SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – UT Tyler opened Lone Star Conference play with a 3-1 loss at the hands of St. Mary's on Wednesday night.
 
Graduate student Alexia Moreira cut a 2-0 lead from St. Mary's at the halftime break to just 2-1 six minutes into the final 45 minutes of play, but an insurance goal from the Rattlers with just over a minute to play solidified the 3-1 result. Senior Maddie Higgins nearly tied the match in the 82^nd minute on an opportunity right in front of the St. Mary's net, but couldn't convert on the chance prior to the final goal of the night for the Rattlers.
 
UT Tyler pieced together a handful of counter-attack opportunities in the first half of action, but allowed a pair of St. Mary goals in the first 45 minutes of play to trail 2-0 at the half.
 
Sophomore Brooke Mullins drew a foul just outside the Rattler box six minutes into the second half, setting up Moreira for the free kick opportunity. Moreira placed her attempt in the upper 90 of the net past the outstretched arms of the Rattler keeper for her second goal of the 2023 season.
 
That score made it 2-1, a deficit that was nearly negated by the UT Tyler opportunity in the 82^nd minute.
 
UT Tyler notched a pair of shots of target in the match on 11 shot attempts. St. Mary's out-shot the Patriots by a 19-to-11 margin for the match.
 
UT Tyler will return home for Senior Day on Saturday afternoon prior to a 1 p.m. kick against Eastern New Mexico.