ANDERSON, S.C. - Using a balanced offensive attack, the Anderson University women's soccer team opened its two-match homestand by blanking Conference Carolinas-foe Converse, 5-0, Wednesday afternoon at Trojan Stadium.

"We knew coming out of this weekend and not performing as well as we could have, that we had to raise the bar today," said Anderson head coach Samar Azem. "The girls were not only hungry for a win but hungry for a solid performance, connecting passes, making smart decisions and of course finishing chances. That was certainly evident today. You have to give it to Converse, they battled the entire time and they're a well-coached team, but I'm very proud of our girls - they knew what their potential was and what needed to be done to reach it and they did so relentlessly."

Anderson (1-1-1) claimed its third consecutive home-opening victory and its fifth straight win past Converse, which slipped to 1-3 on the season.

The Trojans set the tempo early, with senior forward Jessica Kleinberg notching a pair of first-half goals to give AU a 2-0 lead at halftime. The Hamilton, Ohio native recorded the first score of the afternoon in the eighth minute, firing a shot from close range on the right side that ricocheted off the Valkyrie goalie's hands and settled in the net.

Kleinberg added her second goal of the contest at the 33:21 mark after taking a feed from teammate Krystal Goss. The assist was Goss's second of the season.

It was Goss's turn to find the back of the net less than a minute into the second frame, as the 5-foot-5 junior notched her second goal of the season in the 46th minute.

Senior Adrienne Lough took advantage of a corner kick from freshman defender Sarah Laney to find the back of the net in the 67th minute, sending the ball just inside the right post for her first score of the season.

Junior Olivia Scalziti closed out the scoring by firing her sixth shot of the contest into an open net, as the Valkyrie keeper had been drawn out from between the posts, with Goss adding her second assist of the match on the goal.

The Trojans held a decisive 21-4 advantage in shots, including a 12-2 edge in shots on goal. AU also recorded six corner kicks, while Converse posted one corner.
Junior Kaitlyn Neipp earned the win for the Trojans, while recording a pair of saves. Converse freshman Rebeccah Stansberry collected six saves and suffered the setback.

"It's always great when you have two shutouts in three games against some solid teams," added Azem. "We're a strong team defensively, but scoring goals wins games and there was certainly that hunger today. But by no means has that hunger been quenched. I feel incredibly positive about our current direction and I know these young ladies are incredibly committed to it. I can guarantee you every single one of our players is eager to chomp at the bit. We have something to prove and we have a journey to make. Every battle counts."

Anderson wraps up the two-game homestand by playing host to Erskine Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. at Trojan Stadium.