RICHARDSON, Texas –
Jason Saco-Vertiz, one of the team's four seniors, provided the game-winning goal in the 35th minute and the Concordia Texas men's soccer team defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 1-0 on Friday to advance to the American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship game for the first time in program history.
It is the Tornados first-ever appearance in the title game after having reached the conference tournament semifinals four of the last five years and the first win over the Cru since 2015.
Concordia Texas totaled only 11 shots in the match, seven of them on goal, but only needed one to find the back of the net.
In the 35th minute, Saco-Vertiz provided the difference-maker, scoring his first goal of the season off
Victor Gomez's rebounded shot to make it 1-0.
In the second half, the Tornados' defense hunkered down to protect the 1-0 lead, as UMHB countered with 11 shots.
Goalkeeper
Erik Rodriguez made three saves total, but had his most important save of the night in the final minute of the game, securing the ball as the last seconds ticked away and CTX took down the Cru 1-0 to advance to the championship match.
It is the ninth shutout of the season for the Tornados, which is the most in a single season for the program since recording 10 in 2015.
Concordia Texas will next face the regular season conference champion UT Dallas in the title game on Sunday at 1 p.m., at the UTD Soccer Complex in Richardson, Texas. The Tornados are seeking their first ever conference tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
