-1. Rabedeaux led the MSU Mustangs with 13 kills on 50 swings in that match, and Dickens hit .389 with nine kills. Walker led Western with 19 kills and hit .333 on 48 swings, and Correa finished with 43 assists for the victorious Mustangs.
Geno Frugoli is in his first season as the head coach at WNMU after a three-year stint at Dakota Wesleyan, where he was 37-68.
Midwestern State plays its final two home games on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, hosting Texas A&M Kingsville and Texas A&M International. The Mustangs host the Javelinas at 6 p.m. on Nov. 3, and the Dustdevils take the floor at 2 p.m. the following day.
Wednesday, October 25
| Time |
Match |
Digital Media |
| 6 pm |
Midwestern State at Texas Woman's |
Watch | Live Stats |
Friday, October 27
| Time |
Match |
Digital Media |
| 6 pm |
Midwestern State at Western New Mexico |
Watch | Live Stats |
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FOOTBALL
Midwestern State (3-4, 2-3) returns home after a satisfying 33-6 win at Western Oregon last week.
Ritse Vaes matched a program record with four field goals and the Midwestern State defense held Western Oregon to fewer than 200 yards of offense.
The MSU defense sparkled, holding Western Oregon to eight total first downs and 197 yards of offense and that included Austin Bacher's 69-yard touchdown dash at the beginning of the second to cut the advantage to 16-6.
The Mustangs responded with a big play of their own as
James Cooper, Jr. hit Justin White for a 67-yard score with 5:39 left in the third quarter to give MSU a commanding 23-6 advantage.
Midwestern State tacked on 10 more points in the fourth quarter while forcing the Wolves into turnovers on downs in each of their final three possessions.
The Mustangs celebrate Homecoming this week with Western New Mexico (1-6, 0-5) visiting Memorial Stadium for the fifth time. WNMU only victory in Wichita Falls came in 1996, when the Mustangs from Silver City prevailed, 36-22.
MSU won the next six meetings, but Western New Mexico scored a 30-27 overtime victory at Ben Altamirano Stadium last season. WNMU quarterback Devin Larsen completed 22 of 39 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
Larsen is second in the LSC this season with 1,717 passing yards. The junior transfer from Iowa State has completed 140 of 266 passes for 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. But Hunter Davis played last week in a 49-27 loss at West Texas A&M.
Davis completed 27 of 34 passes for 290 yards with four touchdowns and did not throw an interception. He led WNMU with 60 yards rushing on 17 carries.
WNMU is averaging 22.3 points per game, which is seventh in the conference. The defense is allowing opponents to score 43.3 points per game, which is the most in the LSC.
Western New Mexico is only rushing for 53.1 yards per game, which is the lowest total in the LSC.
The WNMU defense is only allowing opponents to convert on third down 31.6 percent of the time, which is the best third-down defense in the LSC.
Midwestern State has scored 30 or more points in all three of its wins this season, but the Mustangs are averaging 17.9 points per game this season.
James Cooper made his fourth start and his sixth appearance at quarterback in the 33-6 win at Western Oregon last week and completed 11 of 17 passes for 128 yards and threw his second touchdown pass of the season.
Zachary Keen and
Carson Roper have also started at quarterback this season for the Mustangs.
Devin Cross is the second leading rusher in the conference with 84.0 yards per game. Cross has gained 588 yards on 105 carries.
Jalen March is fourth in the LSC with 78.6 yards rushing per game and has gained 550 yards on 112 carries.
The Midwestern State defense has been outstanding in recent weeks. The Mustangs held the highest-scoring offense in the conference — UTPB — to 21 points. The following week, Central Washington only managed to score 10 points against MSU. Last week, Midwestern State only yielded six points at Western Oregon.
Quinterrius Hargrave (39.0) and
Maurice Perkins (37.0) are the leading tacklers for the Mustangs.
Kaleb Manning has 5.5 tackles for loss, and
Michael Gary has 5.0 tackles for loss. Gary recovered a fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown in the win at Western Oregon last week. Gary is the first defensive player to score a TD for MSU this season.
Gary earned Defensive Player of the Week honors in the LSC after producing three big plays at Western Oregon. Gary followed a tackle for loss with a quarterback sack in the third quarter.
Vaes earned his second Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor this season and the fifth of his career. Vaes was successful from 45, 32, and 37 yards out in the first half, then drilled a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter at Western Oregon. He also successfully converted each of his three point-after attempts to finish the game with 18 points.
Midwestern State plays its final road game of the season next week at Angelo State. Kickoff at LeGrand Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Saturday, October 28
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Following the Mustangs
LSC Digital Network
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