SAN ANGELO – The No. 6-ranked Angelo State women's soccer team returns to the ASU Soccer Field for two Lone Star Conference matches on Friday Oct. 2, against West Texas A&M and Sunday Oct. 4, versus Eastern New Mexico.
The Belles enter the weekend 7-1-1 (1-1-0 LSC) and have received much attention in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll as of late. ASU has been ranked in the top 25 the previous two weeks and jumped from No. 7 to No. 6, despite a 1-1 week.
ASU head coach Travis McCorkle noted that the Belles aren't going to let the national attention detour their focus.
"Anybody in our conference can beat anyone so things have to be right when we step on the field," McCorkle said.
ASU has been carried by a host of players contributing. Nine different players have scored for the Belles, with Haley Mendel and Sierra Anderson leading the charge with five apiece. The pair is tied for third in the LSC. Demi Tsambasis has knocked in four goals and Tiffany Dang has scored three of her own. Selena Alvarez has netted two goals as well and Kathleen Keoughan, Payton Shlemon, Loni Byers and Lauren Perry have scored one goal.
The Belles have outscored opponents 23-6 in nine matches, allowing just two second half goals. Anderson has attempted the most shots in the LSC with 36, 11 more than anyone else in the conference. Anderson is also second in the conference in points (14), teammate Mendel is tied for third in the LSC in points with 12.
The Belles lead the LSC in the in several offensive categories including shots (145), points (63), goals (23) and assists (17). The ASU defense has also allowed the second fewest goals (6) in the conference in nine matches. Goalkeeper Shantel Wittke is second in the LSC in goals against average (.570).
The Belles enter Friday's match undefeated on their home field (2-0) and face West Texas A&M who finished last season 7-11 (3-7 LSC) and has opened this season 4-4 (1-0 LSC).
In two matches with the Lady Buffs in 2014, the Belles notched two wins and combined to outscore WT 5-0. ASU is 6-3-1 in the last 10 matches with WT dating back to 2010.
The Lady Buffs are led by freshman Khadidra Debesette who has scored two goals and is the reigning LSC Offensive Player of the Week. Debesette also leads the LSC in points per game at 2.40 and is second in goals with six.
WT has outscored opponents 13-11 in seven games in 2015, but have allowed the most goals of any LSC team. Karyn Forbes, who is tied for second on the team with one goal scored, is second in the LSC in shots taken with 25.
Sunday, the Belles close the weekend with a match versus Eastern New Mexico who dropped their only conference match thus far. They stand 3-4-1 overall. The two teams split last year's series, with each team winning on their home field. They met again in the LSC tournament in 2014 as ASU prevailed with a 3-1 win. The Belles are 6-2-1 against the Greyhounds dating back to 2011.
The Greyhounds are paced by two leading scorers Melissa Carnero and Morgan Fairbanks who have each scored two goals.
