A stingy defense and another second-half rally helped propel the Missouri State field hockey team to a 3-0 victory over in-state rival Saint Louis, giving the Bears a two-game season sweep of the Billikens.

The Bears made it easy on freshman goalkeeper Steph Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa.). The defense allowed only two shots the entire game, neither of which was on goal. Anderson and the Bears recorded their second shutout of the season without having to notch a save.

After intermission, the offense did its best to match the defense’s impressive outing. Coming off her breakout weekend against Kent State and Ohio in which she scored five goals in two games, the highest two-game total in the MAC this season, senior Melissa Lantz (Wildwood, Mo.) stayed hot, tallying her ninth goal of the season. The goal came off an assist from junior Stephanie Chase in the 39th minute to give the Bears a 1-0.

While the defense held the Billikens scoreless, the offense managed to put some distance between the two teams. Sophomore Kristen Pettey (San Diego Calif.) scored her fifth goal of the season in the 48th minute off an assist from promising freshman Kristina O'Connor (Fort Worth, Texas).

Freshman Grace Baker’s (West Yorkshire, England) first goal as a Bear closed the scoring in the 52nd minute. Baker took a nice cross from Lantz and found the back of the net.

The Bears have become second-half warriors of late. In the last three games, the Bears have outscored their opponents 9-4 after halftime.

It was MSU’s fourth-consecutive win against Saint Louis. The Bears won the two games this season by a combined score of 10-0.

The team heads back into conference play this weekend, with games at Ball State, Saturday, and at Miami, Sunday. MSU improves to 4-7 on the season, while Saint Louis drops to 1-8.