SAN ANGELO, Texas – After having the 2020 season postponed until the spring, the Angelo State women's soccer team will travel for its first game of the year as the Belles face St. Edward's in a Lone Star Conference match on Wednesday, Feb. 24 in Austin.
The Belles will look for their 11th straight appearance in the Lone Star Conference this season, making the tournament every year since 2010. In the LSC Preseason Coaches' Poll, ASU came in at sixth in the league with 268 points, one point behind Texas Woman's in fifth. DBU was selected as the heavy favorite to win the conference, tallying 27 of the 29 first-place votes followed by St. Edward's in second and Lubbock Christian in third.
Angelo State finished the 2019 season with a 12-5-2 overall record, while going 8-4-1 in Lone Star matches. The Belles advanced to the LSC Tournament as the sixth seed, falling to Lubbock Christian in penalty kicks 5-4 after ending regulation in a scoreless tie.
ANGELO STATE BELLES (0-0, 0-0 LSC) vs. ST. EDWARD'S HILLTOPPERS (0-0, 0-0 LSC)
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ALL-TIME SERIES: SEU leads the all-time series 13-4-2. Last Meeting: ASU, 2-1
While the Hilltoppers lead the series against Angelo State, the Belles have had some recent success, sweeping both matches last year. ASU won early in the season on the road 1-0 before closing out the season with a 2-1 victory.
SCOUTING ST. EDWARD'S:
The Hilltoppers will also play their first match of the spring season on Wednesday as they enter the year picked to finish second overall in the LSC poll. With two first-place votes, SEU collected 314 points in the poll while defender Sarah Avant was named Co-Preseason Defensive Players of the Year for the conference.
In the 2019 campaign, SEU finished second in goals allowed, giving up an average of .77 goals per game for the season. Offensively, the Hilltoppers finished 42 goals and the fourth highest average at 1.909 goals per game.
SEU returns two of its top three scorers in Sarah Gunderson and Sarah Preston who both finished with eight goals on the year. Preston was also named to the LSC All-Conference First-Team for her performance during the season.
#RAMEM
The Belles return a lot of talent from the 2019 squad that reached the LSC postseason tournament. Avery McNeme leads the returners after earning LSC All-Conference honors while also being named the Lone Star Midfielder of the Year for the second consecutive season. McNeme finished with five goals and 10 assists to lead the Belles in points while Valerie Solis also returns, scoring four goals and four assists last season. Also returning is Emily Keoughan who finished with nine points after scoring two goals while adding five assists. Returning between the posts is Kira Miller who started all 19 games she played while collecting 61 saves with 11 wins and a goals against average of .96.
