SAN ANGELO – The Belles open their conference schedule this week with a road trip to San Antonio to take on St. Mary's (TX) tomorrow before they host Eastern New Mexico on the weekend.
The Belles closed out their non-conference schedule last weekend with a 7-0 win over New Mexico Highlands; they went 5-0 overall in non-conference play, adding in home wins over Colorado Christian and Colorado State – Pueblo as well as road wins over East Central and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
The Belles have scored a league-best 19 goals this season while only conceding twice; they have outshot opponents 89-25 and have won 29 corner kicks to the opposition's eight.
Twelve different players have scored for the Belles this season, led by
Cindy Rodriguez's four. The midfielder is in a good run of form right now, scoring twice against the Cowgirls and having scored three times in the last two matches.
Avery McNeme leads the country in assists with six and is the current NCAA Division II active leader in career assists with 31;
Valerie Solis is tied for third in the country in the same category with five assists of her own this season.
Defensively, the pairing of
Kylie Hampton and
Cassidy Hill in front of goalkeeper
Kira Miller have been airtight, only allowing five shots a game while Miller has recorded 13 saves so far this season.
The Belles' first matchup tomorrow sees them face off with St. Mary's (TX). Under head coach
Travis McCorkle, the Belles are 7-0 against the Rattlers, including a pair of wins this past spring season, the second of which was in the quarterfinal of the LSC Tournament.
The Rattlers are 3-2 on the season, most recently winning 1-0 over Division I Texas Southern. They have scored 12 times this season, led by Eliza Merrion's four goals. In between the sticks, freshman Rebecca Difronzo has made 18 saves while only conceding three goals.
The Belles come back home to host Eastern New Mexico on Saturday. The Belles have only lost twice and drawn once against the Greyhounds under McCorkle. Additionally, they have shut out the Greyhounds in their last seven matches, having last allowed a goal in 2016.
The Greyhounds are 2-3 on the season, notching non-conference wins over Colorado State – Pueblo and Western Colorado. Katey Stice is responsible for three of the team's four goals, and goalkeeper Whitney Dockweiler has recorded 21 saves while only conceding six times so far.
Following this week of matches, the Belles will stay at home to face Texas A&M International next Wednesday before going on the road to Oklahoma Christian.
