OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 29, 2018) – Oklahoma Christian undeniably showed improvement during its game Saturday afternoon against St. Mary's (Texas), but the Lady Eagles still fell 2-0 at the Eagle Soccer Field.

In a game that was tightly contested most of the way, St. Mary's (3-4-2, 1-4-1 Heartland Conference) outshot OC by only a 14-12 count, but the combination of Miranda Narvaez and Alexia Maldonado made the difference for the Rattlers, combining on both of their team's goals.

In the 26th minute, Maldonado sent a cross in to Narvaez, who shot left-to-right past OC goalkeeper Addison Milner to put the Rattlers ahead.

Defender Chanie Scrivner kept OC (0-9, 0-6) within a goal in the 52nd minute, blocking a shot by Lauren Mlouhi off the goal line, but the Rattlers went ahead 2-0 in the 67th minute on a fast-developing play. Narvaez sent a cross from the left side to Maldonado in stride, and Maldonado's shot from inside the 6-yard box gave Milner no chance to attempt a save.

OC's Jasmine Chacon-Diaz nearly cut the margin in half in the 75th minute, sending a strong shot just wide right of the goal. OC's Darrian Palacios nearly did the same in the 85th minute, as her searing shot from just outside the penalty box required a leaping save from St. Mary's goalkeeper Erin Longford, who deflected the ball over the crossbar.

Longford finished with five saves for the Rattlers, while Milner had six for OC. Milner leads the Heartland with 57 saves this season.

The Lady Eagles will visit Rogers State on Thursday night before a home game next Saturday against Lubbock Christian (Texas).