NATCHITOCHES, La. - No. 3 seed UTSA and No. 5 seed Southeastern Louisiana both won opening round matches today in the first round of the 2007 SLC Women's Soccer Tournament. UTSA defeated No. 6 seed Sam Houston State, 1-0, in the opening match, before the Lady Lions edged tournament host and No. 4 seed Northwestern State, 2-0, in match two.
Match Two:
No. 5 Southeastern Louisiana 2, No. 4 Northwestern State 0
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana freshman midfielder Natalie Santana scored two goals to help the Lady Lions defeat tournament host Northwestern State, 2-0, in the first round of the 2007 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Thursday night at the Demon Soccer Complex.
Southeastern improved to 10-6-3 overall with the first round victory. Northwestern State's season ends with an 11-7-2 record. The Lady Lions will now face top-seeded and co-regular season champion McNeese State in a semifinal match Friday at 4:30 p.m.
The winner of Friday's match will advance to Sunday's championship match at 1 p.m. The tournament champion will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships.
Southeastern advanced to the semifinals with a dominating effort, out-shooting Northwestern State, 10-4, and holding the Lady Demons without a shot attempt in the first half. Senior All-SLC goalkeeper Holly Moran earned her SLC-high eighth shutout of the season and the Lady Lions avenged a 2-1 overtime loss to NSU during the regular season.
"We played extremely well tonight and our victory was a result of a complete team effort," Southeastern head coach Blake Hornbuckle commented. "We are very pleased with the play of everyone and we hope to carry this momentum into tomorrow's match with a very talented McNeese State team.
"The return of Kristin McDonald was a big factor in tonight's victory," Hornbuckle added. "She was excellent up top and Dana Mayer was tremendous on the flank for us. Natalie showed a lot of composure in the box and did a great job finishing. She and Lindsey Dyck were difference makers winning balls in the central midfield. Northwestern State has several very explosive players and our backs did a good job limiting their effectiveness. I'm so proud of our effort in every facet of the game."
Santana, a native of Cypress, Calif., gave Southeastern the lead in the match's 27th minute. Sophomore forward Gloria Burkhart served a corner kick into the NSU box, freshman defender Brittany Prieto settled it and found Santana, who hammered a shot past Lady Demon goalkeeper Johnna Klohoker for a 1-0 lead.
The score remained the same throughout the first half, as Santana and Dyck helped keep the ball on the NSU side of the field. All-SLC defenders Sarah Cheung and Shalayne Heffner held the Lady Demons without a shot in the first half.
Santana ended any hope of a NSU comeback with a little more than 12 minutes left. The freshman midfielder's second goal of the game iced the match for Southeastern. With the two scores, Santana pushed her season goal total to five.
In Thursday's first match, SLC Freshman of the Year Alli Dillon scored midway through the second half to help Texas-San Antonio defeat Sam Houston State, 1-0. UTSA will face No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. following the Lady Lions-Cowgirls clash.
Southeastern will be attempting to improve to 2-0 on the season versus McNeese State. The Lady Lions handed McNeese State its only league loss of the season with a 1-0 victory on Oct. 21 in Hammond.
Match One:
No. 3 UTSA 1, No. 6 Sam Houston State 0
NATCHITOCHES, La. - Alli Dillon, the 2007 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, broke a scoreless tie with her team-leading 10th goal of the season and the UTSA soccer team picked up its first-ever SLC Tournament victory, 1-0, on Thursday against Sam Houston State. The Roadrunners (9-8-2) advanced to Friday's 7 p.m. semifinal against No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin
"Our team play well, especially in the second half." head coach Steve Ballard said. "They were able to make the necessary adjustment in the second half and got us the win against a good team."
Dillon took a pass from freshman Jenna Pawelek during the 71st minute and beat Bearkats goalkeeper Jenny Pence to give UTSA a 1-0 lead. It would be all the offense the Roadrunners would need, as freshman Allison McCabe continued her outstanding play in the net. The Arlington native collected five saves en route to her fourth shutout in seven starts this season.
With less than 11 minutes remaining in the match, Nichole Watkins and Garcia had two wide open looks at the goal, but McCabe made two diving saves to seal the match for the Roadrunners.
The Bearkats (6-11) held an 11-5 shots edge in a scoreless first half, but UTSA turned the tables after the break, out shooting Sam Houston State 9-7. The Roadrunners were led sophomore Veronica Najera's seven shots, while four Bearkats had three shots apiece.
UTSA will face No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin tomorrow night at 7 p.m.