Soccer | 9/8/2016 2:03:00 PM
SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State soccer team will play its first two matches at the ASU Soccer Field on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. against Fort Lewis College and Sunday, Sept. 11 at noon against New Mexico Highlands.
The Belles opened the season at 2-0 after wins over the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 3-1, and Adams State, 2-0. ASU has scored five goals on the season off 35 shots and averages 2.5 goals per game. Angelo State is averaging 17.5 shots per game while limiting opponents to 8.5 per contest.
"I think that the returners have done a good job of passing on information to the younger players about what they want and what they expect from those younger players," McCorkle said. "I feel like the younger players have gotten the information but now we want to see our younger players step up and start performing better. The experience and hopefully be calmer and make decisions in the right time
The Belles went 6-3 at home last season at the ASU Soccer Field including a win over Texas Woman's that clinched the LSC Regular Season Championship. ASU averaged 488 fans per home contest last season with a season high of 648 against Texas A&M-Commerce.
"We love playing in front of our fans," Angelo State head soccer coach Travis McCorkle said. "I think that when we get all of the different groups on campus. the students and community coming to our games, it's really special. We want a big group of fans and we'd like to average about 750 fans. It's a fantastic environment when you have that many fans. It really adds to our team's energy level."
Demi Tsambasis provided a majority of the offensive firepower for ASU in the opening two games. The senior earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring four goals over the weekend. She is the only player in the LSC to score multiple goals this season. The Temecula, California, native is tops on the team in shots (11), shots on goal (7) and is credited with both game-winning goals.
Trenadey Scott scored her first career goal and it was the Belles first goal of the season. She took a pass from Haley Mendel and beat a defender at the 4' mark of the first match against UC Colorado Springs. The freshman added an assist on Tsambasis first goal against Adams State. She has taken six shots on the season.
Mendel dished out two assists against UC Colorado Spring. The senior not only connected with Scott but found Tsambasis for the second goal of the season. She has taken two shots on the season and one of her shots was on goal.
Shay Williams helped the defense to its first shutout on Sunday and provided a spark offensively. The senior sent a corner kick that Tsambasis was able to head in against Adams State. It was the first goal off a set piece for ASU.
The defense of Ashley Exford, Lauren Perry, Callie Smith and Molly Warren held opponents to just 17 total shots in the two matches.
Lauren Eshelman and Sammy Cude each earned their first career victories in the net. Cude earned the shutout against Adams State and has not allowed a goal in 111 minutes of action. Eshelman defeated UC Colorado Springs and has only allowed one goal.
Fort Lewis enters with a 1-1 record after going 12-5-4 a year before and advancing to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional hosted at ASU. New Mexico Highlands is 0-1-1 on the season.
"Fort Lewis is always a quality team," McCorkle said. "They're always at the top of the RMAC and they want to possess the ball and go forward and score goals. New Mexico Highlands is also a good team that is always tough in the RMAC. They battle and grind and force mistakes. They're going to work extremely hard and we're going to have to be ready to meet or beat that effort."
