COMMERCE, TEXAS – The Lions started off their Lone Star Conference schedule with a 3-1 win, rising to 6-2-0 following a rough and physical contest against the Eastern New Mexico Zias (3-4-0).
 
The Lions wasted little time in drawing first blood in the contest when sophomore Vicky Back headed in her second goal of the year on a well-placed inbound from defender Ashley Phillips (9'). From there on, play was chippy and grueling as both teams exchanged hard tackles in a game which saw foul-totals reach double-digits.
 
Just before the end of the first half, Savannah Henderson and Jade Bell stormed up the field exchanging several passes before Henderson buried one in the low, short-side corner (43'), giving the Lions a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. Henderson now has seven goals on the season, which matches her season-high from last year, only there's still over half the season remaining.
 
Early in the second half, ENMU top-scorer Victoria Perez sprinted down the side of the box before cutting in and launching one on target. The ball sailed beyond the reach of Lions' keeper Courtnie Northern on the far side and ricocheted off the post and into the back of the net for Perez's fourth goal of the season (51') to keep things interesting.
 
However, just one minute and 58 seconds later, junior forward Jade Bell chipped a ball in from the side to a waiting Julia Hernandez, who was able to trickle an insurance-goal past keeper Fabienne Wilson for her second of the season (53').
 
The Lions managed to win the battle for scoring chances, outshooting the Zias 23-14 in the winning effort. Coach Neil Piper was pleased with his team's performance.
 
"It was a grinding game out there. Both teams took what the referees gave them and went eye for eye," said Piper, "That's a tough group of girls they've got out in Portales. They're a handful. Beating them is a big deal."
 
One further bright spot for the Lions was the season debut of defender Laura Heron, who missed the first seven games of the season with a lower-body injury.
 
"I felt good out there…I probably played better in the first half than the second, but I'm just thrilled to be back," said Heron, who logged over 70 minutes in her return to action. "I'm just glad we got the win. That's the most important thing."
 
"It's good to finally have such a full compliment of players together," said Piper, "We played well before, but this is what we're supposed to look like."
 
The Lions will have a quick turnaround before taking the field again to continue LSC play against West Texas A&M on Sunday. That game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
 
Fans can follow all the action from the 2014-15 season on www.LionAthletics.com, through twitter @Lion_Athletics and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LionsAthletics.