WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Jake Morris made three saves in a PK shootout.
Christian Castaneda beat UT Dallas goalkeeper Ryder Claborn in the sixth round, and Midwestern State advanced to the 2026 Lone Star Conference Men's Soccer Championship final with a 4-3 advantage in the shootout.
The Mustangs and Comets each scored in the 53rd minute of regulation, but neither team scored in 20 minutes of overtime, forcing the PK shootout after a 1-1 draw. Midwestern State is seeking its sixth straight LSC postseason tournament trophy as it hosts third-seeded St. Mary's on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Midwestern State extended its unbeaten streak to 30 games and is 14-0-5 overall this season. UT Dallas sees their record fall to 11-2-7.
The Mustangs created their clearest first-half push during a sustained stretch after a 12:55 corner, with
Skyler Krchnak forcing a save at 13:30 and
Parker Plaxco hitting the left woodwork five seconds later. Earlier, Plaxco and
Eduardo Cerna each took shots in the opening five minutes, while
Jake Morris handled UTD's early look with a save on Callum Thompson in the fourth minute. The half grew more physical after the 22-minute mark, with the Comets shown yellow cards to Jordan Jones and Julio De Los Reyes during a stretch of repeated fouls. MSU then had to absorb several UTD attacks between the 28th and 35th minutes, including multiple shots and a corner, while adding a
Cooper Tea shot wide in the 33rd minute. Neither side scored before halftime.
The Mustangs answered UTD's 52:26 goal almost immediately, with
Angel Escobar scoring 31 seconds later off assists from
Oscar Nunez and
Juan David Valencia Vacca to tie the match at 1-1. The second half tightened after that, as the Maroon & Gold played through a foul-heavy stretch that included multiple stoppages on both sides while the score remained level. The Comets applied pressure from 70:40 to 78:20 with three shots and two corner kicks, but MSU did not concede during that run. The Mustangs then pushed late, getting two shots from Plaxco and two from
Cooper Tea, including Tea's saved attempt in the 85th minute, as the half finished tied 1-1.
MSU opened the first overtime with sustained pressure while the match was tied 1-1, producing three shots and a corner in less than two minutes. Escobar forced a save from Ryder Claborn at 91:06, and after a 92:15 corner,
Davis Mays hit the top woodwork before Plaxco sent a shot high at 93:02. UTD had the next two shots, including Josh Zemanski's attempt that went high left at 94:37, as the Mustangs worked through the final minutes without conceding a goal. The first overtime finished scoreless, with neither side adding to the 1-1 score state established during the segment.
The Maroon & Gold played the Comets to a scoreless second overtime, with neither side scoring during the 10-minute segment. Early in the segment, MSU earned a corner kick at 100:54 for its recorded attacking chance. UTD produced the only listed shot of the overtime at 103:42, when Evan Pustejovsky sent an attempt wide right. The Mustangs were whistled for fouls on Mays and Lawrence Doe, but the segment closed at 0-0.
MSU closed the shootout by converting its final three attempts, capped by
Christian Castaneda's make after UTD missed immediately before him. Earlier, Plaxco answered the Comets' opening make, but
Cooper Tea missed after UTD converted its second attempt, and Escobar missed following a Comets miss on the next round.
Liam Kervick put the Mustangs back on target in the fourth round, and
Anthony Barrera followed with another make after UTD converted in the fifth. The cumulative score was listed at 1-1 at 110:00, and the shootout attempts ended 4-3 in MSU's favor.
