THE RUNDOWN
Top-seeded DBU advanced to the Lone Star Conference Championship with a 3-1 win over West Texas A&M (14-6) Friday afternoon at Patriot Soccer Field. The Patriots (17-2) held the nation's third-best offense to 12 shot attempts on the way to their 11th consecutive championship appearance. 

DBU looked as composed and commanding as you would expect from a No. 1 seed playing at home following a first-round bye. The Patriots made a statement moments into the match by driving down the field and forcing their way into a set piece. In the 25th minute, a corner kick from Gabrielle Heller careened off a pair of Lady Buff defenders and onto the foot of Jenna Patterson. Who found the back of the net for the go-ahead goal. Then, Ashley Merrill tacked on the insurance score off assists from Abigail Olmos and Delaney Schmidt just eight minutes later. 

The Patriots were as impressive on the defensive side of the pitch as they were in the attacking third throughout the first half of action. Blythe Obar, Rachel Allen, and the rest of the DBU backline smothered the nation's leading goal scorer, Hannah Kelley-Lusk, allowing her one shot attempt in the opening 45 minutes. 

Another corner kick early in the second half provided the Patriots a 3-0 stranglehold over the match. Summerlyn Heller earned her ninth assist of the season when she cleanly connected with the head of Schmidt in the 50th minute. The DBU defense would continue to stymie the Lady Buffs attacks until Reagan Matacle fought her way into an unassisted score in the 79th minute. Obar, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, would spend the final minutes shadowing the Offensive Player of the Year, Kelley-Lusk, to solidify DBU's 3-1 win. 

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 
-DBU improves to 10-2 as hosts of the conference tournament. 
-Delaney Schmidt scores the 44th goal of her career.
-Coach Michelle Lenard earns her 197th career win. 

COACH MICHELLE LENARD ON THE WIN
"We knew we had to play well defensively to win this game, and we did. West Texas is a high-powered offense with the leading goal scorer in the country on their team. Our backline did an excellent job containing her and limiting her opportunities. We scored three good goals and controlled the pace of the game when we needed to. We are excited for the next one."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8- Ashley Merrill extends her scoring streak to eight games.
12 - The Patriots held WT's offense to their lowest shot total of the season.
5 - Jenna Patterson notches her fifth goal of the season

UP NEXT
No. 1 seed DBU hosts No. 6 seed Angelo State in the Lone Star Conference Championship on Sunday, November 14th at 1:00 p.m.