EDINBURG - It's one thing to beat somebody. It's quite another to beat them back to back.

That's the obstacle the University of Texas-Pan American Broncs must hurdle this Friday as they open the St. Edward's University Soccer Tournament against the host team.

Winning on the Hilltopper's own turf will be doubly difficult because UT Pan American will travel to Austin Friday morning, a six-hour drive, to play a 6 p.m. match.

The Broncs escaped with a 1-0 win over St. Edward's to open the season last week in Edinburg. With no substitute players, the Broncs stayed in a defensive shell the entire game. Demian Morquin's penalty shot won it while goalie Felipe Flores preserved the shutout.

Saturday, the Broncs play another NAIA team--St. Mary's of San Antonio. The fifth place, third place and championship games are Sunday. It's a six-team tourney.

"I expect to get to the finals," Coach Eloy Moran said. "With more elidible players, we should be St. Edward's and St. Mary's -- on paper."

The fourth-year coach expects to meet Texas Christian in the finals. TCU is in a group with Incarnate Word College (San Antonio) and Houston Baptist. UT Pan American's group is with the Hilltoppers and the Rattlers. The top two teams in each group play for the championship. The Broncs and the Horned Frogs of TCU are the only NCAA Division I schools in the field.

The Broncs finished second in this tournament last year with a team Moran feels was more talented that this year's. But this team possesses a much stronger work ethic, he says.

"We should have won (last year) but we didn't," he admits, "but this is the most disciplined team I've ever had, period."