EDMOND, Okla. – Oklahoma Christian refused to go quietly Wednesday night. Down two goals with less than seven minutes to play, the Eagles pulled within one and pushed to the final whistle, but their late charge came up just short in a 3-2 loss to St. Mary's in the Lone Star Conference Tournament semifinals in front of over 500 fans at Eagle Soccer Field.
Dante Caffaro kept the match level through a tense first half. He made three saves before the break, including a stop on a St. Mary's chance in the opening minute, and the teams went to the locker room scoreless.
The Rattlers broke through less than two minutes after halftime when Ryan Guillaume converted a penalty kick. The Eagles kept pressing, and in the 77th minute their persistence paid off. Alejandro Gomez found Kenzo Shabazz-Edwards, and the junior forward rifled his shot into the top center of the net to tie the match at 1-1. It was his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
St. Mary's answered quickly. Sean Borland put the Rattlers back in front in the 82nd minute, and Mekhi Carwise added a third goal two minutes later.
OC wasn't done. Off a corner kick in the 87th minute, defender Tyler Ackah-Wheatcroft found the bottom of the net for his fifth goal of the year, cutting the deficit to 3-2. The Eagles then played a man up after St. Mary's was shown a red card in the 89th minute, and Landon Hahn put one final shot on frame in the closing seconds, but it was saved to end the match.
Caffaro finished with four saves, and Shabazz-Edwards led the Eagles with three shots, two on goal. St. Mary's advances to face Midwestern State in the LSC championship match.
SEASON IN REVIEW
- Oklahoma Christian finishes 10-4-4, matching the program's most wins of the NCAA Division II era (10 in 2024).
- The Eagles went 6-0-4 in Lone Star play, unbeaten in the conference regular season, and hosted an LSC Tournament semifinal.
- Caffaro posted eight shutouts and allowed just five goals in 10 conference matches.
- Shabazz-Edwards led the team with seven goals, and Ackah-Wheatcroft added five from the back line.
