BOONE, N.C. – Despite being outshot by the Mountaineers 19-9, freshman Miranda Sherman and junior Daelynn De Mello each found the back of the cage in Missouri State's 2-0 shutout over Appalachian State Thursday afternoon.

"I am really impressed with our girls and their determination to play with passion and for their teammates today," said head coach Catherine Ostoich. "It was awesome because our first goal came from a freshman off of a wonderful pass by one of our upperclassmen."

The Mountaineers kicked off their shooting spree in the 6^th minute off a penalty corner, which would be blocked by a Bear. Junior Andrea Soler Codina took the first shot for the Bears in the 15^th minute, but just missed the cage.

Two minutes later, Sherman netted the first goal of her career after receiving a cross pass in front of the goal and firing it in to put the Bears up 1-0 in the 17^th minute.

"It felt amazing to score my first collegiate goal," Sherman said. "It was so exciting to be able to help my team and get us started. I think it helped give us the confidence to keep going and score another goal."

Appalachian State tried to respond, taking five more shots in the remainder of the first half. Senior goalkeeper Megan Drew recorded three of her six saves in the first, helping Missouri State keep a 1-0 lead going into the second half.

It took Missouri State seven minutes to score after the start of the second half as De Mello received a pass from Soler Codina and successfully found the back of the cage off a shot from the left side to make it 2-0, Bears.

In the 50^th minute, Appalachian State earned four consecutive penalty corners in which they fired four of their 19 shots. Drew (1-5) recorded her fifth and sixth saves of the day. Later, freshman Sara O'Malley earned her first defensive save of the season in the 68^th minute off a Mountaineer penalty corner to help Drew complete the shutout.

"The team really worked together and once again, Meg kept us in the game with some huge saves," Ostoich added. "I'm happy she was able to get the shutout tonight."
 
Notable Performances
Miranda Sherman – The only freshman to net a goal this season, Sherman fired a shot in the 17^th minute off a cross pass to give the Bears a 1-0 advantage over the Mountaineers. Sherman has two points this season and now joins five other Bears who have recorded goals.

Daelynn De Mello – The junior recorded her second goal of the season to seal the deal for the Bears, upping their score 2-0 in the 42^nd minute. De Mello now has four points on the season.

Megan Drew – The San Diego native earned her first shutout of the season thanks to her six-save match, putting in a full 70 minutes in the cage. Drew had several clutch saves to help keep Appalachian State off the board.

Sara O'Malley – A freshman, O'Malley recorded her first defensive save of the season in the 68^th minute after the Mountaineers broke on a penalty corner play. Her stop was the last resort for the Bears, making her save a significant factor in the Bears' shutout.
 
Scoring Summary

• MSU – 17:05, goal off cross pass in front of cage – Miranda Sherman
• MSU – 42:52, goal off shot from the left side – Daelynn De Mello

 
Next Up For The Bears
Missouri State continues its road trip, traveling north to Virginia to take on its MAC opponent, Longwood, Saturday at 2 p.m. in Farmville, Va. Live stats will be available at www.missouristatebears.com and live updates will be available via Facebook and Twitter.