PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico women's soccer team will look to snap its recent losing streak when they host St. Edward's and Angelo State this weekend inside Greyhound Stadium.
LAST WEEK
The Hounds dropped their second and third consecutive match last week against a pair of tough opponents last week as they fell to #13 DBU and Texas Woman's.
Eastern could not recover after surrendering an early penalty kick as it fell to DBU 4-0. Team points leader
Desiree Morgas managed two shots in the first half and a quality scoring chance at the 14:29 mark, sending the ball into the bottom right corner but the shot was saved by the Patriots keeper. The Hounds committed a costly hand ball in the box with three minutes before the first half horn which led to a DBU penalty kick. Junior keeper
Whitney Dockweiler guessed right on her save attempt but the shot slipped passed her finger tips breaking up the tie ballgame. The Patriots extended their lead in the final 45 minutes with three unanswered goals. Junior forward Kaci Parks netted a pair of goals, first at the 65:02 mark and then again in the 80th minute. Eastern committed another foul inside the box in the 76th minute before junior midfielder Margaret Torres scored off the penalty kick. The Hounds offense struggled to find their rhythm and only managed three shots the entire match with all coming in the first half. Junior defender
Hayden Zuniga played all 90 minutes of the game and also recorded a crucial save for the Hounds. Dockweiler made a handful of saves throughout the match and finished with eight total after facing 20 shots.
The Hounds battled hard before falling to Texas Woman's 3-1 Saturday morning in Pioneer Soccer Park. Freshman
Taylor Fogle netted her first collegiate goal with just 30 second remaining in the first half but the Hounds struggled to create offensive chances in the final 45 minutes of the match. Eastern was out-shot 20-7 while two second half goals from the Pioneers ultimately sealed the game as the Hounds move to 4-4-1 overall and own a 1-4-0 conference record. Fogle only managed one shot the entire match but made the most of her opportunity as she scored the Hounds lone goal. At the 43:52 mark freshman
Josefina Villa sent a shot that missed its mark that gave TWU a goal kick with time winding down in the half. The Pioneers were unable to move the ball past the midline as Fogle intercepted the ball in TWU territory before scoring her first career goal.
Scouting the Hilltoppers
The Hilltoppers extended their winning streak to five consecutive games after defeating UT Permian Basin before having the streak snapped with a 1-1 overtime draw against Lubbock Christian last week.
SEU continues to score in bunches, while limiting opponents on the defensive end of the field as the lead the league with 29 goals scored and just seven goals allowed for an impressive 1.84 scoring margin.
The Hilltoppers are led by one of the best coaches women's soccer has ever seen as Nick Cowell's 204-44-25 overall record ranks second all-time in NCAA Division II. Cowell's winning percentage ranks 25th all-time across all divisions, 7th all-time in NCAA Division II and 20th all-time in NCAA Division III. The England native is among the top 10 active NCAA Division II coaches in total wins and winning percentage.
The Hilltoppers field two of the most fearsome midfielders in the conference in Eli Chaves and Sarah Preston, who have registered five goals apiece, tied for the sixth-highest mark in the Lone Star. Chaves is also tied for an LSC-high three game-winning goals and ranks third with five assists.
SEU also boasts an effective frontline with forwards Ashley Wilson, India Wents and Reagan Dykes all recording three or more goals.
In net the Hilltoppers will rely on redshirt-junior Annabel Sweeney. Sweeney's .609 goals against average is the lowest in the league while her .857 save percentage is tied for the second-highest mark amongst Lone Star competitors.
Scouting the Rams
The Rams are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak after a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Lubbock Christian and a 2-1 win against UT Permian Basin last week.
Angelo State holds the third-highest scoring margin in the conference at 1.66 with 28 goals scored and eight surrendered.
Head Coach Travis McCorkle enters his 12th season at the helm of the Angelo State women's soccer program and is the winningest coach in program history with a 136-73-20 overall record. McCorkle has led the Rams to back-to-back Lone Star Conference Tournament Championships the past two seasons.
The Rams offense revolves around senior forward Trenadey Scott and junior midfielder Avery McNeme. The duo is responsible for 15 points each, which is tied for the fourth-highest mark in the LSC. Scott leads the conference with 48 total shots and three game-winners while tied for second in goals (six). McNeme sits at number two in the league with 46 shots and leads all conference competitors with nine assists.
In total, ASU has 10 players that have recorded at least one goal.
Despite being a freshman, defender Cassidy Hill leads all field players on the ASU squad with 948 minutes. The Forney, Texas native has tallied three total shots with two making it on goal.
Sophomore Kira Miller has taken over as the full-time goalkeeper for the Rams and has started all eleven games. The Reedy High Shcool Product has compiled 35 saves on 79 saves while her .658 goals against average and .822 save percentage rank third and fourth respectively throughout the Lone Star.
2019 Story Lines
The Hounds began the 2019 campaign with four consecutive victories, the best start to the season in the 17-year history of the women's soccer program. With four complete game shutouts on the year, this year's squad has already moved into the program's single-season record book as they are tied for eighth all-time
Eastern is a part of a new-look LSC that has doubled in size from a year ago, expanding from seven teams to 14 teams.
Fresh Faces
The Hounds have seen many new faces contribute so far this season highlighted by team points leader
Desiree Morgas and starting goalkeeper
Whitney Dockweiler.
Morgas has scored seven points on three goals and one assist. The redshirt-sophomore ranks third in the conference with 4.00 shots per game and has totaled 36 on the year, the fifth-highest mark in the league. Her two game-winning goals are tied for the sixth-most in the LSC.
Dockweiler has recorded 47 saves on 113 shots faced and owns a 1.19 goals against average. The Bellevue, Neb. native is tied for the fifth-most shutouts in the ENMU all-time single-season record book while her .810 save percenatge is tied for the fifth-best amongst eligible participants (minimum five saves).
In total, 13 ENMU newcomers have logged minutes in 2019 including eight true freshman and five transfers.
Good Company
Junior defender
Hayden Zuniga has been a crucial piece to the 2017 and 2018 squads and has logged 3,441 minutes in her first two seasons. Averaging more than 1,700 minutes a season, the Sahuarita, Ariz. native is on pace to reach the all-time record books in just her third year.
Victoria Perez sits at No. 10 on the list and played 4,824 minutes from 2011-14. Zuniga has already logged a team-high 835 minutes in 2019 and is 548 shy of catching Perez.
Schedule Outlook
Eastern will wrap up its regular season home slate with a Halloween match against Oklahoma Christian before playing Midwestern State for Senior Day on Nov. 2. The Hounds will close out the regular season on the road with matches at UT Permian Basin on Nov. 7 and Lubbock Christian on Nov. 9.
Hounds at Home
ENMU won its first three games inisde Greyhound Stadium before being handed its first loss at the feet of Texas A&M-Commerce. The Hounds have outscored their opponents 6-2 while playing in front of the Greyhound faithful.
ENMU posted back-to-back shutouts over Adams State (3-0) and Fort Lewis (1-0) to begin their home slate. The Greyhounds were able to capture their first Lone Star victory of the season with a 2-1 win over conference newcomer UT Tyler. Eastern battled hard agaisnt Texas A&M-Commerce and out-shot the Lions before falling to TAMUC in the first four minutes of overtime.
Score First, Ask Questions Last
In his first two years at the helm of the Eastern New Mexico women's soccer team, Josh Smith has posted an impressive 11-0-0 record when scoring the match's first goal. The Hounds are also 9-0-0 when scoring more than two goals in a game the past two seasons.
