ODESSA, Texas (October 10, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin women's soccer team played right with the Hilltoppers in the first half, but it was a tale of two halves as a goal in the 62nd minute proved to be the difference. In the end, the Falcons were defeated 1-0 by St. Edward's University on Saturday at the UTPB Soccer Field.
The first action of the match was a corner kick by UTPB's
Cassandra Ramirez in the fourth minute, and then a cross by
Trinity Vasquez five and a half minutes into the match just missed Ramirez near the goal.
The first shot of the match came as
Hadley Kelly stole the ball and passed it back to Ramirez, who missed wide right from near the top of the box in the ninth minute.
The Hilltoppers' first shot of the match came late in the 11th minute when Jorja Bragg was able to hit the crossbar despite having her defender,
Brooklyn Westfall, draped all over her.
Just 30 seconds later,
Valeria Delgado made the first save of the match on a header attempt following SEU's first corner kick of the match.
Following the save, back-to-back shots by SEU's Sierra Padilla were blocked by the Falcons' defense, and then back-to-back shots on goal by
Breanna Reagan were both saved by the Hilltoppers' goalkeeper, Daria Schlumbohm, still under 17 minutes into the match.
The battle of the goalkeepers in the first half raged on as a Delgado showed off her quick reflexes to make a beautiful diving save on a close shot attempt near the goal in the 43rd minute.
Several times in the first half it was Delgado who would be seen fighting through multiple players to secure the loose ball.
In the final seconds of the first half, a free kick by
Jayden Murgia was blocked by the Hilltoppers' defense, the fourth combined blocked shot of the half.
In all, Delgado (5) and Schlumbohm (6) would combine for 11 saves in the first half.
Overall, the first half featured nearly even ball possession and momentum from the two teams, with neither team giving in or gaining an advantage.
It was a 9-8 Hilltoppers' advantage on total shot attempts, but a 6-5 Falcons' advantage on shots on goal at the intermission.
However, in the second half, SEU nearly got one over the line just under three and a half minutes into the period, but a nice cross across the goal and a redirect by the Hilltoppers right at the goal line was somehow just blocked away by the Falcons'
Alyssa Pipes at the last second.
SEU proceeded to control possession more often early in the second half, leading to a 5-1 start on shot attempts and ultimately the lone goal of the match in the 62nd minute. That goal came when Riley Sisson connected on a backwards pass to Bragg, who fired the shot from the top of the box (20 yards out) and into the bottom right of the goal.
Fighting to keep her team in it, Delgado made a diving save going to her right on a header by SEU in the 73rd minute.
UTPB had only one shot attempt in the first 33 minutes of the second half until
Isabella Capra outran her defender and just missed her chance to equalize the match, clanging it off the left post in the 79th minute.
The Falcons' defense would survive three straight corner kicks by the Hilltoppers in the 84th minute, and then in the last six minutes of the match, SEU tried multiple times to hold the ball in the corner, forcing UTPB to be the aggressor in an effort to get the ball back to try and tie it.
Delgado again kept it at a one-score deficit with a save just off her finger tips in the 86th minute.
UTPB's final two shot attempts of the match came in the final minute from
Molly King (blocked) and Reagan (wide left).
In the end, SEU led 5-0 on shots on goal in the second half and fired nine total shot attempts in each period.
Reagan tied for the match-high with four total shot attempts while Ramirez, Pipes and King each added two shots.
Delgado totaled nine saves to Schlumbohm's six, but it was the latter who would earn the shutout win.
Delgado played all 90 minutes for the fifth time in the Falcons' last six matches. She has made at least six saves in each of those five matches, including making at least nine saves three times during that span.
On defense, Pipes also played all 90 minutes for the fifth time in the last six matches.
UTPB falls to 4-9-0 overall and 1-9-0 in the Lone Star Conference while SEU improves to 3-7-3 and 3-4-2. It was also the Hilltoppers' first road win of the season (1-4-1), and was their second win in a row after a 3-0 win vs. Eastern New Mexico University on Wednesday.
It was the third year in a row the Falcons have fell 1-0 vs. the Hilltoppers. Just like last year's matchup, this year the Hilltoppers totaled nine shot attempts in each half to overtake the Falcons. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 7-10-3 season last year, including a 6-6-2 conference record. St. Edward's advanced through the opening round of the LSC Tournament by defeating Lubbock Christian on penalty kicks before ending its season in the quarterfinals.
Next up, UTPB will remain at home to start week six of LSC action as the Falcons host West Texas A&M University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14.
