ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' Cowgirl soccer team shutout the McMurry War Hawks on Thursday night at the HSU Soccer Complex with the help of two goals from Lexi Templin.
 
The Cowgirls were happy to be back in action on Thursday night after a tough draw on Monday. Hardin-Simmons scored in the sixth minute to take the lead and held control for the rest of the way in the 3-0 shutout.
 
The Cowgirls notched a big difference in corner kicks against McMurry, with 14 and allowing only six. One of those corner kicks led to the opening goal after Kaylee Maddox served a ball in that bounced back to Lexi Templin who fired it over the keeper to make it 1-0 in the sixth minute.
 
The Cowgirls struck quickly yet again in the 10^th minute, when Gabby Aviles carried the ball all the way down the sideline and into the box on the end line before dumping it off to Templin for her second goal of the game, making it a 2-0 Cowgirl lead.
 
The Cowgirls owned the first half and came out with more of the same in the second half, leading to a third goal.
 
Kaylee Maddox crossed over to her left and hooked a goal in between a pair of War Hawks and the opposing keeper in the 61^st minute to give the Cowgirls a 3-0 lead that would end as the final score.
 
Maddox earned her fifth goal of the year to lead the team, and Templin got her third and fourth goals of the season against McMurry.
 
The Cowgirls had 25 shots and eight shots on goal to just five shots allowed and one shot on goal for McMurry.
 
Jenna Russell started for the Cowgirls in goal and went the distance with one save in the shutout.
 
The Cowgirls improve to 5-1-2 and will travel next Thursday to begin an ASC road trip at LeTourneau, kicking off at 5 p.m. in Longview.
 
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