SAN ANGELO – Texas A&M-Commerce came into San Angelo two weeks ago and left with a 3-2 Lone Star Conference win over Angelo State at the ASU Soccer Field. Now the Rambelles and Lions return to the pitch for the rematch in a 7 p.m. match on Friday in Commerce.

“Commerce is a physical team that we are going to have to play hard against the entire game,” said ASU senior Megan Schaffer, who was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday. “We have to match their aggressiveness. We have to come out and play hard right away.”

GAME NOTES  //  LSC SOCCER RELEASE

Angelo State (4-5-2, 3-2-2 LSC) is 2-0-2 since it lost to the Lions, including a 3-0 win in its last game on Sunday against Eastern New Mexico. A&M-Commerce (4-5-2, 2-3-2 LSC) is coming off a 1-1 draw against Texas Woman's on Wednesday and is 0-3-1 since beating the Rambelles. ASU is 1-3-1 on the road this season with its only road win coming in a 1-0 win over then-nationally ranked Midwestern State.

“The good teams win on the road,” ASU sophomore Trisha Killen said. “We have to get wins out there. We have built some confidence from last week and need to carry it over to this weekend.”

Brandie DeBacker leads the Rambelles with six goals this season, while Maggie Schaffer has added four and Hanna Horeis three. DeBacker, who is six points shy of 79 career points and passing Sheri Champlin (2001-04) for second all-time in the ASU record books, scored the Rambelles first goal against the Lions in the only game this season where Angelo State scored first and lost. Horeis scored her first goal of the season against A&M-Commerce and has since added goals against West Texas A&M and ENMU.

Freshmen goalkeeper Morgan Harrison has started the past five games after replacing Taylor Cardinal who was injured in the first half against A&M-Commerce. Harrison, who was selected as the LSC Goalkeeper of the Week after recording two shutouts last week, has three shutouts and 31 saves this season.

“She has gained good experience in goal for us the last couple of weeks and is raising her confidence with her performances,” ASU head coach Travis McCorkle said of Harrison. “She is improving her fundamentals by working hard in practice. I think there are some early opportunities when she let some goals in, but last week I was extremely pleased to see her progress.”

Jade Bell, who scored two second-half goals in the first game in San Angelo, leads the Lions with five goals this season. Brionna Minde adds four goals to the stats sheet, while goalkeeper Randi Hafele has recorded 64 goals and one shutout for the Lions.

The Rambelles will play at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Texas Woman's (0-8-3, 0-6-1 LSC).


Coaches and Player Quotes

Head coach Travis McCorkle
On the Rambelles' improvement on defense:
We are not getting pulled apart and separated defensively like we did in some of our losses. We are not the most physical team out there. We have come to grips that we can't be a finesse team anymore. We have to be physical and battle for every possession if we are going to get the results we believe we should. We were mentally ready to compete last week.


Megan Schaffer: Senior defender from New Braunfels
On the Rambelles' rematch against Texas A&M-Commerce:
Commerce is a physical team that we are going to have to play hard against the entire game. We have to match their aggressiveness. We have to come out and play hard right away.

On the Rambelles' improvement in the past two weeks:
Our passing has gotten better and we are in a better shape. The past couple of wins has put an excitement in us. We all have a positive attitude right now that we can play with anyone.


Lauren Carnes: Junior midfielder from Amarillo
On what she learned about Texas A&M-Commerce from the first match:
They have some dynamic players who are really good in the air. They move all around the field, so we are going to have to be on our toes the entire game. Even if we're not the tallest team, we have players who know how to get in position and win position.

On the Rambelles' improvement in the past two weeks:
I feel like we've been through a lot as a team and are stronger than we were at the start of the season. We have a different mindset as a team than we did the last time we played them.

On improving on the Rambelles' 1-3-1 road record:
It's important to just stay focused on the game and get past any distractions at their place.


Trisha Killen: Sophomore defender from North Richland Hills
On the Rambelles needing to improve their road record:
The good teams win on the road. We have to get wins out there. We have built some confidence from last week and need to carry it over to this weekend.

On the Rambelles' improvement the last two weeks:
We are getting organized on the field and are really doing a great job of communicating now that we are getting used to each other.