WEATHERFORD, Okla. -- Midwestern State erupted for three goals in the second half to blast Southwestern Oklahoma State 3-0 Sunday afternoon at the SWOSU Soccer Field.
 
The first win of the season lifts the Mustangs to 1-0-3. MSU had battled to three draws from the start of the season for the first time in program history.
 
"This was definitely a turning point for us," MSU coach Damian Clarke said. "It always feels good to score three goals. It was good to get away from settling for ties."
 
Freshman forward Destinee Williamson ignited the Mustangs after the teams played to a closely contested opening half playing a direct role in two of MSU's three tallies.
 
"She was able to get to the end line to give us chances on a series of corner kicks in the second half," Clarke said. "We were able to convert those to get momentum rolling after the half."
 
Sophomore striker Nicole Coetzer emerged from a scrum off of the Mustangs' first of six corner kick opportunities -- all after intermission - to knock in her second goal of the season to give MSU a 1-0 advantage in the 50th minute off of a corner strike by junior Morgan Hannon.
 
The Mustangs doubled the advantage off of another corner kick opportunity in the 80th minute.
 
Junior forward Payton Fookes served a ball to the far post finding the head of junior defender Alexandria Edwards. The shot caromed off of a defender eventually falling to Edwards' feet who then drove it into the net for her first goal of the season.
 
Williamson closed out the scoring by taking a through ball from senior midfielder Katy Catney in the final seconds of regulation to notch her first collegiate goal.
 
"Destinee has been working so hard, so it was good to see her get results," Clarke said. "As a whole, the team finally got comfortable at the end of the first half. The passing pieces finally started coming together for them."
 
The Mustangs worked for a 20-9 edge in shots holding a 12-3 advantage in the second half, but once again MSU received solid contributions from center backs Katie Huff and Edwards and the rest of the back line.
 
"The back four did a good job of limiting the good chances and our center backs really stood out," Clarke said. "(Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper) Courtney Burnette is up to the task when she faces shots at a distance. We haven't allowed much inside the box."
 
Burnette notched her third consecutive clean sheet and has not permitted a goal in her last 321 minutes of play. The Irving native boasts a 0.43 goals against average to go along with a stellar 0.946 save percentage.
 
Clarke also praised the play of sophomore Aly Wade.
 
"Aly had a solid game in the midfield. She was very composed and made good decisions for us today," he said. "She is very consistent and reliable performer."
 
Midwestern takes on Oklahoma Christian Tuesday night at the MSU Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.