SHERMAN, Texas -- First half goals from Daniel Castro and Dany Ramirez catapulted University of St. Thomas to an early lead and proved to be enough to send the Celts to the SCAC championship match for the third straight year in Friday night's 3-1 victory over third-seeded Southwestern University at Jerry E. Apple Stadium on the campus of Austin College. Official Championship Website | Photo Album | Interview w/ St. Thomas Head Coach Ian Clerihew | Interview w/ St. Thomas junior Dany Ramirez | Tournament Stats
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Castro found the back of the net in the eighth minute - off assists from Ayomide Salako & Diego Lazo - to take an early 1-0 lead.
- Ramirez headed in a ball off a rebound, with Matthew Turner earning the assist, to give St. Thomas a 2-0 lead at the 39th minute.
- Just a minute later, Southwestern's Jackson DeHaven, off an assist from Nathaniel Blake, headed in a ball from the front of the net off a deflection to cut the Celts' margin in half at 2-1.
- Jair Perez would put the game away for UST in the 72nd minute with a goal (from Taty Aleman) to give the Celts a cushion and final margin.
- St. Thomas outshot Southwestern, 20-6, and held a 4-0 advantage in corners.
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Daniel Castro (F): 1 goal, 4 shots, 2 shots on goal
- Dany Ramirez (F): 1 goal, 4 shots, 1 shot on goal
- Taty Aleman (F): 1 assists, 4 shots
- Matthew Turner (D): 1 assist, 3 shots, 1 shot on goal
- Jair Perez (F): 1 goal, 1 shot on goal, 1 shot
- Rodrigo Lazo (GK): 90 minutes, 1 goal allowed, 2 saves
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Jackson DeHaven (F): 1 goal, 1 shot on goal, 1 shot
- Nathaniel Blake (F): 1 assist
- Jack Viles (GK): 90 minutes, 3 goals allowed, 4 saves
NOTABLES
- St. Thomas advances to its third consecutive SCAC championship game since joining the league in 2018.
- The Celts improve to 4-0-2 in SCAC postseason play.
- This was the second consecutive year St. Thomas and Southwestern have met in the semifinal round. Last year, St. Thomas advanced with a 1-0 victory.
- Southwestern (8-6-2), who was the highest ranked SCAC team heading into the tournament (fourth in the most recent NCAA Region X rankings), will await word of a possible at-large berth when announcments go out on Monday.
UP NEXT
With the win, St. Thomas (13-1-3) advances to its third consecutive SCAC title game where the Celts will square off against Trinity, a repeat of last year's championship match. St. Thomas knocked off Trinity, 1-0, in last year's title game. This year's men's championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at Austin College. This is the first men's championship game that represents a rematch from the previous year for the first time since Trinity and Colorado squared off in three consecutive title matches from 2014 to 2016.
