SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State soccer team carries a four-game winning streak into a pair of Lone Star Conference road game this weekend at No. 24 Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas Woman's.

The Rambelles (5-2-1, 1-0 LSC) are coming off a 1-0 win over Midwestern State to open LSC play last Thursday before earning a 3-1 non-conference victory over Oklahoma Christian last Saturday. The games at A&M-Commerce (5-1-1, 1-0-1 LSC) and TWU (3-5-2, 0-1-1 LSC) will conclude a five-game road trip for ASU which is 3-0-1 away from San Angelo this season. ASU will play at 7 p.m. on Friday against A&M-Commerce at Lion Soccer Field before playing at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the TWU Soccer Field.

The Lions, who have not lost since a 0-1 decision in their season-opener against Fort Lewis, are coming off a 0-0 tie against West Texas A&M last Sunday and a 2-1 double overtime win over Eastern New Mexico last Friday in road contests. The Pioneers tied ENMU, 2-2, and lost 0-1 to WT last week.

ASU has only allowed one goal in regulation in the past six games and only five goals through the first eight games of the season. The Rambelles are second in the conference behind only A&M-Commerce in defending with a .582 goals against average. The Lions possess a .536 goals against average and have allowed only four goals through seven games.
 
RAMBELLE PLAYER SUMMARIES

Dani Edwards comes into the weekend with three shutouts and four wins for Angelo State in goal. The senior, who was the 2012 LSC Goalkeeper of the Year, has recorded 24 saves this season and has a .923 saves percentage. Edwards leads the conference again this year with a .323 goals against average and her saves percentage. Her 24 saves ranks fourth in the conference which is a reflection of the strong defensive presence her teammates Caitlyn Conaway, Jordan Benfield, Trisha Killen, Brittany Martinez and Lauren Perry are exhibiting this season.

Selena Alvarez and Sierra Anderson lead the Rambelles this season with three goals each – including both scoring in ASU's win over Oklahoma Christian last Saturday. Anderson, a forward from Wichita Falls, has scored a goal in each of the past three games after starting the season with 16 shots and no goals. She now has six goals in her career at ASU while Alvarez has four goals in her career after having one as a freshman. Anderson and Alvarez are two goals behind MSU's Ashley Cottrell who leads the conference with five goals. Anderson leads the team with 23 shots while has scored her three goals on only eight shots.

Jenny Kotowych and Kathleen Keoughan are tied for second on the team with two goals each. Keoughan, who was named the LSC's Offensive Player of the Week three weeks ago, scored the first goal of the season just three minutes into action in the season opener against New Mexico Highlands and then added the final goal in ASU's 3-0 win over Wayland Baptist. Kotowych scored both her goals against WBU in the first half. The pair of freshmen have combined for 19 shots this season.

Maggie Schaffer , Kelli Regan and Brianne Brown have each added one goal for ASU this season. Schaffer has 11 goals in her three-year career, while Brown and Regan each are in their first year at ASU. Regan scored ASU's second goal last Saturday against OC. Brown scored her goal against Colorado Mesa with Schaffer scoring against Ouachita Baptist.
 
COACH QUOTES

Head coach Travis McCorkle (55-41-15 record in 6th year at ASU, 95 overall career wins)

On where the Rambelles are at eight games into the season:
"Our defending has been great all season and we are starting to capitalize on our attacking opportunities. We have to make sure that we are focused and that we keep improving. We are only 1-0 in conference right now."
 
On playing at Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday:
"They are the points leader in the conference and ranked 24th in the nation. That should be something that we are ready for. It's an opportunity for us. They have gone back to playing their original style of play which is direct. We will have to deal with a lot of aerial challenges. They don't like to knock the ball around and pass it, but rather they want to move it down the field as fast as they can. It's going to be physical and require a lot of concentration on our part during their set pieces."
 
On playing at Texas Woman's on Sunday:
"Texas Woman's has had some ups and downs this season and we need to be sure that we are focused on what we do. It's a tough place to play at and we did not get the result we wanted last year. We'll have to go there and play our best. Woman's is going to play in a 4-4-3 and will be direct as well. They have some talented forwards and we'll have to be ready to handle them."
 
On the increased offensive production from the Rambelles:
"I think we are getting more comfortable in our attacking. We are developing better timing and are seeing the result in that."
 

Angelo State vs. Texas A&M-Commerce Lions

ASU took two wins over A&M-Commerce last season with a 2-1 victory on the road before taking a 3-1 decision on Victory Lane in San Angelo. Callie Ballard has a .536 goals against average as the Lions' goalkeeper this season with three shutouts and 26 total saves. Savannah Henderson leads the conference with 3.43 shots per game (24 total) for A&M-Commerce and has four goals. She was named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday after scoring both goals for the Lions in their 2-1 double overtime win over ENMU. The Lions have outscored their opponents 13-4 this season.

The Rambelles and Lions have played each other every season since the ASU program was started in 1995. A&M-Commerce owns a 13-6-5 all-time advantage over the Rambelles after the two teams opened the series with 0-0 ties in the first three meetings. ASU's first win over the Lions came in a 1-0 win in 1996 in the fourth meeting. A&M-Commerce is coming off a 5-12-0 overall record and 4-10-0 conference mark last season. They did not make the conference tournament after dropping their final four games of the regular season. Neil Piper leads the Lions for the 15th season as the program's head coach. Eva Brutto returns for her senior season after earning first-team all-LSC distinction for her defensive efforts last season, while Anitra Wright will be a sophomore who earned second-team honors at forward as a freshman.
 

Angelo State vs. Texas Woman's Pioneers

ASU went 2-1-0 last season against TWU, including taking a 1-0 opening-round win in the Lone Star Conference tournament in Canyon. TWU has allowed 14 goals this season, but leads the conference with 19 goals scored. Alisa Velasquez leads the Pioneers with four goals, while Emily Davila has three goals. In goal, Lindsey Sisco has 29 saves in 564:52 minutes.

The Rambelles dropped a 1-2 decision in Denton in the regular season before claiming a 1-0 win in San Angelo. ASU owns a 9-5-1 advantage in the all-time series against TWU (the first ever match resulted in a 5-0 win for ASU in 2002). The Pioneers are coming off a 2012 season where it went 7-10-2 overall and 6-7-1 in conference play. TWU will be under the direction of first-year head coach Babak Abouzar who takes over for Fleur Benatar who had coached the program since its inception 11 years ago. Abouzar was the team's assistant coach last season. Sarah Deeb earned second-team all-LSC honors as a freshman and returns for her sophomore season to help bolster the TWU defense.
 
UP NEXT: The Rambelles will return to play at the ASU Soccer Field for the first time in almost a month next week when they host West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. ASU will play at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 against WT before hosting ENMU at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13.