Final Box

SAN ANGELO – Was raining, was pouring, but the Rambelles kept scoring. The Angelo State soccer team outlasted Incarnate Word, 2-1, at the ASU Soccer Field Friday evening in each teams opening Lone Star Conference match. ASU's Lauren Carnes and Brandie DeBacker both tallied goals in the wet and sloppy conditions.

In the 30th minute, Hanna Horeis crossed the ball from 24-yards out to Carnes. The sophomore controlled the ball and guided it to the back of the net to give Angelo State (4-2-1, 1-0) a 1-0 lead. Before the commotion in the stands seized, the 'Belles were on the offensive attack again when senior-captain Shannon Dean was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty kick. DeBacker, ASU's leading scorer, stepped in to take the penalty kick and drilled it past the diving keeper for her third goal of the season. Angelo State entered halftime with a 2-0 lead.

“Lauren didn't stop and watch as the ball was bouncing around in the penalty area, but she stuck with the play and found the back of the net,” said third-year head coach Travis McCorkle. “Shannon had just been fouled, but I'm not a fan of the person that is fouled to take the penalty kick, so Brandie stepped up and said, 'Hey, it's mine. I got this.' I love Brandie's confidence to step up and buried it for us.”

Although the rain held off in the first half, Mother Nature made a substitution at halftime. The clear skies and warm temperature that played in the first half were subbed for afternoon showers and a 20-degree temperature drop for the remainder of the game. The audible in weather seemed to prevent either team from establishing any offensive rhythm in the second half. Incarnate Word (2-3-1, 0-1-0) struck in the closing minutes when Cassidy Ballantyne kicked the ball through a scrum in the middle of the box, but it was not enough as ASU held on for the 2-1 victory.

“This was a huge win for us to build our confidence and get us off to the right track in conference play,” said McCorkle. “As soon as it started raining, nothing changed for us. We had the same resiliency in the second half as we did in the first.”

The Rambelles will return to the pitch Sunday against No. 11 St. Edward's at 2 p.m. For more information, logon to AngeloSports.com.