Southland Conference

Sam Houston State returns home next weekend to host Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. on Friday at Pritchett Field. 

Northwestern State 2, Central Arkansas 0

CONWAY, Arkansas - Maddy Hall's fourth goal of the season early in the 64th minute snapped a scoreless tie, then Rose Lawrence's goal 16 minutes later secured Northwestern State's Southland Conference opener win over Central Arkansas by a 2-0 count Sunday afternoon.

In what was an evenly and defense dominated match in the first half, NSU (6-4-1, 1-0), now winners of four straight and five out of six, outshot the Sugar Bears (2-6, 0-1) 8-3 in the second had with a 4-0 shots-on-goal advantage.

"UCA came out in the first have and kind of rattled us," said head coach Jimmy Mitchell.  "But we settled down at the half and came out and played a lot better."

Lady Demon goalkeeper Lindy Strahan earned her second shutout of the season as NSU has blanked three of its last four opponents and has given up just one goal in its last four games.

"I thought we did a good job defensively," said Mitchell.  "I was happy with our depth.  We played 22 players and got both of our goals from our bench.  So I was real proud of that."

After a scoreless first half, Hall put the first ball in the net with 64:03 on the clock off a pass from Meghan Hunter.

The Lady Demons made it 2-0 at the 79:58 mark on Lawrence's second goal of the season off an assist from Rachel O'Steen as NSU won for just the second time on the road this season.

"This was really big to get this win on the road," said Mitchell.  "Coming in, I knew they (UCA) were going to be fired up because everyone is 0-0.  My concern was that we have five conference games on the road and four at home.  So now getting this win, we've got four and four."

NSU returns home on Friday when it hosts the defending conference regular season champion in McNeese State at 7 at the Demon Soccer Complex.

McNeese State 4, UTSA 2

LAKE CHARLES, LA - Senior forward Ja'Nae Powell recorded her second career hat trick here Sunday afternoon to lead the Cowgirls to a 4-2 Southland Conference victory over Texas-San Antonio.  Two of Powell's goals were assisted by Kamryn Koch and the other off a pass from Alana Clark.

The Cowgirls held a 2-1 lead after the half on Powell's first goal in the 11th minute on a header off a corner kick.  The second Cowgirl goal came from an own goal in the 26th minute.  Laurel Dierking put the Roadrunners on the board in the 36 minute off an assist by Taylor Padia.

McNeese added two more goals in the second half, both by Powell.  Powell gave the Cowgirls a 3-1 lead on a breakaway up the middle in the 61st minute.  Five minutes later, UTSA's Bonnie Caulfied scored an unassisted goal to cut the lead to 3-2 before Powell recorded her hat trick in the 77th minute on a header from the left side off another Koch assists.

"Hats off to Ja'nae Powell.  She had an amazing hat trick performance today and she should be commendend for her composure on the finishes.  She stepped up today in a big way and we are very proud of her performance," said head coach Scooter Savoie.

Powell led the Cowgirls with five shots and goalie Shelby Money was credited with eight saves.

"This was a very important win for us today.  We got points that we absolutely needed against a team that will contend for the conference title." 

McNeese's defense stepped up in the second half to turn away several UTSA potential goals.  The Roadrunners attempted 14 shots and seven corner kicks in the second half.

"Erin Leighton had a great defensive game.  She made some important tackles when we needed her most.  When she plays well, she lifts our defense and that is exactaly what we needed today."

The victory kept the Cowgirls' home winning streak alive at 16 games dating back to 2006 and improved the Cowgirls' overall record to 5-5-1, 1-0-1 SLC.

"We are proud to still be undefeated at home.  We appreciate our fans and we want to give them a great show.  Thanks to everyone who participated to make our "Pack the House" a success.

McNeese will hit the road for its next three conference games beginning with its next game set for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 at Northwestern State.  The Cowgirls remain on the road for a game at Central Arkansas Oct. 12 and will conclude the road trip at Lamar on Oct. 19.

The next home game is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24 against Nicholls State.

