Southwestern men's soccer opened up conference play on Saturday against the defending SCAC Tournament Champions, the University of St. Thomas Celts. In a game that had plenty of offense, the teams hit a stalemate with the final result being a 1-1 tie. 

St. Thomas shot the ball seven times in the first 17 minutes, the seventh shot going in for a goal to put the Celts up 1-0 early in the game. The Pirates faced a total of 11 shots and six corner kicks in the first half but one goal was all the Celts could manage, going into halftime with a 1-0 lead. 

The Pirates upped their offensive momentum in the second half with seven shots compared to four in the first. In the 59' minute, a foul on Southwestern gave Jackson DeHaven a penalty kick opportunity. DeHaven would make good on his scoring chance, tying the match at 1-1. 

Southwestern continued to face even more pressure from the Celts, who put up 15 shots in the second half, totaling 26 shots for the contest. However, St. Thomas was unsuccessful in scoring on Goalkeeper Jack Viles.  Viles, who was locked in defensively, kept the Pirates even with the Celts for the rest of the match, having a career-high 14 saves.

The game would end in a 1-1 tie, but a physical contest, one that contained 30 fouls and three yellow cards might be a preview of what is to come for the Pirates in conference play as each match will likely be highly contested throughout the league. 

The Pirate's next contest will be against Concordia (TX) at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex on Friday, September 23rd at 7:30 PM. 

 Photo by Carlos Barron