COMMERCE – A second half onslaught of goals allowed the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team to pull away for a 4-0 win over St. Mary's University on Friday afternoon.
 
The Lions move to 8-6-1 overall and 5-5-0 in the Lone Star Conference with the win, establishing a six-point gap between the important seventh seed in the conference and the rest of the field. St. Mary's is 5-10-0 overall and 3-7-0 in league play.
 
A&M-Commerce will host its Senior Day match at 1 p.m. Saturday, honoring Kasey Sorbers and Jessika Coronado prior to the contest with Texas A&M International.
 
HEAD COACH NEIL PIPER AFTER THE MATCH

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions controlled the match from start to finish and held a dominant 23-7 advantage in shots, with 16 shots on goal.
- A&M-Commerce's offensive finishing came from the reserves, as Lauren Shaw (Livingston - The Covenant Prep) and Jocelyn McDonough (McKinney - Boyd) each scored a pair of goals.
- Jen Peters (Allen) earned her seventh shutout of the season with three saves.
- Leslie Campuzano (Garland - Lakeview Centennial) had two assists, while Skylar Sorrell (Monroe, La.), Kara Blasingame (Oswego, Ill.), Madison Zick (Arlington), and Tehillah Ndhlovu (York, England) all assisted in the leadup to goals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Peters saved a St. Mary's shot in the opening two minutes of the game, and that would be the Rattlers' final attempt on goal in the first half. Lion shots were saved or went wayward in the first forty minutes before the home team cracked the deadlock.
 
Shaw found herself with acres of space in front of goal after passes from Zick and Ndhlovu, and calmly finished to put the Lions up 1-0 in the 43^rd minute of action.
 
The Lions' three goals in the second half came in quick succession. McDonough scored on a Blasingame assist in the 63^rd minute, then doubled her tally up with a point blank finish less than two minutes later on assists from Campuzano and Sorrell.
 
Shaw completed the scoring in the 71^st minute, firing home her second goal of the game on a perfect corner kick by Campuzano.
 
Peters was forced into one late save, but the Lion defense contributed strongly to close out the game in shutout fashion.