Stephen F. Austin 6, Nicholls State 1

THIBODAUX, La. - Five different Ladyjacks found the net in the first half, and the Stephen F. Austin soccer team cruised to a 6-1 victory at Nicholls Sunday, giving SFA its first three-game winning streak of the season.

Sophomore Kesia Broome posted two goals to lead the Ladyjacks in their second-highest team total of the season, as SFA improved to 5-5-0 overall and 2-0-0 in Southland Conference action. The Colonels fell to 2-9-0 with an 0-2-0 start to conference play.

"Everything was clicking for us in the first half," said SFA head coach George Van Linder. "I was glad to see we had five different scorers in the first half."

The Ladyjacks got on the board in the fourth minute, when junior Megan Cash scored her fourth goal of the year on a header with the assist going to senior Amanda Alders.

In the 19th minute, Alders again set things in motion when she made a run down the middle of the field and found Broome in the box for a goal that put SFA ahead, 2-0.

Senior Lauren Fricks took a feed from classmate Jessica Cotton on a set piece that began near midfield and put the ball in the net for her first goal of the year at the 33:59 mark.

The Ladyjacks went ahead, 4-0, five minutes later when junior Brenna Crockett sent a cross into the middle of the box that found freshman Katie O'Briant for her first goal of the year.

Crockett had the favor returned in the 43rd minute when Fricks hit her with a similar crossing pass that she converted for her fourth goal of the season, keeping pace with Cash for the team lead.

SFA went to halftime with a 5-0 lead after allowing just three shots on goal in the opening period.

The Colonels found the net in the 68th minute when Kaity Mattsson hammered home a rebound off a teammate's shot.

The Ladyjacks responded in the 84th minute to keep their five-goal cushion when Broome got her third goal of the year off an assist by Cash.

"In the second half we let up a little bit, and Nicholls didn't," Van Linder said. "We certainly have to do a better job of closing out games."

SFA finished with a 24-15 edge in shots and a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal. Sophomore Courtney Bauder (5-4-0) started and played the entire first half to take the win. She was credited with three saves. Junior Crystin Pactor played in net the second half and posted four saves with one goal allowed.

The Ladyjacks will resume SLC play this weekend, when they travel to Huntsville, Texas, to take on Sam Houston State. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start on Friday.

Beaumont, Texas - The Texas State Bobcats notched its first Southland Conference win Sunday afternoon after taking a 4-0 shutout victory over the Lamar Cardinals, while Britney Curry posted her first-career hat trick to aid the winning decision at Cardinal Stadium.

The four-score tally marks the most goals the Bobcats have scored in a single game this season, as the team improves to 5-3-3 on the season and 1-0-1 in league action. Lamar falls to 2-7 overall after dropping its second conference game this year.

The offensive attack started just nine minutes into the game when Curry caught the rebound from an attack by Erica Michaud that beat SLC goalkeeper of the week Jennifer Gibbs. At 9:04, Texas State led the game 1-0 and never looked back.

Lamar efforted six shots in the first period, one of which fell on goal but was turned away by goalkeeper Mandi Mawyer. The Cardinals tried three more times in the latter half of regulation, but Mawyer, along with solid defensive efforts from the back line, maintained the posts to hold the `Cards scoreless. Mawyer closed out the decision with three saves, earning her third shutout of the season, and improving to 2-1-1 on the season.

"Lamar played hard and never gave up," said head coach Kat Conner. "For our team to score four and keep a shutout shows that the team played very well together."

In the midst of holding off the fiery Lamar squad, the Bobcats continued blazing its scoring path, posting a trio of goals within five minutes. Curry hit goal number two at 72:03 off an assist from Karleigh Zolinski 15 yards out. With just over a minute ticking off the clock, the sophomore added her final score to complete the hat trick when she found the back of the net off a ricochet ball from Maddie Piranio that hit the post.

Michaud completed the quartet of goals at 77:34 on an unassisted score, taking on Gibbs one-on-one for the goal.

"I thought we finished some great chances today," said Conner. "The team fought hard to keep the shutout and I am very proud of them."

Texas State moves right along the conference slate, hosting a pair of games Friday and Sunday against Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls, respectively.