MARS HILL, N.C. -- Paced by freshman Ashley Cotton's two-goal effort off the bench, the Anderson women's soccer team claimed its second straight win by defeating Mars Hill, 2-1, in non-conference action Tuesday night at Meares Stadium. The Lions were coming off a 1-1 draw at Brevard last Friday night, while the Trojans knocked off visiting St. Andrews, 2-1, in a Homecoming contest Saturday. The AU defense, led by Kristin Page, was stellar all night, holding the Lions scoreless early as MHC fired a flurry of five shots in a six-minute span. Cotton came on in the 24th minute and scored her second goal of the season at the 39:56 mark off a through ball sent by Larissa Fedorowich. The two teams went to intermission with AU holding the one-goal advantage, despite being outshot 13-3 in the first half. Cotton notched the game-winner in the 68th minute from 35 yards out and the Lions' Abby Martin scored the Lions' lone goal on a breakaway with just 33 seconds remaining in the match. MHC out shot Anderson 20-5 and edged the Trojans in corner kicks, 3-1, but AU made the most of its attempts, with Cotton scoring on her only two attempts and Fedorowich notching three shots on the night. Alyssa Stephens played the entire contest between the pipes for AU, recording seven saves. "We were locked in a defensive struggle the last 20 minutes of the first half," said Anderson head coach Jason Dowiak. "Alyssa Stephens had a great game and Kristin kept us organized defensively. I also thought Larissa helped us control the middle." Anderson improved to 5-8 on the season while Mars Hill fell to 2-13-1. Next up for the Trojans is a home match-up with Lees-McRae on Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the AU Soccer Field. Game Stats Season Stats