SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State soccer team returns to the ASU Soccer Field for the first time in two weeks at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to take on Incarnate Word.
The Rambelles (5-4-1, 3-2-1 LSC) are coming off a 1-0 win over Eastern New Mexico, while the Cardinals (3-5-0, 3-3-0 LSC) earned a 4-1 win at West Texas A&M last Sunday. UIW leads the conference with 2.33 goals per game with the Rambelles leading in second in the goals allowed department by limiting opponents to 1.00 goals per game. ASU and UIW tied both of games the two teams played against each other last year with a 0-0 draw in San Antonio before a 1-1 tie in San Angelo.
“Our defense has been really strong all year but you can't win these games unless you're able to score,” ASU head coach
Travis McCorkle said. “Incarnate Word is a tough team that is scoring goals this season. We have to be able to score against them and continue playing defense like we have been in most of our games.”
The Rambelles, who went 2-2 on the four-game road trip they just ended, are currently in third place in the con
ference standings with 16 points, while UIW is fourth with nine points. West Texas A&M leads the LSC with 19 points and Texas Woman's is second with 17 points.
Sierra Anderson scored the game-winning goal for the Rambelles in their win over ENMU and joins
Katie Squires and
Maggie Schaffer as the team's leaders in goals scored this season with two each.
Hanna Horeis has added 32 shots for the offense, while
Lauren Carnes leads ASU with four assists. In goal, Danielle Edwards has made 36 saves and has three shutouts to her name.
“We are pretty good defensively and I think our finishing has not been as good as it needs to be,” McCorkle said. “That comes down to the players executing when they have an opportunity to score. We are at home and have to get wins. We have to push ourselves higher in the standings this week.”
Amber Guenther leads Incarnate Word with four goals in conference play and five overall. The junior from San Antonio is averaging 2.67 shots per game against LSC opponents, while Jazma Latu has tacked on two goals for the Cardinals. Katie Miller leads UIW with two assists in LSC play while Samantha Johnson has contributed three assists this year. Heather Kowalik has been solid in goal with 18 saves.
“They have had some good results and then some games that they were disappointed in. They have been up and down, but will be a very tough team to play against. They are coming off a big win over West Texas A&M but also a loss to Eastern New Mexico.”
ASU, which is 5-8-3 all-time against UIW, will host Texas Woman's on Friday (4 p.m.) and Texas A&M-Commerce on Sunday (1 p.m.) in a game where the Rambelles will be wearing pink uniforms for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Pioneers are currently on a four-game unbeaten streak.
“It's going to be nice to be back at home having our fans cheering for us instead of hearing people root against us,” McCorkle said. “That's always a good thing to have. We are looking forward to another great turnout like we got the first weekend of conference play. That support was fantastic and really helped us.”
