KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On the strength of two quick goals from Sam Kanda, Avila looked poised for a rally, but Saint Mary (8-3-3, 5-2-2 KCAC) locked back in after that surge, and ultimately coasted to a 6-2 win over the Eagles (3-11-1, 1-8-1 KCAC) on Wednesday afternoon at The Z.

The Spires were not a team many expected to be in the KCAC conversation this season, but Saint Mary boasts one of the best offenses in the conference, averaging exactly three goals per game, and that offense was on full display on Wednesday. Avila goalkeeper Naguib Nassir made a great save off a penalty kick by Paul Trejo just north of ten minutes in, but the Spires got the ball right back a minute later and Trejo chipped it in from distance to get the Spires on the board first.

Over the next 11 minutes, Saint Mary scored twice more through Shemari Hibbert and Anthony Rangel, and the Spires looked like they might be set to run away with things. But Avila had other ideas. Sam Kanda has been a sparkplug over the course of his career, and he produced his best performance of the season to give his team a chance.

Just a minute after Rangel's goal made it 3-0, Kanda marched down the field and scored to get the Eagles on the board. And just about 2:30 after that, the Eagles won a free kick deep in enemy territory and Kanda stepped up and drove it past Come Grieu to get Avila back within 3-2 in the 26^th minute.

All of the sudden it was a brand new ballgame. Saint Mary retaliated but the Eagle defense was up to the task: Nassir made two saves and the defense blocked two others. Finally, however, the Saint Mary siege got home: Rangel scored again and the Kolby Shuck followed up with another tally less than a minute later to give USM a 5-2 lead at the break.

After a frenetic first half, Saint Mary was content to settle things down and ride out a road win. AJ Rankin helped the Eagles generate a few chances early in the second half but they could never break through again. Rangel set up Guilherme Caldas for a goal in the final 12 minutes to put the finishing touches on a 6-2 Saint Mary win, keeping the Spires firmly in the KCAC Tournament picture.

Up next for Avila is a road trip to York, Nebraska to take on the Panthers in a game that has plenty of import for the bottom half of the league table. Kickoff on Friday is scheduled for 3:30 PM following the conclusion of the women's game; as always, you can watch all the action on the KCAC Sports Network.