SOCCER: Sept. 18 Scoreboard
Houston Baptist 3, UIW 2
Sam Houston State 2, Central Arkansas 1 (OT)
Southeastern Louisiana 1, McNeese State 0
Lamar 1, Nicholls 0
A&M-Corpus Christi 1, Abilene Christian 1 (2OT)
Northwestern State 1, Stephen F. Austin 1 (2OT)
Houston Baptist 3, UIW 2
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Junior Allison Abendschein registered her first 3-point match of her career, sophomore Jennifer Gebhardt scored her first-collegiate goal, and freshman Sabriah Spencer netted her second game winner of the season as Houston Baptist women’s soccer defeated UIW, 3-2, Friday evening from Benson Stadium.
Abendschein, Gebhardt, and Spencer led the way for HBU (3-2-1 overall, 1-0-0 SLC) in the point department. Abendschein and Ellee Hall each had three shots. Alanis Guevara earned her first-collegiate win in goal as she made three saves.
Abigail Koenigs and Emani Stewart each scored for UIW (2-7-0, 0-1-0), while Nikki Popa tied for the game high of three shots. Karly Brightwell stopped six shots in goal for the Cardinals.
It took just seven minutes for UIW to draw first blood. Following an HBU foul, the ball from the ensuing free kick got loose inside the box and Koenigs banged it home for an early Cardinal lead.
The Huskies tied the game in the 22nd minute as Gabby Rodriguez sent in a beautiful cross into the box that Abendschein headed over Brightwell.
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead five minutes later. After Brightwell made a save, the Cardinals headed on the offensive side. Stewart took a long pass up the field and beat Guevara below the cross bar.
HBU almost tied the game before halftime as Alessia Dal Monte’s header attempt hit the post in the 35th minute, but the teams entered the break with UIW leading, 2-1.
HBU outshot the Cardinals, 9-6, in the half and had all six of the corner kicks.
The Huskies found the keeper’s best friend midway through the second half, as Bailey Clayton’s attempt hit the post.
HBU’s luck changed in the 79th minute as, following a Cardinal foul, Gebhardt scored off a free kick to knot the match at two-all.
Two minutes later, Spencer gave the Huskies a lead they would not relinquish, following an offensive onslaught. Abendschein’s initial shot was blocked. After Brightwell made two saves, Spencer got one past the keeper for a 3-2 Huskies lead.
HBU outshot UIW, 10-4, in the second half for a 19-10 advantage for the match. The Huskies took three of the second half’s four corner kicks for a 9-1 advantage.
The Huskies conclude their season-high six-match road trip next weekend at Sam Houston State Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. and Stephen F. Austin Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.
– Return to top –
Sam Houston State 2, Central Arkansas 1 (OT)
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – After being sidelined for nearly a month, Sam Houston State soccer’s Ashley Alonzo returned to the lineup in style, making the most of her 25 minutes in the lineup.
The senior placed a game-winning goal inside the near post with three minutes remaining in the first overtime to lift the Bearkats (4-3-1 overall, 1-0 SLC) to a 2-1 win against Central Arkansas (3-6, 0-1 SLC) in the squad’s Southland Conference opener Friday night at Pritchett Field.
Each squad saw limited success offensively in the opening 45, but that changed eight minutes into the second half when Central Arkansas’ Camille Bassett broke away down the middle and put one passed the a diving senior goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton.
In the 70th minute, Sam Houston junior Maddy Panazzo crossed a ball to junior Allie Johnson, who slid and kicked knocked it into the back of the net for the equalizer and her second of the year. The assist was Panozzo’s second.
The match saw 29 fouls between the two squads. Elsewhere, Central Arkansas posted four corner kicks to the Bearkats two. While Sam Houston, who was picked second in the preseason by the league’s head coaches, secured the win, the team will be looking for more in future outings.
Sam Houston will have Sunday off and return to play on Friday from Pritchett Field against Houston Baptist. First touch is slated for 6:30 p.m. between the Kats and Huskies.
– Return to top –
Southeastern Louisiana 1, McNeese State 0
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana sophomore Maddie Kresevic scored the game-winning goal in the 71st minute to give the Lady Lion soccer team a 1-0 victory over McNeese State in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Friday night at Cowgirl Field.
The Lady Lions (6-1-1, 1-0 Southland) extended their unbeaten streak to five games with Friday’s road victory. McNeese State fell to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
Kresevic, a native of Solon, Ohio, finished a chance started by a corner kick from sophomore Ana Zadro. Junior Bri Singh was able to direct it to Kresevic, who sent it past McNeese State senior goalkeeper Lauren Sestak.
On the defensive end, Southeastern limited the Cowgirls to nine shots on the way to its fifth shutout of the season. SLU junior goalkeeper Hope Sabadash was credited with one save.
Southeastern will look to extend its unbeaten streak on Friday, Sept. 25, when it hosts Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium to kick off Alumni Weekend. All former SLU soccer student-athletes will be recognized at halftime.
– Return to top –
Lamar 1, Nicholls 0
BEAUMONT, Texas – After waiting almost the entire 90 minutes before scoring a goal, the Lamar University Cardinals weren’t going to let a few more minutes for the officials to discuss the merits of the goal bother them.
