CANYON, TEXAS – Lions Soccer (12-5 overall, 6-3 in conference) is now only one win or draw away from its first LSC regular season title since 2003 following Friday's 2-1 victory over the West Texas A&M Lady Buffs (6-11 overall, 2-7 in conference).
 
It was a brisk evening on the Texas Panhandle, where temperatures on the field occasionally dipped below 50 degrees. However, that wasn't enough to cool off the LSC-leading scorer Savannah Henderson, who notched two more assists to put her at 30 points (12G, 6A) on her impressive 2014 campaign.
 
The first goal of the game came twenty minutes into the first half. Henderson set up Jade Bell in the corner of the box, before Bell knocked her eighth of the season past keeper Nicole Kemper to give the Lions the 1-0 edge. Bell has now scored goals in three consecutive games, dating back to last Friday's contest in Denton, where she scored the game-winner against Texas Woman's.
 
In the second half, the Lions took control of the pace for the first 25 minutes before finally capitalizing on a quality scoring opportunity. After the Lady Buffs sent the ball out of bounds in the back of their own end, Savannah Henderson was provided with a corner kick opportunity. Booting one deep into the mass of bodies in front of the net, the ball found it's way in the middle to an unobstructed Taylor Rhodes, who booted home her first of the season, which would wind up being the game-winner.
 
Callie Ballard remained undefeated on the year, picking up her second win in a row on three saves. Her defensive front played well in front of her, limiting WT to only nine shots on the evening, of which only four found their way on target. Her lone blight on the evening came late in the second half, as West Texas turned up the offensive intensity following Rhodes' goal for a solid ten minutes. After a couple chances, they finally broke through in the form of Karyn Forbes' first goal of the season.
 
"We played well. We created a lot of chances and capitalized on them," said head coach Neil Piper, "This sets up a huge game for us on Sunday."
 
Following Friday's action, the LSC playoff picture finally looks clear enough to see the finish line. Angelo State currently leads the conference with 19 points following their 1-0 win in Wichita Falls over Midwestern State. However, with zero LSC games left on their schedule, they are mathematically unable to finish any higher than second. Meanwhile, though the loss to A&M-Commerce guarantees West Texas A&M is mathematically eliminated from tournament consideration, they still have a role in helping to shape the LSC landscape, as they are scheduled to host Texas Woman's on Sunday. If the Pioneers win or draw, they'll get through as the fourth seed in the tournament. If the Lady Buffs win however, the Pioneers would be eliminated, and the MSU Mustangs would enter the tournament as the fourth seed.
 
Which brings us to the most important game remaining on the LSC schedule, the A&M-Commerce Lions visiting the Eastern New Mexico Zias on Sunday, November 2 at 1 p.m. CST. The winner of that game will win the Lone Star Conference regular season title, and win the privilege of hosting the conference tournament. If the Lions win or draw, action next week will shift to Commerce, where the Lions will host either the Pioneers or Mustangs while the Zias would play the ASU Rambelles. If the Lions lose, they will have to return to Portales next weekend, and begin action by playing Angelo State.