SOCCER: Sept. 4 Scoreboard
Southeastern Louisiana 4, Arkansas State 0
Lamar 3, Texas-El Paso 2
Sam Houston State 1, Baylor 1 (2OT)
Texas State 3, A&M-Corpus Christi 1
Louisiana-Monroe 2, Northwestern State 1 (OT)
Louisiana-Lafayette 1, McNeese State 0
Houston 4, UIW 0
North Texas 3, Abilene Christian 0
Mississippi State 4, Nicholls 0
Arizona State 2, Stephen F. Austin 0
UC Riverside 2, Houston Baptist 0
Southeastern Louisiana 4, Arkansas State 0
JONESBORO, Ark.
– Southeastern Louisiana sophomore Ana Zadro scored two goals and junior Marisa Rodrigues finished with three assists to lead the Lady Lion soccer team to a convincing 4-0 victory over Arkansas State Friday night at the A-State Soccer Park.
Southeastern (4-1) scored two goals early in the first half to set the early tone on the way to victory. Arkansas State fell to 1-3 overall with the loss.
“We did a good job connecting passes and finding the correct space to attack,” Southeastern head coach Blake Hornbuckle said. “We played with a great flow and we did an excellent job of playing team defense today.”
Zadro scored her first two goals of the season to fuel the Southeastern attack. Senior Gisenia Utreras and junior Amber Lasher each also found the net. Rodrigues set a new career high for assists, while Zadro and freshman Sofia Olsson also were each credited with an assist.
Junior Katie Noonan, sophomore Maddie Kresevic, senior Maddie Allen, freshman Christina Cutura, sophomore Lauren Babcock and junior Lauren Lorentz all contributed to a SLU back line effort that held ASU to seven shots in the match. Lady Lion junior goalkeeper Hope Sabadash made three saves on the way to her third shutout of the season.
“Gisenia was again a key factor with her ability to get us into the attack and Ana had a fantastic effort in the midfield,” Hornbuckle said. “(Senior) Kayla Vera did an excellent job challenging everything and (sophomore) Maggie Ramsey was very consistent with her distribution.
“Marisa played with a strong presence up top,” Hornbuckle continued. “We were also very pleased with Katie for anchoring the defense and (sophomore) Maddie Kresevic for attacking from the back line.”
Southeastern broke a scoreless tie in the 14
th minute. Rodrigues played a cross to Zadro and the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native beat Arkansas State goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder to stake SLU a 1-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, the Lady Lions doubled their lead. Zadro played a cross to the left side and Utreras finished it for her third goal of the season. The Brampton, Ontario, Canada product gave SLU a 2-0 lead that it would carry into halftime.
Any thoughts of an ASU comeback were dampened less than three minutes into the second half. Zadro finished a combination that also involved Rodrigues and Olsson, knocking in a shot over the head of Arkansas State goalkeeper Alexis Philippe to give Southeastern a 3-0 lead.
Lasher put the final nail in the coffin in the final minutes. Rodrigues hit a shot that was blocked, gathered the deflection and found the Norco, California native for her first goal of the season and the final 4-0 margin.
Southeastern will close out its road swing with a 1 p.m. match at Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday. Live stats, provided by ULM, will be accessible at LionSports.net.
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Lamar 3, Texas-El Paso 2
EL PASO, Texas – Alexus Aviles scored two goals while Mari Olastuen added a goal and two assists to lead the Lamar University women’s soccer team to a 3-2 win over the host UTEP Miners on Friday night in the Sixth Annual Border Bash.
“I was extremely happy with the way we played,” said LU coach Orlando Cervantes, who saw his Cardinals (3-2-0) run their winning streak to three games. “We dominated them for much of the game because we played the way we are capable of playing.”
UTEP (2-3-0) got on the board first when Jenna Mullen scored with 11:19 remaining in the first half. That goal seemed to jolt the Cardinals, who quickly responded to take the lead.
