WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Isabella Cruz opened the scoring late in the first half, and Midwestern State would score three more times in the second half to shut out Southwestern Oklahoma State, 4-0, in a non-conference match at Stang Park Tuesday evening.
Lexi Jackson made four saves to post her third clean sheet of the season as MSU improved its overall record to 4-3-0 and leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs, 16-2-0. SWOSU fell to 1-4-2.
In a game played in searing heat,
Jadyn Lopez whipped a ball in from the right side, and it was headed down by
Sydney Van Noy. After it deflected off a defender, Cruz buried a one-timer into the back of the net for her second goal of the year, and MSU took a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute.
Lopez gave the Mustangs a 2-0 advantage when the Bulldogs failed to successfully clear the ball out of their own area.
Randi Heaton laid the ball into an open space on the right side of the box. Lopez ran up on the ball and struck it into the far-side netting in the 58th minute for her first collegiate goal.
Olivia Okoye scored her third goal in a two-game span just four minutes later. Okoye gathered the ball at the edge of the attacking third and split two Bulldog defenders as she entered the penalty box. Her right-footed shot went past the diving SWOSU goalkeeper —Ashley Hughes —and the Mustangs were comfortably ahead, 3-0.
Abby McCain, making her second career appearance with Midwestern State, scored her first goal in the 88th minute.
Jozy Bardsley switched the attack to the right side. SWOSU defender Aspen Cope deflected the ball off her chest and it landed in the path of McCain, who scored with a strike just under the cross bar from 16 yards out to give the Mustangs a 4-0 lead.
Midwestern is now 8-0-0 when hosting the Bulldogs at Stang Park and has won three of the last four meetings.
The Maroon & Gold are on the road Saturday for an LSC match with St. Edwards. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Lewis-Chen Family Field in Austin, Texas.
--MSU Mustangs.com--
