THE RUNDOWN
The No. 1 nationally ranked DBU Women's Soccer team hosted the Midwestern State Mustangs on University Hill in the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Tuesday night in a game that would see the Patriots win by a score of 4-1.

On a windy night in Dallas, the Patriots (11-0-1) would once more get off to a quick start, scoring in the 9th minute of the match. Melissa Jones would make an excellent run into the box from her midfield role and get her head on a Marit Auee cross to get the Patriots started. The goal was Jones first of the season. With the wind at their back, DBU was able to build the ball up on the ground and pin MSU in their defensive half for the majority of the half. The Patriots did a really good job in and around the box in combining with each other through unselfish play. In the 34th minute of the game, Auee would find the back of the net herself with her 6th goal of the campaign to put her side up 2-0. 7 minutes later, Ashley Merrill would extend her goal scoring streak to 12 games, Abigail Olmos set Merrill up perfectly for the No. 18 to beat the MSU goalie and send the Patriots into the half up 3-0.
 
As the second half began, the Mustangs looked to get momentum going their way quickly and would find the back of the net in the 53rd minute off of a goal from Avery Lewis. DBU would respond immediately with Delaney Schmidt finding the back of the net. Schmidt would be assisted from Merrill who once more demonstrated the unselfish play of this Patriots team to pass off a shot and set up Schmidt for a great look on goal.
 
The defense for DBU had another solid performance. Coming into a game against a team that had nine different goal scorers on the year, the Patriots shut down any offensive threat that the Mustangs had. The back four stayed tactically switched on and their organization allowed them to keep the Mustangs from slipping through balls in between them. Each of the players a part of the defensive unit for DBU were good in their one-on-one battles and also provided excellent passes to aid DBU in maintaining possession of the ball. The middle of the field was also dominated by the midfield players from DBU. Melissa Jones did another solid job in facilitating the possession for the Patriots and Kaci Parks was slid down and saw action in the middle as well and did a good job defensively and also sparked several offense threats for DBU.

Overall, Michelle Lenard's side put in a good performance in the quarterfinals and were able to win on Patriot Field by a score of 4-1.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
  - Abigail Olmos has worked her way back from injury and has seen significant minutes in the last few games for DBU. Olmos saw 53 minutes of action today, her second highest of the year, and contributed on the day with one goal and two assists. Olmos is another great attacking threat, and the Patriots are thrilled to have her almost back to 100%.
 
 - Marit Auee continues to be a force on both ends of the field for the Patriots. Auee did a solid job defensively tonight but was also incredibly active on the offensive side, scoring a goal and registering an assist. When lined up at the right back role, the Netherlands native does a great job flying down the right wing and providing services into the box.
 
 - The defense for DBU has been strong all season. Through 12 games, the Patriots have only allowed 87 total shots, with only 47 of those finding the frame. That is an average of just over seven shots per game and just under four of those shots finding the target.

HEAD COACH MICHELLE LENARD ON THE PATRIOTS WIN
"I'm very pleased with how we started today. We came out with a lot of energy and an attacking mentality. We had some very good early opportunities and finished well in front of the goal. It was a great way to start off the conference tournament."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
9 – With Melissa Jones getting on the scoresheet tonight, the Patriots now have nine goal scorers on the year, combined for 40 goals.

4 – DBU has four players with at least five assists this season. That stat completely highlights the unselfishness and chemistry of this team.

6 – The Patriots have now registered double digit shots on goal in six of their games. The 11 that DBU saw on frame tonight is the 3rd time this season that they have seen that number land between the posts. The high on the year for the Patriots is 13.

UP NEXT
DBU moves on to the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament and will host West Texas A&M University at Patriot Field on Saturday, April 10th.