HOUSTON, Texas -- Senior forward Daniel Castro blasted in a first half goal from distance and added a second on a late penalty kick as fourth-seeded University of St. Thomas advanced to its fourth straight SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament championship match following Friday's 2-0 victory over top-seeded Colorado College at SaberCats Stadium. Official Championships Website | Tournament Stats | Photo Album | Interview w/ Head Coach Ernesto Ramirez and senior forward Daniel Castro
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Castro's goals were his team-leading 12th and 13th of the season, placing him tied for second in the conference in that category.
- Colorado College outshot St. Thomas, 13-10, holding a 5-2 margin on corners.
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Daniel Castro (F): 2 goals, 2 shots, 2 shots on goal
- Justin Blake (M): 2 shots
- Emmanuel Rodriguez (M): 2 shots
- Diego Lazo (M): 1 shot, 1 shot on goal
- Christo Gayoso (GK): 90 minutes, 0 goals allowed, 3 saves
COLORADO COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Remi Maher (M): 2 shots, 2 shots on goal
- Dylan Stapley (D): 2 shots, 1 shot on goal
- Rex Karjian (D): 1 shot, 1 shot on goal
- Zeke Lubin (M): 3 shots
- Alex Wolter (GK): 90 minutes, 2 goals allowed, 1 save
NOTABLES
- When Castro scored in the 36th minute, it made him the league's all-time leader in career tournament goals with six, breaking a tie with former Texas Lutheran all-American Luis Green. He added a seventh with his PK in the 87th minute.
- In addition, it was Castro's third game-winner in SCAC tournament play, tying for the most in a career with Nicolas Medina of Texas Lutheran.
- Lastly, Castro's performance marked the 17th time a men's player has scored multiple goals in a SCAC tournament match, but Castro stands alone as the only men's player in conference history with three such performances. He also had a two-goal effort in last year's semifinal victory over Colorado College as well as in the 2022 title game against Trinity.
- St. Thomas advances to the SCAC championship match for the fourth consecutive year. After losing in a penalty shot shootout at the 2020-21 championship, the Celts have defeated Trinity three consecutive years in the title match - 1-0 in 2021, 3-1 in 2022 and a shootout victory in last year's championship match.
- Colorado College, the regular season co-champion and fifth ranked team in most recent USC Top 25 Coaches' poll, falls to 15-2-3 with the loss and will await word of a possible at-large NCAA tournament berth when bids are announced on Monday.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas (10-5-2) will face the winner of tonight's other semifinal between second-seeded Trinity and third-seeded Southwestern. Sunday's championship match at SaberCats Stadium is scheduled to kickoff at 2:00 pm CT.