Aviles tied the game with her second goal of the season as she tapped in a pass from Olastuen while standing on the goal line with 8:30 remaining in the half. Olastuen would get her second of the season just 88 seconds later, an unassisted tally that found its way past UTEP goalkeeper Alyssa Palacios, who had lost her footing.
Aviles made it 3-1 with 22:40 remaining in regulation, scoring on a scramble in front of the goal. Olastuen was credited with her second assist of the night.
Aviles’ goal proved to be important, as UTEP scored just 66 seconds later when Brittney Trought scored off a corner kick. Mullen was credited with the assist.
“That was a bad clear on our part,” Cervantes said. “We made a couple of young mistakes. The good things is that those mistakes are easily corrected.”
LU goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy tied her career high with 10 saves, including a stop of a penalty kick in the first half when the game was scoreless.
“Lauren played well,” Cervantes said. “But we had a lot of people step up. Jannet Hernandez was tremendous at midfielder. Our whole back line stepped up tonight.”
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 1-1 all-time against the Miners.
The Cardinals are at New Mexico State at 2 p.m. (Central) Sunday on the final day of the Border Bash. The Aggies fell to 0-5 with a 3-1 loss to Weber State on Friday.
“We need to come out and play the same way we did against UTEP,” Cervantes said. “If we play that way, we’re a tough team to beat.”
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Sam Houston State 1, Baylor 1 (2OT)
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State successfully defended its turf in the squad’s home opener, sticking pat with the team goal of not losing at Pritchett Field in 2015, tying Baylor 1-1 in two overtimes behind the support of 339 raucous fans on Friday evening.
“I thought the players really competed hard,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “Baylor has a difficult style for us to play against and I think that’s why it’s good to get a game in like that. With the amount of pressure they put on, we were able to see who could handle that. You have to be pleased anytime you can get a tie against a team out of a power-five conference.”
While Baylor (0-4-1) kept the Bearkats (2-2-1) offense out of sync early, Sam Houston capitalized on their first shot of match when Mariah Titus secured a loose ball on a free kick and put it over the goalkeepers’ head from inside the penalty box in the 28th minute.
The Titus netter was the second of the season by the senior midfielder. Titus logged both Sam Houston shots in the first half. In the opening 45, Baylor outshot the Kats 9-2.
“I thought she did a good job of getting in and taking what in some ways is a half chance,” Brown said. “A lot of players put that ball over the fence and into the houses or behind. She did a great job keeping it on frame. She’s been one of our most consistent players over the first three weeks.”
The Bears’ Marissa Sullivan provided the equalizer in the 42nd minute as Ashanti Carey put away a ball on a rebound, giving the freshman her first collegiate goal and send the squads into halftime all squared at one.
In the net, Sam Houston senior goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton logged eight saves, upping her season total to 23 through four starts. Meanwhile, Baylor keeper Sara Martinson secured one save, matching her total through four games played.
“I thought she did a good job of making those reactions,” Brown said of Hambleton. “We’ll continue to work on some of her anticipation. I thought she did a good job of being in there, making herself big and making the big save at the right time.”
In the 75th minutes, the Bears were unable to seize opportunities on consecutive corners with Hambleton logging saves on a pair of Lindsay Burns headers. The Bears had nine corner kicks to the Bearkats two, although neither team capitalized on the opportunities.
“They provided a lot of high pressure and physicality,” Hambleton said. “They’re big kids and they had some weight and height on us but our team battled the entire team. We’re fortunate to come out with a tie. We could have rather won but overall happy with the results.”
Five minutes into overtime, the Bears were inches away from ending the match, when Bri Campos sent in a corner to Burns who drilled it off the top post before it was cleared out. The Bears put another off the top post courtesy of a cross from Emory Cason with one minute left in the first overtime period.
