"(Meridian) came out strong in the first half, playing with emotion," said TJC head coach Corey Rose. "They were ready to play. They were taking it to us in the first 20-30 minutes. They had opportunities."

Claudia Saucedo, a freshman from St. Petersburg, Fla., broke the ice with 20 seconds left in the first half to make it 1-0.

Saucedo scored again, seven minutes into the second half, to give her 14 goals on the season. Cara Newton, a sophomore from England, was credited with her 16th assist.

Ashley Wall gave TJC a 3-0 lead with 24:40 remaining, her fourth goal of the year.

Defensively, the Apache Ladies notched their ninth shutout behind freshman Beatrice Soto, who made one save.

TJC finished the match with 13 shots while Meridian had seven.

The Apache Ladies executed their offense much better in the second half.

"We weren't possessing the ball (early). We were just kicking it out of the back and they would come right back at us," Rose said. "We had to make better decisions and that made a huge difference in the second half."