When all was said and done, the officials decided that Mari Olastuen’s goal with 18 seconds remaining in regulation did indeed count, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 victory over the Nicholls Colonels in the Southland Conference women’s soccer opener for both teams at the LU Soccer Complex on Friday night. It was the 50th win in program history for LU, which started soccer in the 2007 season.
Olastuen lofted a shot over Nicholls goalkeeper Amanda Boylston and started to celebrate after the ball tickled the twine. The celebration was halted when the officials appeared to declare no goal, but after a lengthy consultation, the goal was allowed to stand, setting off another celebration by the Cardinals. Jannet Hernandez was credited with the assist.
LU goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy made nine saves to record her first career shutout. Lovejoy made a pair of scintillating saves in the first half to rob Nicholls’ Spencer Valdespino, but the LU defense limited the Colonels’ chances in the second half.
With the win, LU (5-4-0 overall, 1-0-0 Southland), improved to 7-2 all-time against Nicholls. It’s the second straight year the Cardinals opened Southland play with a win.
The Cardinals close the non-conference portion of the regular-season schedule when they travel to Texas State at 1 p.m. Sunday. LU stays on the road for Southland Conference games at Northwestern State and Central Arkansas next weekend before returning home to host Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. Oct. 2.
– Return to top –
A&M-Corpus Christi 1, Abilene Christian 1 (2OT)
ABILENE, Texas – Senior forward Lindsey Jones kicked back a Natalie Throneberry rebound with 3:10 left to go in regulation to help Abilene Christian settle for a 1-1 tie against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday night.
The goal was Jones' second of the season and came off of goalkeeper Megan Delaney's deflection in the goalmouth after Throneberry tried to attack from the left side. Delaney got one hand on the ball but it went right to Jones, who was left unguarded inside the six-yard box.
Despite earning one point in the Southland Conference standings, tonight's match certainly felt like a loss in many respects as the Wildcats racked up four of the seven yellow cards and will have to deal with the impact of Leslie Snider's red card into next weekend.
Snider twice was yellow carded, which resulted in an ejection near the end of the first overtime. Junior Maria Gomez also was issued a yellow late in the second half as was the Wildcat bench. The Islanders, meanwhile, picked up three yellow cards in addition to their 11 fouls.
ACU outshot the Islanders, 27-15, for the match and had three slam-dunk opportunities rejected before finally hitting pay dirt late in the second half. After Sophie Standifer was tackled on her way to the goal in the eighth minute, Chantal Kinsey missed a penalty kick, and then in the closing seconds of the first half Megan Baer's shot hit underneath the crossbar and bounced back into the field of play.
The Islanders scored their goal in the 44th minute when Brooke Erdmann headed in a Jessica Berdan cross from just outside the six-yard back past Sydney Newton and into the right corner of the net.
Erdmann's goal was her first of the year.
ACU continued to shoot well through the second half but had two shots blocked and another hit the crossbar, this time by Jones in the 81st minute.
Each goalkeeper went on to make one save in the first overtime, and in the second OT Delaney intercepted attempts by Standifer and Throneberry to finish with 10 saves. Newton also had a solid night in net with eight stops, while her defense helped clear five corners.
Jones led all players tonight with seven shots and place three on goal.
The Wildcats return to action a week from today with the start of a road trip to Nicholls (Friday at 4 p.m.) and Southeastern Louisiana (Sunday at 1 p.m.)
– Return to top –
Northwestern State 1, Stephen F. Austin 1 (2OT)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- For a Northwestern State soccer program attempting to reach its first Southland Conference tournament since 2008, Friday's night result can be taken as a positive omen.
The Lady Demons tied Stephen F. Austin 1-1 in double overtime, traveling to an opponent that has won three straight SLC regular season crowns.
The last time NSU (3-4-2) scored a point in the standings against the Ladyjacks (1-6-1) was in 2008, ending a streak of six straight SFA wins and five straight shutouts in the series.
Coach George Van Linder said his team had their chances for victory, but he recognizes the progress that a tie represents on the road.
Sophomore Esdeina Gonzalez set the tone early with a goal in the ninth minute. Gonzalez, who has two goals this season, finished a ball from sophomore midfielder Shelby Drope to the top center of the net.
Gonzalez, the team's leading scorer in 2014 with seven goals, said her nerves of playing on the conference stage helped her to focus.
The Ladyjacks responded with immense pressure for much of the first half, and SFA found the equalizer in the 24th minute. Amanda Doyle took an Ashton Norman past and finished from the fringes of the penalty box for a 1-1 tie.
SFA outshot NSU 9-3 in the first half and 22-17 for the match, but a determined defense didn't allow another goal.
Senior Brooke Bourbonais made four saves in the first half, including on a penalty kick in which she dove to the left to keep the tie. The penalty-kick save is Bourbonais' second this season after making one against LSU to preserve a tie.
Sophomore keeper Alex Latham entered the second half and shut out the Ladyjacks for the last 65 minutes, including the two overtimes.
Latham's eight saves included several breakaway situations in which she rushed forward to deflect or jump on an attempt. On one volley late in the second half, Latham deflected a close-range attempt for diving to tip a rebound wide
NSU had its own near-misses. The Lady Demons' best chance came from junior Camila Ardila, who rocketed a shot that SFA keeper Lillie Ehert tipped just over the cross bar.
The Lady Demons return to action Friday when they host Lamar at 7 p.m.
– Return to top –