RICHARDSON, TX (10.25.14) - In a battle of two Top 25 teams in the national women's soccer poll, the perennial power Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls topped the upstart UT Dallas Comets a 3-1 American Southwest Conference loss in their home finale Saturday afternoon.

No. 22 HSU (12-2, 6-1 ASC) handed the No. 23 Comets (11-3-1, 5-1-1) their first conference loss of the season, and moved ahead of UTD in the ASC standings. Both teams still trail league leader UT Tyler with a week left in the regular season.

The loss was UTD's 11th straight to the Cowgirls, who UTD last tied in 2008. The Comets' last win over HSU came in 2002. The two teams have met in ASC title game nine times.

The Cowgirls jumped out front with a pair of first-half goals, and held on against a determined UTD squad in the second half. The Comets out-shot HSU, 16-12, and forced HSU goalkeeper Lexi Stenson into six save situations. UTD's lone goal came in the 58th minute when UTD senior Sarah Borg drilled a penalty kick past a diving Stenson after an HSU defender was whistled for a hand ball in the box.

That was not enough to overcome HSU's fast start, however. Jordan Lara took a crossing serve from Karissa Olson in the 17th minute, redirecting the shot back to the left side past Comet keeper Macaire Ament. Then, in the 30th minute, Katie Haltiwanger scored a second goal off a corner kick that hooked high over the Ament's outstretched arms and found net without a teammate touching the ball.

Despite renewed energy from the Comets in the second period, HSU increased its lead to 3-0 when Lara again found net, this time punching in a rebound off a Julianne Kucera shot that hit the crossbar.

Ament did stop three more HSU shots with saves.

The Comets wrap up the ASC regular season and try to hold on to a post-season berth with road games Friday and Saturday at Concordia and Mary Hardin-Baylor.