Seniors Lift Texas State Past UTSA for Southland Title
Texas State 3, UTSA 1
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Texas State capped off the 2009 regular season with an undefeated league record in a 3-1 win over UTSA Friday night at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. With the win, Texas State claimed their first-ever victory over the Roadrunners in program's history and clinched the Southland Conference Regular Season Title for the second-straight year.
Texas State (13-5-1, 9-0-1 Southland) will enter the Southland Conference Championship Tournament in Natchitoches, Louisiana Nov. 5-8 as the No. 1 seed. This marks the fourth Southland Championship for the Bobcats and first-ever back-to-back undefeated league seasons.
Seniors Andrea Grifo, Mandi Mawyer, Jessica Smith and Lindsay Tippit were honored during a post-game ceremony for their contributions to Texas State's success in the past four years.
With all four members in the starting lineup, Texas State rushed to 2-0 lead before halftime. In the 22nd minute, Grifo hit a cross from the right side that Lauren Lewis found from 10 yards out and connected for her first goal of the season. Taylor Kelley repeated the notion at the 37:14 mark to give the Bobcats a cushion heading into the second half.
Texas State's defense limited UTSA to just four shots in the first period, and rationed the foe to three in the final 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, Grifo picked up at the same pace in the second half and found Erica Michaud on a quick cross that the freshman sent high past Roadrunner keeper Dacia Webb for a 3-0 game.
UTSA managed one goal during the 75th minute from Chelsea Zimmerman on a high header past Mawyer. The senior managed three saves in the decision, and ended her regular season at home with a 9-0-1 overall record.
Texas State outshot UTSA 15-7 in the victory.
With the win, the Bobcats receive a first-round bye and advance straight to the semi-final game which will be played Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
Southland Conference action wraps up Sunday, Nov. 1 and tournament seeding will be finalized.
Sam Houston State 4, Central Arkansas 2
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Kirby Zak scored three goals in the first 19 minutes of the first half for her second hat trick of the 2009 season as Sam Houston State defeated Central Arkansas 4-2 on a muddy field at Pritchett Field Friday night.
The victory gives the Bearkats' a 5-3 Southland Conference record, the most league wins in one season in the seven-year history of the program. The win also clinched a Southland post-season tournament berth for Sam Houston, the Kats' third playoff trip ever.
Sam Houston qualified for the Southland tournament in 2005 and 2007. The Bearkats reached the tournament finals in 2005 and lost in the first round in 2007. This year's Southland Conference tournament begins Thursday Oct. 5. The event will be held in Natchitoches, LA.
Central Arkansas dropped to 7-10-1 for the season and 1-7 in Southland Conference action.
Zak's goals came in a 15-minute span in the first half. Her first goal was an unassisted 26-yard shot that lofted over goalkeeper Kirby Huffstickler's head into the net 3:18 into the contest. Zak's second goal came on passes from Leah Snelson and Shelby Grissett at the 17:24 mark. Just over a minute later, a combination of passes from Emily Jurecka and Lindsey Posner found Zak open again for a goal at 18:38.
The hat trick was the second this season for Zak and the 17th in Bearkat soccer history. It is only the third hat trick against a Southland Conference opponent.
Randi Condley scored both goals for the Sugar Bears. She tied the game 1-1 on a pass from Cori Kaplinger at the 15:23 mark. A pass from Kari Mars set up her second goal at 22:43 to cut the Kat margin to 3-2.
Zak assisted on Sam Houston's fourth goal with 5:43 seconds to play, finding Shelby Grissett open for an insurance score.
Sam Houston State will wrap up the 2009 regular season with a 1 p.m. match Sunday afternoon against Northwestern State at Pritchett Field.
Stephen F. Austin 3, Northwestern State 2
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Junior Kim Kimmel assisted on Stephen F. Austin's first goal of the contest then knocked home the game-winner in a 3-2 verdict over Northwestern State Friday night at the SFA Soccer Complex. The win keeps the Ladyjacks in contention for a No. 2 seed in next weekend's Southland Conference Tournament.
SFA took the lead twice before Kimmel's goal, but, each time, Northwestern answered with a goal to tie the game. Kimmel delivered the knock-out blow in the 84th minute, just four minutes after the Demons' Sarah Sadler tied the game with her second goal of the night.
"What a great game for the fans and casual observer," SFA head coach George Van Linder said. "I am so proud of our team for battling back after each goal Northwestern scored.
"They weren't going to go down without a fight, and I was glad to see that, tonight, we were able to respond."
With the win SFA moves to 8-8-1 on the season and 5-2-1 in Southland play. Northwestern falls to 10-9-0 with a 3-5-0 mark in league action. With 16 points in league play, the Ladyjacks are now tied with Southeastern Louisiana for second in the conference. The Lions were scheduled to take on McNeese State Friday night, but the contest has been postponed until Saturday, due to poor weather.