“We were prepared for the long ball; that’s just how Baylor plays,” Hambleton said. “I was proud of how are players went in for every header and were tracking their players. It was a very defensive game for us and we were on our heels and I’m happy the way our defense handled the pressure.”
Baylor had another up-close opportunity saved by Hambleton and put a header over the net in the second overtime. Sam Houston’s Lindsey Bienski owned the Kats best chance in the second overtime, breaking away down the right flank before a pair of defenders eliminated any damage.
“Their athleticism helps prepare us for the conference because of the pressure they put on us,” senior Shelby McDaniel said. “It makes us stronger and helps us compete harder.”
Sam Houston hits the road against SMU next Friday at 7 p.m. and closes out non-conference play on Sunday at Prairie View A&M at 1 p.m. For the latest on Bearkat soccer, follow @SHSUSoccer on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
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Texas State 3, A&M-Corpus Christi 1
Recap to follow.
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Louisiana-Monroe 2, Northwestern State 1 (OT)
MONROE, La. – Despite Northwestern State controlling the first 60 minutes of play, ULM mounted a late charge to hand the Lady Demons a 2-1 overtime loss on Friday.
The Warhawks (3-3) scored two goals in the last 18 minutes of the match to top NSU for the third straight season.
Senior Kelly O’Dwyer headed a ball inside the near post midway through the first overtime for the game-winner. The assist came from Karlea Fehr, one of several Warhawks who played multiple balls into the box in the last 30 minutes of the match.
ULM’s Mariah Mitchell provided the equalizer with just 12:47 left in regulation. A ball popped out beyond the box on a rebound, and Mitchell blasted a shot to the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
“We prepared really well for ULM, but credit to them because we started playing their style in the second half,” said NSU coach George Van Linder. “We got away from doing what we do best, and that’s what’s unfortunate for us as a team.
“ULM can’t play the way we play, but we shouldn’t have tried to play the way they do either. It’s disappointing to say the least.”
NSU (2-2-1) outshot ULM 15-13 for the match, but the Lady Demons held a 7-2 edge at halftime. After halftime, ULM took 11 shots (and all seven of their on-goal attempts) to NSU’s eight (four of its seven on goal).
The Lady Demons owned the first half, and freshman Brittany Caserma provided the first-half goal off an assist by Payton Roney with 22:53 left.
Roney placed a ball to Caserma on the left side, and Caserma knifed a shot through the hands of ULM freshman goal keeper Julia Isdalis Gonzalez. Caserma has three goals this season, and combined with four goals from freshman Kayeligh Phillips, the two rookies contributed seven of NSU’s 10 goals through five matches.
“The goals we scored here and throughout the year, it’s been about putting pressure on their backline,” Van Linder said. “We hope they make mistakes and we capitalize on them.
“For the most part we have been doing that, but today we had good chances but couldn’t capitalize and they did.”
Junior midfielder Camila Ardila and sophomore forward Esdeina Gonzalez had impressive combination moments, and they accounted for a total of four shots and two on goal not including several onsides penalties that wiped away chances. Gonzalez particularly tested the ULM defense with her shots but couldn’t find her first goal after scoring a team-high seven this past season.
Junior defender Patry Carrion also threatened with three free kicks. Carrion was one of several players who struck the crossbar or a post with shots. Caserma and senior midfielder Cassandra Briscoe attempted three shots each.
Sophomore goal keeper Alex Latham (0-2-1) takes the loss after playing the second half and overtime. Latham made five saves in a half where ULM controlled the pace, including saving two shots in one-on-one-situations following lob passes into the box.
Senior goal keeper Brooke Bourbonais logged her fourth scoreless half this season playing in the first half. She didn’t log any saves as NSU dominated possession.
The Lady Demons will play the last match of their five-game road trip Sunday at UL Lafayette at 1 p.m. before returning to the Lady Demon Soccer Complex on Tuesday to host Alcorn State at 7 p.m.
