HOUSTON — Junior Erin Mikeska scored a pair of goals, while junior Lianne Mananquil had a goal and an assist, to lead the Rice soccer team to a 3-0 Conference USA shutout victory over visiting Louisiana Tech Sunday at Holloway Field.

The Owls' junior tandem quickly put Rice on the scoreboard in the 16th minute of the contest. Mananquil served a sharp corner to the six from the left side, where Mikeska headed the ball to the back of the LA Tech net for a 1-0 lead.

The goal proved to be all the scoring Rice would need, controlling both the tempo and a strong majority of the possession for 90 minutes in afternoon's hot-house-like conditions. The Owls limited the Bulldogs to just six shots for the entire contest. The Blue & Gray meanwhile continued to apply the offensive pressure and added another score in the 26th minute. Senior Marissa Topolski lined a hard grounder to Mananquil, who proceeded to dodge through defensive traffic before launching one of her game-leading four shots – this one from just outside the six.

Mananquil's first goal of the season gave Rice a 2-0 advantage, which lasted through the intermission. In the game's 50th minute, the Owls found the back of the Bulldog net a third time. Darcy Mickalow found Mikeska on a free kick after a foul, and Mikeska punched in her second goal of the afternoon to stretch the margin to 3-0.

The two-goal game was Rice's first of the year and the first of Mikeska's career. The Owls finished with a 13-6 advantage in shots and a 6-1 difference in corner kicks.

Rice improved to 4-7-0 on the season and 2-3-0 in C-USA league play. A total of 23 different Owls played in the game for Rice. LA Tech dropped to 9-5-1 overall and 2-3-1 in conference.

The Owls are next on the road for two more conference matches at Marshall and Western Kentucky on Oct. 12 & 14, respectively.

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