In Nacogdoches, the Ladyjacks slogged their way to victory on a spongy field that had seen nearly a week's worth of steady rain.
Freshman Kylie Louw got SFA on the board in the 12th minute. Kimmel began the play by dribbling in from the left side near the top of the 18-yard box. She slipped a pass to Louw near the top right corner, and Louw squared up a hard shot past the goalkeeper to the left side.
SFA looked completely in command going into the break, as the Ladyjacks held a 19-0 edge in shot attempts at halftime. But the Demons evened the count early in the second half, when Sadler notched her first goal.
Sadler, the sister of SFA freshman Laura Sadler, settled a corner kick off the foot of Rachel O'Steen and beat SFA 'keeper Courtney Bauder with a low shot to the right from 10 yards out.
The Ladyjacks responded just two minutes later, when junior Camille Royer scored in the 63rd minute. She gathered in a loose ball out to the left of the goal box and lined up a shot toward the far post that found the net, giving SFA a 2-1 lead.
Sarah Sadler tied the score again in the 80th minute when she blasted a high shot from 25 yards out into the top of the net, just out of Bauder's reach. Maddy Hall was credited with an assist on the play.
Four minutes later, the Ladyjacks answered for the final time. SFA senior Kelli Wilson lined up a free kick from just outside the 18, and rattled a shot off the crossbar. Kimmel followed the shot in and controlled the rebound before sticking the ball in the back of an empty net.
The scoring strike is Kimmel's seventh of the season, tying her for the team lead. She paces the squad with three game-winners this year.
For the game, SFA finished with a season-high 35 shots, 15 of which were on goal. The Demons posted nine second-half shots, five of which found their mark.
Bauder recorded one save in picking up the win. SFA posted team saves on Northwestern's other two shots on goal. The first such play was a key one in the 54th minute when Jordan King raced in behind a sprawling Bauder to slide in front of a shot off the foot of Kayla King.
The win put the wraps on a big evening for SFA. In the team's inaugural "Kick Pink" game, aimed at raising breast cancer awareness, the Ladyjacks sported pink jerseys adorned with the names of loved ones who have been affected by cancer. The jerseys were auctioned off, along with other items, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.
"To have an exciting game be a part of the kick pink event is wonderful," Van Linder said. "I hope we can continue to put on this event."
The Ladyjacks will wrap up the regular season Sunday afternoon, when SFA takes on Central Arkansas. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start from the SFA Soccer Complex and will be followed by a Senior Day ceremony honoring the Ladyjacks' three seniors.
Lamar 3, Nicholls 2 (OT)
THIBODAUX, La. - Grace Bowman picked a great time to score her first career goal.
The freshman took a corner kick from Lisa Hance and put a low shot inside the near post seven minutes into overtime to lift Lamar to a 3-2 win over Nicholls State and keep its Southland Conference Tournament hopes alive at Guidry Stadium Friday night.
Lamar (4-12-1, 3-5-0 Southland) won for the third time in the last four games and recorded its first-ever overtime victory, improving to 1-2-1 this season and 1-3-2 all-time. Nicholls (4-14-1, 0-7-1) remained winless in league play.
Lamar jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to scores in the 15th and 22nd minutes.
The initial goal was started on a long ball from goalkeeper Jennifer Gibbs. Hance then fed Kari Davila who netted her fourth goal of the season at the 14:33 mark. Just under seven minutes later Hance was the passer again as her corner kick started a play that Rachelle Barry headed to Lorna Gover, who then turned on the ball and scored. It was her second goal of the year.
Nicholls came right back with a pair of goals by leading scorer Kaity Mattsson in the final 12 minutes of the half. The first came on a scramble in the box that Carolyn Noble slipped the ball to Mattsson who cut the LU lead to 2-1 at the 35:57 point. The duo teamed up again with 1:38 remaining in the half to tie the score at 2-2.
Neither team was able to crack the scoring column in the second half but Lamar did control play for the majority of the period. The Lady Cardinals had numerous chances, including one from Kari Busch in the 87th minute from about two yards that Nicholls goalkeeper Molly Mersereau deflected out of bounds.
Lamar outshot Nicholls 19-8 for the game and managed a 7-1 edge in corner kicks. The Cards' final two goals came off corner kick opportunities.
Hance finished with a school-record three assists and increased her career scoring total to 17 points, just one shy of tying Aline Pugliesi for the LU all-time mark.
Lamar will conclude the regular-season at Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Hammond, La.
McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana - Postponed
HAMMOND, La. - The Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer team's scheduled match with McNeese State on Friday afternoon at the Southeastern Soccer Complex has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Hammond area.
The match has been rescheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. with a site to be determined. The match is tentatively scheduled to be held at the Southeastern Soccer Complex, but preliminary arrangements have been made to play the match at the STYSA Soccer Fields should the playing field at Southeastern's home site be deemed unplayable.