SOCCER: Oct. 25 Scoreboard
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1, McNeese State 0
Nicholls 4, Central Arkansas 2
Stephen F. Austin 2, UIW 0
Northwestern State 1, Southeastern Louisiana 1 (2 OT)
Sam Houston State 2, Abilene Christian 0 (2 OT)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1, McNeese State 0
Corpus Christi, Texas – For the first time in program history, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team will play in the Southland Conference Tournament. On Senior Day, Jessica Berdan's 52nd minute goal proved to be the difference maker as the Islanders defeated McNeese State 1-0 on Sunday.
With wind gusts of up to 45 mph, both teams had difficulty settling into the match. Offensive opportunities were scarce in the first half. Islanders goalkeeper Megan Delaney was fully stretched to tip a shot over the bar in the seventh minute.
Jacey Love provided the best offensive opportunity to A&M-Corpus Christi in the 34th minute. The sophomore got away from her defender on a corner, but sent her header just over the crossbar.
Aside from the lone shot on net for the Cowgirls in the first half, the Islanders controlled the majority of possession by keeping the ball on the ground, while McNeese State struggled to adjust to balls in the air.
In the 52nd minute, Audrey Kuhl found Emma Biba on the left flank with a hard pass on the ground. Biba then sent a low cross behind the McNeese State defense to an open Berdan on the back post, where the senior finished into an empty net
Four seniors from the Islanders Soccer team were honored during a pregame ceremony. Hailey Sutton, Amanda Ramirez and Berdan started in their final match at the Dugan Soccer Stadium, while Kallyn Redona supported the squad on the sideline, missing the match through injury.
Along with Berdan's game winner, each senior left her mark on the match. In the first five minutes of the match, Ramirez lunged into a punishing challenge on a Cowgirl forward to stop a McNeese State counterattack. Sutton nearly scored a second for the Islanders if not for a save by goalkeeper Lauren Sestak in the 86th minute.
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Nicholls 4, Central Arkansas 2
THIBODAUX, La.
– Battling remnants of the strongest hurricane in recorded history, the Nicholls State University women’s soccer team overcame the constant downpour to defeat Central Arkansas, 4-2, on Sunday morning at the Nicholls Soccer Complex.
With the victory, the Colonels (6-9-1, 4-6-0 SLC) move into sixth place in the Southland Conference standings. The win, coupled with McNeese State’s loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday afternoon, means that if Nicholls defeats Southeastern La. on Friday, the Colonels are guaranteed a postseason berth.
It took only three minutes for Nicholls to get on the board against the Bears (6-11-1, 3-6-1 SLC), when Haylee Atwell took a pass from Hannah Savoie, made a defender miss, and fired a shot into the back of the net. The score was the first of Atwell’s collegiate career.
Atwell’s second goal came just nine minutes later. Francesca Curteis launched a deep pass over the head of a sprinting Atwell. Central Arkansas goalie Lauren Mercuri dove forward to beat Atwell to the ball, but couldn’t maintain control. Atwell collected the loose ball before Mercuri could recover, and fired it into an empty net.
The Colonels and Bears made furious attempts to score over the next 25 minutes, but every attack was met with an equally aggressive defensive effort.
Nicholls looked to have a stranglehold on the match, until the 37:56 mark, when UCA’s Camille Bassett collected a pass from Kelly McLaughlin on a corner kick, and found the back of the net.
The Colonels took a 2-1 lead into the break.
Both squads had numerous unsuccessful attacks through the first 29 minutes of the second period.
In the 74th minute, Spencer Valdespino increased the Nicholls lead to two. Emily Werenskiold took a corner kick, which was headed by Curteis to Valdespino at the top of the box. Valdespino fired a bullet from 25 yards out, striking the top left corner of the net.
The Colonels enjoyed their two-goal advantage for only one minute and 37 seconds, before Bassett found the net for a second time. It wasn’t the prettiest shot attempt, but Bassett’s mishit ball caused Nicholls goalie Amanda Boylson to mistime her dive. Boylson was still able to get part of her body on the ball, but momentum allowed it to slowly roll into the net.
The goal energized the Bears, who aggressively tried to tie the match, but with just over two minutes remaining, Valdespino scored her second goal of the day, effectively putting the game out of reach. On the play, Ainsley Pratt attempted to head in a corner kick from Werenskiold. Pratt’s header was unsuccessful, but Valdespino collected the rebound and fired a follow-up attempt. Valdespino’s shot drilled the center of the crossbar and bounced into the back of the net as the Colonel bench erupted in cheers.
The Nicholls defense locked down over the final two minutes and Nicholls held on for the much-needed victory.
Valdespino led the Colonels in both shots (nine) and shots on goal (four). She now has 13 goals on the season. Atwell finished with two shots, both of which found the net. Werenskiold and Curteis registered two assists apiece, and Curteis added two shots. Werenskiold, Pratt, Erin Flores, Kaylie Daniels and Lindsay Gardner each contributed a shot for Nicholls in the win.
Bassett finished with seven shots, six on goal, to pace Central Arkansas. No other player had a multi-shot outing for the Bears.
The Colonel defense, led by Nicole Dupin, Savannah Boswell, Katherine Kelly and Savannah Boswell, played outstanding in the victory.
Boylson (5-7, 4-5 SLC) picked up the win, earning six saves, while allowing two goals.
Mercuri took the loss, totaling four saves and surrendering four goals.
Nicholls will host Southeastern La. on Friday at 4 p.m.
