SAN ANGELO – The Belles return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 off the back of them winning the LSC Tournament Championship. Entering as the four-seed, they will take on fifth-seeded Westminster (Utah) in the first round of the South Central Regionals on Friday on the campus of DBU with start time set for 1 p.m.
The Belles are 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament against RMAC opposition, beating MSU Denver in 2014 and losing to UC – Colorado Springs in their last appearance in 2018.
The Belles have made it to the NCAA Tournament four times previously under head coach
Travis McCorkle.
The Belles have scored 44 goals this season and only allowed 14 goals, best in the LSC. The Belles' defense shutout all three of their opponents en route to the LSC Championship.
The Belles are led by LSC Midfielder of the Year
Avery McNeme and LSC Goalkeeper of the Year
Kira Miller. McNeme, the LSC Tournament MVP, has scored eight times this season and assisted nine more times.
Valerie Solis has assisted eight times this season while scoring four times, and
Grace Jordan and
Gabby Villagrand have scored five times each for the Belles this season.
Miller has made 48 saves and allowed 0.64 goals against average, best in the conference. Miller, along with All-LSC First Teamer
Cassidy Hill and LSC All-Tournament player
Kylie Hampton, have formed a consistent and impenetrable defense that only allows 7.4 shots per game.
Other Belles' honorees this season include
Madison Stokes (All-LSC Third Team and All-Tournament Team),
Katelin Heise (All-Tournament Team),
Grace Jordan (All-Freshman Team) and
Mariah Griffin (All-Tournament Team).
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Westminster went 10-2-5 on the season, with a draw against ASU's common opponents CSU Pueblo and a win over Colorado Christian. The Griffins took Colorado School of Mine to penalties, eventually falling in the RMAC quarterfinals.
The Griffins went 5-2-5 in games decided by one goal and went 1-1-4 in overtime matches. The Griffin defense, much like the Belles, is very stout, only allowing 12 goals this season.
The Griffins had five players named to all-conference teams, led by Alexa Maple and Alex Hoffman's first-team selections. Maple leads the team with eight goals and five assists on the season.
The winner of Friday's match will advance to the next round to take on top-seed DBU in the next round.
