CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State scored twice in the opening half Friday to race past the University of West Alabama men's soccer team, 3-1, at DSU's Delta Field.
 
West Alabama still maintains its second-place spot in the league standings with a 6-3 mark in Gulf South Conference competition. UWA travels to third-place Christian Brothers on Sunday at 3 p.m.
 
The Statesmen maintained control from start to finish on Friday, as Caue DaSilva scored two first-half goals. His first came at 25 minutes when he scored off a rebound from a blocked shot to give his team the 1-0 lead.
 
DaSilva then put a steady distance between his team and UWA when he fed the ball in off a free kick from Amine Rahmini. That score put the Statesmen up 2-0 as the two teams headed to the halftime break.
 
The Tigers tried to stage an early comeback in the final half when John Imwalle blasted one into the back of the net from about 15-yards out on the right side of the field.
 
Any momentum gained from that goal was short lived as DSU's Jack Pilley scored off a header just seven minutes later to seal the match in the 3-1 Delta State victory.
 
Friday's loss sets up a crucial Sunday match for the Tigers. UWA travels just north of Cleveland, Miss., to battle CBU for a potential second-place spot in the GSC Tournament.