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Stephen F. Austin 2, UIW 0
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team wasted little time getting on the scoreboard and held on for a 2-0 victory over Incarnate Word on a soggy Sunday morning at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. The Ladyjacks improve their first place Southland Conference record to 7-0-2 with just two games remaining in the regular season.
Sophomore forward Hanna Barker gave SFA an early 1-0 cushion with a goal just 1:40 into the game. Junior midfielder Amanda Doyle got through the UIW back line and sent a ball across the goal to Barker, who was able to redirect it into the net. The speedy tally marked the third goal of the season for Barker with the assist being Doyle’s third of 2015 as well.
Freshman forward Breanna Moore provided some breathing room for the Ladyjacks in the 55th minute, recording her third goal in as many games to put SFA on top 2-0. After collecting a loose ball in the box, Moore fired a shot that whizzed past the UIW keeper inside the left post.
SFA’s stingy defense was able to handle things from there, posting the third straight team shutout and sixth clean sheet overall for the year. The Ladyjacks haven’t conceded a goal in over 290 minutes spanning their last four games. It is the longest scoreless streak forced this season.
Goalkeepers Lillie Ehlert and Allyson Smith once again split time between the posts for SFA. Ehlert hauled in three saves in the first half while Smith posted one save in the second. Along with the solid goalkeeping, defenders Brooke Dunnigan, Julianna Echavarry, Chantal Curry, Kelly Ann Craig and Bailey Bosley each contributed to the team shutout.
Offensively, the Ladyjacks used a balanced attack to put pressure on the Cardinals. A total of 11 players registered a shot over 90 minutes with Barker and junior forward Jasmine White leading the way with two shots apiece. Barker, Moore, White and sophomore forward Michaela Mencacci tested the UIW keeper with shots on goal.
SFA ended the morning with a 13-9 shot advantage, putting one more on frame than UIW (5-4). The most lopsided stat of the day was SFA’s 12-0 surplus in corner kick opportunities.
Next up, the Ladyjacks will travel to play Abilene Christian on Tuesday at 3 p.m. in what is a rescheduled date from last Friday.
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Northwestern State 1, Southeastern Louisiana 1 (2 OT)
HAMMOND, La. – A sloppy and rainy field turf didn't favor Northwestern State's passing style of play Sunday, but the Lady Demons scrapped to a 1-1 tie with Southeastern.
Sophomore forward Esdeina Gonzalez scored her team-high sixth goal of the season in the 43rd minute to give NSU a 1-0 halftime lead.
Gonzalez finished a pass from freshman midfielder Jasmine Juarez, her third assist this season to move into second place for the Lady Demons (5-9-4, 2-5-3 Southland Conference).
But Southeastern (10-4-3, 5-3-2 SLC), who entered the match in fourth place in the league, found the equalizer in the 72nd minute. Maggie Ramsey scored on a Maddie Allen assist, and the score stayed knotted through double overtime.
It's the fifth conference match and sixth match overall this season in which NSU scored the first goal but couldn't hold the lead through regulation. NSU is 1-3-2 in those matches with its lone win coming against Sam Houston State in double overtime.
Southeastern held the edge in total shots (18-11) but NSU placed more shots on goal (9-7).
The Lady Demons are in ninth place (nine points) with one match remaining, and NSU needs to jump eighth-place Central Arkansas (10 points) and seventh-place Nicholls (12 points) to reach the conference tournament for the first time since 2008.
NSU hosts Central Arkansas on Friday in the season finale, but an NSU win and a Nicholls loss would leave the teams tied with 12 points each. With Nicholls' overtime win Friday against NSU, the Colonels hold the tie-breaker.
Senior goalkeeper Brooke Bourbonais made her first start Sunday after missing the previous five matches with a concussion. Bourbonais led a shutout first half with three saves. Sophomore keeper Alex Latham played the second half and both overtimes with one goal allowed.
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Sam Houston State 2, Abilene Christian 0 (2 OT)
Abilene, Texas – Facing a one goal deficit heading into the final 10 minutes, Sam Houston State soccer’s Allie Johnson stole pass and rifled the ball into the net from 12 yards out, helping the Bearkats a 2-2 tie at Abilene Christian on Sunday afternoon.
The result came during a crucial game for a Sam Houston (7-6-3, 4-3-2 Southland) team entering Tuesday’s match at Incarnate Word in sixth place with the conference’s top six qualifying for the league tournament in Conway, Ark., November 5-8.
The Bearkats struck early thanks to an 11th-minute Megan Bennett goal on a ball tapped in from the near post following a corner kick. The goal was the junior’s first of the season while Kylie Dick notched her second assist.
The Wildcats (7-7-3, 6-1-2 SLC) rallied back, recording two goals in less than as many minutes. In the 69th minute, Kate Seay put one in from 10 yards back. In the 71st, Abilene Christian took the lead on an unassisted Dylan Owens finisher.
Abilene Christian kept the Kats on the defensive, notching 26 shots, a season high for a Bearkat opponent. Meanwhile, Sam Houston took 16 shots, but made the most of them, recording their first multi-goal game in five matches.
In the net, Sam Houston’s Kylie Hambleton made a season high 11 saves, besting her mark of eight against Southeastern Louisiana (Oct. 16) and Baylor (Sept. 4).
The Bearkats have two matches remaining. After visiting the Cardinals at 7 o’clock Tuesday, Sam Houston hosts its final regular season match, when Stephen F. Austin comes to town on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
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