DENTON, Texas – The No. 7 Angelo State women's soccer team got back to their winning ways Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 win against Texas Woman's University in Denton.
The Belles now sport a 7-1-1 record and 1-1-0 in Lone Star Conference play while the Pioneers fall to 5-3-1 and 1-1-0 in the LSC.
TWU put the pressure to ASU in the first half taking five shots compared to zero for the Belles.
"The thing I'm not pleased about is I still want to see us start a game in the first half they way that we should," ASU head soccer coach Travis McCorkle said. "We want that mobility, the possession, the movement and the intent to win the game in the first half rather than trying to get in the flow as the game goes."
The second half was a different story. The Belles took 15 shots and finally found the net in the 62nd minute on a goal to the lower left corner of the net by Haley Mendel from about 15 yards out. Mendel overcame several obstacles as TWU nearly cleared the ball for her fifth goal of the season.
"It was a continued, relentless effort," ASU assistant coach Shayla Sabin said of Mendel's goal. "Eventually she found the touch and finished it."
Sabin also credited the half time adjustment to a change in formation.
"We pushed up one more player and we increased our opportunities on the attack," Sabin said. We were able to get forward and increased our mental effort. We told them we had zero shots at half time and I think that was a wake up call."
Sierra Anderson scored her fifth goal of the season on a breakaway in the 70th minute, which was assisted by Tiffany Dang. It is Dang's second assist of the season. Anderson led ASU with eight shots. She is tops in the LSC in shots taken with 36, eight more than the next closest player.
The Belles defense posted their fourth shutout of the season and goalkeeper Shantel Wittke's third. Wittke made five saves, four of which came in the second half. Wittke now has 29 saves on the season.
"In the second half, we were able to impose our will on the game," McCorkle said.
ASU will kickoff a two-match home stand at the ASU Soccer Field against West Texas A&M Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. and round out the weekend against Eastern New Mexico Oct. 4, at 1 p.m.
