THE RUNDOWN 
No. 5 DBU (18-3) advanced to its third straight Regional Final after defeating Angelo State 3-2 on Sunday at Patriot Soccer Field. Three early scores helped DBU withstand a second-half outburst from the Rambelles for its 18th win of the 2021 season.

 Eager to flip the script on last week's LSC Championship, the Patriots stormed down the field and earned a set piece in the game's opening minute. DBU became the second team all season to best ASU (16-5-2) on a corner kick when Michelle Gonzalez (Marta) connected with the head of Delaney Schmidt for the 1-0 strike. Blythe Obar then earned her second assist of the year by slipping a pass to Ashley Merrill for the 2-0 goal in the 21st minute. The offense then kicked into overdrive as Jenna Patterson drove home the game-winning goal 40 seconds later in a game that threatened to become a blowout. 

But coach Travis Mccorkle's squad would not go quietly. In what has become a tradition between these two teams, a single goal would decide the winner. ASU scored two goals in the first nine minutes of the second half in an offensive flurry that knocked DBU back on its heels. But the Patriots' defense made sure the Rambelles never found the equalizer. After conceding goals to Reagan Urbany and Valerie Solis, DBU limited ASU's attacks in the closing minutes as goalkeeper Hailey Brown finished with a career-high eight saves. 

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 
-DBU improves to 3-1 at home in the NCAA tournament. 
-Coach Michelle Lenard garners her 198th career win. 
-The Patriots advance to the Sweet 16, where they will host the UCCS Mountain Lions. 

COACH MICHELLE LENARD ON ADVANCING TO THE SWEET 16
"That was a really hard-fought game that took the full 90 minutes. We knew it would be. We got out to an early start which was great, but it also allowed Angelo State to take more risks. I was happy with the early goals, but it got hard as Angelo threw numbers forward. We struggled a little bit with that, but I thought our players were resilient enough to overcome those two second-half goals and play good defense at the end. We are really happy to advance to the Sweet 16, and I believe Angelo State was a great opponent that helped us prepare for our next game." 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 
6 - Jenna Patterson scored her sixth goal of the year, her most ever in a single season. 
24-8 - The Rambelles outshot the Patriots 24-8. 
18 - DBU's 18th win of the season ties the program record set in 2012. 

UP NEXT
DBU will host the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in the NCAA Regional Championship.