ABILENE, Texas - A goal by senior striker Krista Steinbeiser in the 37^th minute of the match and an outstanding performance in goal by junior goalkeeper Lauren Sestak was all that the McNeese women's soccer team would need as the Cowgirls earned a 1-0 shutout over Abilene Christian in Southland Conference action on Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game road swing.

After gaining possession of the ball, freshman Gabi D'Alesandro set up a beautiful play with a corner kick that met a crowd of McNeese and ACU players just in front of the net. With the ball loose and players scrambling for possession, Steinbeiser found her shot and took a direct kick that planted the ball in the inside far post and put the Cowgirls up 1-0 early in the match.

"This was huge for us to go on the road and collect a victory against Abilene Christian today," said head coach Scooter Savoie. "Our ladies did a great job of being able to come out and battle through the conditions such as the long trip plus the wind. It was great to win the first half and create chances that eventually led to Krista breaking the ice with her game-winner."

The goal was Steinbeiser's third of the season which places her in a tie with freshman Sierra Sisco for second most goals on the team. She also netted her second game-winner on the year and first since the opening match against Prairie View A&M.

Sestak's performance for the Cowgirls was outstanding as she collected six saves on the afternoon to earn her third shutout this fall and her fourth career clean sheet in a McNeese uniform. Sestak now owns a 0.83 goals against average on the year which ranks in the top three in the Southland Conference.

The Cowgirls (7-9-1, 5-5 SLC) earned their fifth conference win, giving them their most wins against league schools since the 2008 season. The Wildcats (8-9-2, 5-4-2 SLC), who are ineligible for postseason play due to transition, completed their last game of the 2014 season.

McNeese was able to keep all of the momentum on its side of the field during the first half of play, outshooting ACU 10-3. Senior Tori Lasiter had the first chance at a score in the 17^th minute of play with a clean look at the net but was unable to get her shot past the keeper from the center of the box. Senior Haley Lyons' shot off of a corner seemed to have enough to make the net but just missed in the 20^th minute.

Abilene Christian was not going to end their season without putting up a fight and did so as the Wildcats dominated the offensive side of the ball in the second half. ACU led in shots 17-10, including a 14-0 advantage in the second period. ACU also led in shots on goal 6-2 and corner kicks 8-3.

"The wind proved to be the difference in the match so we were able to adjust and our players did great adjusting to the changes throughout the second half," said Savoie.  "We came out and played together today and tried not to play pretty but to perform to the level we needed to win."

Sophomore Savannah LaRicci led the charge with three shots on the day while Lasiter and Steinbeiser tallied the only two on-target shots.

The McNeese defense recorded its sixth shutout on the season and second in its last three matches. The six clean sheets are the most for a Cowgirls defense since 2011.

The victory gives McNeese new life in the SLC season standings as they currently sit in a tie for fourth place on the league table with Southeastern Louisiana as both sides have secured 15 points in conference action. With the Cowgirls' regular season ending next weekend, a victory plus some help from around the conference will propel McNeese into the postseason tournament.

The Cowgirls will head home and take a few days off to rest before playing host to Central Arkansas in the regular season finale on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Cowgirl Field. The match is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.