It sounds like a broken record, but one you never tire of hearing.

For the fourth time this season, midfielders Jessie Ayers and Kaeli Vandersluis combined for the first goal of a game and the Colorado College defense made it stand up as the Tigers defeated Middle Tennessee, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon.  

Ayers struck for her fourth game winner of the season and the seventh of her career in the 56th minute, heading home a cross from Vandersluis for the only goal the Tigers would need. The tally was the first allowed by the Blue Raiders at home this season.

For Vandersluis, it marked her fourth consecutive game-winning assist as well as her fifth in 2013. She also scored the deciding goal in the 2-0 victory over Ball State on Sept. 13.

A little less than seven minutes later, sophomore midfielder Alexis Long found the net for the first time this season after taking a feed from sophomore midfielder Sarah Schweiss.

MTU became the latest victim of Colorado College’s air-tight defense, managing just seven total shots in 90 minutes. The Tigers now have blanked five consecutive opponents for the first time since 1999.  

Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Scheele is on a run of her own, extending her scoreless streak to 489.35 while recording her seventh clean sheet of the season. She was forced to make just two saves, which ties her second-lowest total in a game this year.

CC’s six goals allowed in its first 10 games are the fewest to open a season since the 2006 squad surrendered five while getting out of the gate with an 8-1-1 record.

With their fifth straight victory, the Tigers improved to 7-3-0 overall and 2-0 in Conference USA. Middle Tennessee slipped to 4-4-2 overall and 1-1-0 in the league.

Colorado College kicks off a three-game C-USA home stand next week when Florida International University visits Stewart field on Friday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. MT.

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