CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men's soccer kept its unbeaten streak alive with a 1-0 win over St. Edward's on Senior Day at The Pitch. The Buffs, unbeaten in their past five matches, improve their record to 6-6-5 overall and 4-2-4 in Lone Star Conference play.
 
With the win, the Buffs clinch the fourth seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament. WT will host a quarterfinal match on Saturday against Dallas Baptist at a time to be determined.
 
Both teams took their time advancing up the field in the game's opening minutes with neither squad finding a clear lane to attack. Nearly 10 minutes into the game, St, Edward's recorded the first shot of the evening as Christian Mezas placed a ball on target. The attempt from the Hilltoppers didn't test WT goalkeeper Luke Southerington as the sophomore keeper hauled in the shot. St. Edward's continued to control possession as the Hilltoppers scanned through the defense, but the Buffaloes held strong. It wasn't until the 25^th minute when WT recorded its first shot. Before entering the box, Rotem Weiss curled in a shot to freeze the goalkeeper. Weiss came within inches of giving the Buffs the lead but hit the cross bar. A minute later, WT nearly took the lead as Quintin Benn-John hit the post. After coming within inches of taking the lead twice, the Buffs broke through in the 35^th minute when Matteo Landais found an open Zakaria Daaou in the box. Daaou took a touch and beat a defender before firing a shot into the top corner of the goal. The goal proved to be the difference as the Buffs went to the midway break with a one-goal lead.
 
In the second half, the pace of play slowed down as WT looked to control possession and drain the clock. Benn-John looked to have an open goal in the 52^nd minute, but a Hilltoppers defender stepped in front of the shot to deny the Buffs' forward. After the clearance, St. Edward's went on the counterattack, setting up a long throw in. On the throw, Irvin Abarca flicked a header to the back post but curled the attempt wide. In the 57^th minute, Delahmu Reeves broke free for a one-on-one opportunity with Angel Ramirez. As Reeves rifled a shot, Ramirez cut down the angle to make the save and keep the game within a goal. With the pressure mounting in the second half, St. Edward's went on the attack, searching for the equalizer. Emiliano Abboud nearly found the goal the Hilltoppers were looking for, but the forward tapped his shot over the bar. In the closing minutes, WT attempted to add an insurance goal and seal the game with a breakaway. Before the Buffs could complete the attack, St. Edward's broke up the scoring chance. As the clock went to its final seconds, the Buffs locked down the Hilltoppers to walk away with a victory.