SAN ANGELO – The No. 6-ranked Angelo State women's soccer team collected their second conference victory in a 2-0 win over West Texas A&M.
The Belles (8-1-1, 2-1-0 LSC) racked up their eighth win of the season in convincing fashion over WT (3-5-0, 1-1-0 LSC) on Friday night on goals from Haley Mendel and Sierra Anderson. The pair is tied for the team lead with six goals apiece. Ashley Exford assisted on Anderson's goal.Â
"I think our possession was pretty good tonight," ASU head coach Travis McCorkle said. "We worked all week on it. I do think it played into their hands a little bit because they wanted the ball to be moving forward slower. WT did a good job of stopping us in the midfield. Once we figured that out we were able to create chances. WT got tired trying to chase us around. In the end it was just trying to hold on."
Tiffany Dang was fouled in the 24th minute in the penalty area by a WT defender to setup a penalty kick. Mendel took the penalty kick and buried it in the bottom right corner of the net. It is the first penalty kick of the season.
The Belles went to the half leading 1-0, despite being outshot 7-3 by WT.
Anderson scored in the 70th minute on a through ball from Ashley Exford that was deflected behind a WT defender. Anderson beat the defender to the ball leaving her one-on-one with the goalkeeper in which she squibbed the ball beyond the keeper into the bottom right corner of the net.
Exford, Shay Williams, Callie Smith, Molly Warren and company anchored a backline that was stifling for the WT attack.
"As a defender, we are the back line," ASU's Shay Williams said after the match. "We try to push from the back to the midfield to the forwards, everything we do helps build to the forward. We definitely take pride in the goals being scored."
ASU's defensive pressure was too much for the Lady Buffs as they were held to just two shots in the second half. The Belles outshot WT 14-9 for the match. It is the Belles fifth shutout of the season and Shantel Wittke's fourth. The senior goalkeeper finished with six saves.
The Belles return to the ASU Soccer Field Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. for a Lone Star Conference match with Eastern New Mexico. Eastern lost to Midwestern State 2-0 Friday night.