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North Texas 3, Abilene Christian 0
ABILENE, Texas – A near-capacity crowd of 948 fans were on hand for the first soccer match at Elmer Gray Stadium Friday night, but it was the visiting Mean Green of North Texas who went home happy as their relentless physical style of play resulted in a 3-0 victory.
Tonight’s decision was North Texas’ third shutout of the season as it improved to 4-1, while the Wildcats slipped to 1-3-1.
ACU tried to combat the Mean Green’s attackers with a little physicality of its own, but early in the 12th minute goalkeeper Kelsey Dombrowski was yellow-carded for her role in a collision that seemingly knocked the wind out of forward Rachel Holden for a few moments.
That hit led to a North Texas penalty kick, which Karla Pineda drilled past Dombrowski into the lower left corner. Pineda added a third point to her tally seven minutes later when Molly Grisham headed her free kick through some traffic in the goalmouth.
The Mean Green went into the break ahead 2-0 and had a 12-2 advantage in shots, four of which were on goal.
Dombrowski also came out at halftime in favor of junior Sydney Newton, who made four saves on eight shots in her season debut tonight.
Newton made several outstanding stops during her 45 minutes in goal, but was caught out of position in the 84th minute. With Newton down around the top of the 18-yard line Lindsey Hulstein fired on what she thought was an empty net from about 10-yards away; however, ACU defender Kelsie Roberts was able to get a leg on the ball only to see it ricochet back to Holden.
Holden then buried the rebound attempt into the lower right corner for the game’s final score.
ACU received much better chances in the second half to score as it finished with five shots and two corner kicks, plus a free kick from midfielder Maria Gomez five-yards down the end line that was ultimately cleared away.
Three of ACU’s five second-half shots came in the first 10 minutes, but their best chance to get on the scoreboard came in the 69th minute with Leslie Snider going up for a header against goalkeeper Jackie Kerestine. Snider got a piece of the ball and it looked to be going toward the net before rolling wide.
Another Wildcat player would later somersault over Kerestine trying to score from the near post.
Kerestine made three saves and left the match with 6:55 to go – replaced by Brooke Bradley - after her side went ahead 3-0.
The Wildcats finished the match with seven players taking one shot each. Roberts, Sophie Standifer and Megan Baer each had a shot on goal.
Holden and Pineda led all players with four shots.
The road only gets tougher for ACU Sunday when they visit third-ranked Texas A&M at Ellis Field for a match nationally broadcast on SEC Network +.
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Louisiana-Lafayette 1, McNeese State 0
LAKE CHARLES, La. – The McNeese State women’s soccer team created plenty of scoring chances throughout Friday night’s rivalry match against UL-Lafayette but were unable to capitalize as the Cowgirls were edged by the Ragin’ Cajuns’, 1-0, at Cowgirl Field.
McNeese fell to 3-2 overall on the season while ULL improved its 2015 record to 3-2.
The first half consisted of a defensive battle from both teams who were determined to keep the opposing team away from the net. The Cajuns controlled the field as they rocketed 11 shots, most from over 30 yards out, to try and disrupt the McNeese defense and created a chance to score from within the box. However, the Cowgirls withstood the barrage of shots and held their own as the two teams met the halftime break knotted up at 0-0.
“I thought it was a aggressive, fast paced match on both ends,” said head coach Scooter Savoie. “I thought that the ball went down the field quite a bit. Early on, we were able to find our shape and move the ball early. Unfortunately, I thought we succumb to their style of play and was hoping for chances. The number of deep shots troubled us with the chances it had to go in and soften the team.”
ULL was able to open up the gate and attacked the McNeese defense in the opening minutes of the second half. The Cajuns were able to get a shot from within the box and it took two attempts before ULL’s Claire Ruehle snuck the winning goal past the keeper that was reflected from a rebound.
“That is one thing that makes corner kicks dangerous in terms of clearing shots,” said Savoie. “You have to be good on the first clear and the same goes with the second clear but somehow the ball go left on the ground. I thought we cleared it twice but it just pinged around too long and broke in for the goal.”
