SAN ANGELO, Texas – The 15^th-ranked Angelo State women's soccer team continued its winning ways on Wednesday as the Belles defeated St. Edward's 3-0 at the ASU soccer field to remain undefeated on the season.
 
With the win, the Belles improve to 4-0-0 on the season and 2-0-0 in Lone Star Conference play while the Hilltoppers move to 1-3-0 on the season, 1-1-0 in the LSC. ASU has now beaten the St. Edward's twice this season, outscoring the Hilltoppers 4-0 combined in both matches.
 
The Belles pressured SEU early in the match, hitting two quick shots by Cindy Rodriguez, which ended in a save, and Katelin Heise. Moments later, ASU found the back of the net as Rodriguez sent a deep cross from the corner of the field, finding the foot of Avery McNeme who made a perfect run into the box for her second goal of the season.
 
Less than three minutes later, the Belles struck again as Bianca Troost blocked a clear attempt in the Hilltoppers' box and charged down the ball before SEU's keeper could recover, sliding the ball into the corner to take a 2-0 lead at the 15^th-minute mark.
 
"It was a great performance," said Head Coach Travis McCorkle. "We talked about how great it would be to play a tough team like this and go into the half with the lead and we did just that. "The first two goals with phenomenal, it was a great service and a great run, but also it was the other runs by our team that opened up the opportunity for Avery."
 
Casey Crawford started in goal for the Belles, holding the Hilltoppers scoreless in the first half and recording a save. She would have to come out for the second half after suffering a collision in the closing moments of the first period.
 
Finishing in goal for ASU was Troost who has now recorded 129 minutes in goal and 110 minutes played in the field. Troost kept SEU scoreless for the remainder of the match, recording four saves to bring her season total to five. She has yet to give up a goal and as a forward, has recorded one goal and one assist this season.
 
"It's something [Bianca] is always thinking about because it's what she does for her international team, but the part that we have worked on is she is going to have to be mentally prepared for these situations if something happens down the road and she is ready for it," added McCorkle.
 
Midway through the second half, Rodriguez tallied her second assist of the night and her fourth of the season, sending in another cross on a counter play, finding Gabby Villagrand who put a diving header on target for her second goal in two games.
 
The Hilltoppers found some energy late in the match, firing off few different attempts but the backline continued to interrupt the offense of SEU. The Belles have recorded three shutouts on the season now, allowing only one goal.
"It was great to get the three goals and not let up," said McCorkle. "I can't stress enough getting that shutout, that backline did an excellent job. We had at least seven different defenders go in tonight and to still got the shutout shows we have some really good defenders on our team."
 
Angelo State pressured SEU throughout the night, tallying 13 shots with seven landing on goal while St. Edward's finished the match with seven shots, five on target.
 
"The challenge we talked about after the game is can we get better, is this the summit, or can we move faster in the midfield, can we counter the other team better, can we continue to score in the first half and find more opportunities late in the game, that is the challenge moving forward"
 
The Belles continue LSC play on the road next week as they take on St. Mary's on Wednesday, Mar. 17 in San Antonio.