WICHITA FALLS – The Angelo State soccer team opened Lone Star Conference play with a 1-0 win over No. 22 Midwestern State on Friday at the MSU Soccer Field.
Sophomore midfielder Maggie Schaffer scored the game's lone goal in the 60th minute of play to lift the Rambelles (2-3, 1-0 LSC) to their fourth consecutive 1-0 win over the Mustangs (2-1-1).
“After the ball hit the net, we all just went running towards each other,” Schaffer said. “It really brought us together and pumped us up to play great defense to not allow them to score on us. It was a great team effort the entire night.”
The win also marks the second straight game where an unranked ASU knocked off a ranked MSU team. Angelo State, which topped the Mustangs in the regular-season finale last year with a goal with 12 second remaining, last lost to Midwestern State in 2007 in a 3-0 contest.
“They are a very good team, but we were able to find our confidence again tonight,” ASU head coach Travis McCorkle said. “We are a good team and we showed that against Midwestern. We stepped up our defending against players with great pace and goal-scoring ability. We just got the job done. Even when one of our defenders did get beat, the next girl was there to pick her up. That's what we did repeatedly to win this game.”
Schaffer's goal was part of a 15-shot performance for the Rambelles in their first road win of the season. Schaffer, who had a hat trick in ASU's 5-0 home win over Texas-Permian Basin, now leads the team in goals with four on the season.  Katelyn West added four shots against the Mustangs, while Brandie DeBacker and Schaffer each had three shots. Lauren Carnes added two first half shots and Megan Schaffer put two shots on goal in the victory.
“We had some great attacking to create more opportunities,” McCorkle said. “West and Carnes were really up for this game and showed that this game meant something to them. They also did a great job defensively.
Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Cardinal earned her first career victory in goal for the Rambelles in her first conference game. The Regina, Saskatchewan native recorded seven saves for Angelo State.
The Rambelles continue LSC play at 1 p.m. on Sunday at No. 12 Abilene Christian on the Wildcat Soccer Pitch. The Wildcats are 4-0-1 after finishing with a 1-1 tie on Friday against Incarnate Word.

 Coaches and Player Quotes
Head coach Travis McCorkle On Angelo State's 1-0 win over Midwestern State on Friday: They are a very good team, but we were able to find our confidence again tonight. We are a good team and we showed that against Midwestern. We stepped up our defending against players with great pace and goal-scoring ability. We just got the job done. Even when one of our defenders did get beat, the next girl was there to pick her up. That's what we did repeatedly to win this game.
On freshman goalkkeper Taylor Cardinal and the Rambelles' defense: Every time a goalkeeper gets a shutout, it is a great thing. But we also have to recognize the defense our entire team played. A lot of their shots were from distance because our defenders didn't allow them to get good position on the field. Taylor did a great job stopping shots though and really played well for us.
On moving forward from the excitement of the conference-opening win: I hope the way we played in Colorado will help us guard against getting over confident. That was just seven days ago and we should all remember the losses we took. Our record in conference is 1-0. It's not 14-0 or anything besides 1-0. We just have to find consistency and remain focused on playing our game.
On the Rambelles' confidence through the first five games of the season: After the Colorado trip our players could have started wondering what kind of season we were headed towards. I think they see now that we didn't play as bad as our results looked from last week. We just didn't finish in our losses to (Colorado State) Pueblo and Adams State. They did a good job in training this week to get over our setbacks through hard work.
Caitlyn Conaway: Freshman defender from Kennedale On what the Rambelles' did to get the 1-0 win over No. 22 Midwestern State: We were pressuring them and had great communication. I felt like the entire team was clicking the entire game.
On the mentality of the Rambelles following the win: It boosts our confidence beating a nationally ranked team at their field. On playing in her first Lone Star Conference game of her career: I was nervous playing at first, but as the game went on I felt great out there. I think we are settling in and are starting to become a good team.
Maggie Schaffer: Sophomore midfielder from New Braunfels On her game-winning goal against Midwestern State on Friday: After the ball hit the net, we all just went running towards each other. It really brought us together and pumped us up to play great defense to not allow them to score on us. It was a great team effort the entire night.
On the difference between the Rambelles' performance against MSU from last weekend's losses in Colorado: I feel like we remembered the Colorado trip and the mistakes we made. That helped us to correct them and get the win. We worked all week to improve and it showed.

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