WICHITA FALLS, Texas — No. 2-ranked Midwestern State defeated Dallas Baptist 4-1 on Wednesday night at Stang Park. The Mustangs scored three times in the first half and finished with a 23-7 shot advantage.
Midwestern State extended its unbeaten streak to 24 matches and improved its overall record to 10-0-3. The Stangs are 4-0-1 in the Lone Star Conference. DBU had a four-game unbeaten streak snapped and fell to 4-3-4 overall with a 0-1-3 record in conference.
The Mustangs converted sustained first-half pressure into a 3-0 halftime lead, with
Parker Plaxco and
Alan Rivera scoring from the penalty spot around a
Liam Kervick goal assisted by
Ethan Krchnak. Earlier, Kervick forced a save in the second minute and Rivera had multiple looks as MSU generated early attacking chances before the breakthrough. Kervick was brought down in the box before Plaxco converted at 18:41, and Kervick made it 2-0 at 26:12 when
Ethan Krchnak flicked a corner into his path for a far-range shot into the top right corner. Rivera added another penalty at 27:41 after the Mustangs earned a foul in the area, while
Jake Morris protected the advantage with a save on Caleb Centeno in the 30th minute. The Maroon & Gold kept creating late in the half, including chances from
Jose Ortiz,
Davis Mays and Victor Hernandez, and took the 3-0 lead into halftime.
Plaxco gave the Mustangs their second-half goal in the 62nd minute, taking
Oscar Nunez's pass through the center channel and finishing from about 20 yards into the bottom right corner to extend the lead to 4-1. Plaxco is the leading goal scorer in the LSC with 10 goals this season and has three multi-goal games this season.
Earlier, DBU scored in the 49th minute to make it 3-1, while MSU also generated a
Cooper Tea shot before Plaxco's goal. The half became physical after that, with several fouls on both sides and a DBU yellow card in the 81st minute, but the Mustangs continued to create chances. Over the final nine minutes, the Maroon & Gold recorded six shots, including a
Haris Dunic attempt saved by Sean Mattivi, and
Daniel Macias stopped Bryan Beck's shot in the 87th minute as the match ended 4-1.
Up next, the Mustangs travel to Richardson, Texas, to face UT Dallas on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. The Comets were the last team to beat MSU, winning at Stang Park last year, 2-0, on Oct. 18.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