The goal did not force McNeese to give up but instead fought until the very last minute of the match. The Cowgirls fired off multiple shots that seemed to have a chance to hit the net but missed just wide or too high.
Sophomore Gabi D’Alesandro led the offensive attack with three shots in the game while freshman Nola Prickett attempted two. D’Alesandro and senior Michelle Petrarca were credited with the only shots on goal for McNeese.
The night was not a total loss but was a learning curve for the talented Cowgirl squad. With several battling an injury bug, an opportunity was created for several underclassman to step up and show the coaching staff their abilities.
“These next two weeks are very important for us and only having one match allows some important players to heal and have them ready for conference play,” said Savoie. “The positive that comes out of that are the players who get to come in off the bench and play valuable minutes. The more minutes a younger player gets in a match then the better chances they have to solve problems.”
Freshman Sarah Clayton saw all 90 minutes in the midfield while junior Kelley Clancey continues to shine in the early season. Freshman Morgan Middleton also spent the entire match pacing the McNeese attack while sophomore Sierra Sisco is getting back into the groove.
McNeese will spend the rest of the weekend resting up before traveling to Texas for a battle with Houston on Friday, Sept. 11. The Cowgirls will then travel back to Lake Charles to open the conference slate with Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, Sept 18.
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Houston 4, UIW 0
HOUSTON, TEXAS – The University of Houston women's soccer team broke a three-match losing streak to open the season in a big way against visiting University of the Incarnate Word on Friday night, 4-0 at Carl Lewis Field.
The Cardinals (2-3) were able to hang close in the first half thanks to the play of goalkeeper Karly Brightwell (Houston/Elkins HS). Brightwell made five saves in the half, but could not stop all of the shots. Lexa Green broke the scoreless tie in the 34th minute. Margo McEntire's pass over the top put Green 1-on-1 with Brightwell and she was able to slide it by the keeper.
In the second half, the Cougars (1-3) blew the game wide open with a trio of goals. Hannah Dauzat scored just before the hour mark off a through pass from Georgi Dolence. Seven minutes later, Selena Peters made it 3-0 when she knocked in a free kick that was served up by Hayley Hubbard. The final goal was scored by Desiree Bowen on a pass over the top from Tiffani Echeverria with two minutes left in the contest.
The Cougars fired 16 total shots in the game while the Cardinals attempted eight. Jordan Brown was credited with a shutout for Houston after making five saves.
The Cardinals return home for a match on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Baylor.
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Mississippi State 4, Nicholls 0
STARKVILLE, Miss.
– The Nicholls State University women’s soccer team fell behind early on a muggy Friday night in Starkville and the Colonels were never able to claw their way back, falling 4-0 to Mississippi State in an extremely physical match.
The Bulldogs (1-4) found the goal just nine minutes into the contest, when a header from Kayleigh Henry found Mallory Eubanks for her first goal of the season. Just seven minutes later, Eubanks fired a shot that was blocked by Nicholls (1-2-1), but Kiley Martens corralled the rebound and found the back of the net for her second goal of the year, to give Mississippi State a 2-0 advantage.
The Colonels tightened their defense over the remaining 29 minutes of the first period, but were unable to create any offense, taking their two-goal deficit into the break.
The Bulldogs paired a little luck with their athletic skill in the second half when an errant pass from Lauryn Bruffett inadvertently snuck into the top left corner of the net, pushing the Mississippi State lead to 3-0. The goal was the first of Bruffett’s collegiate career.
With just five minutes remaining in the contest, Carly English curved a 30-yard pass from right to left and found Payton Gruenewald, who finished it off for the final score of the night.
The Bulldogs held Nicholls in check offensively, maintaining possession of the ball for the vast majority of the contest, and the Colonels were unable to take advantage of their limited offensive opportunities across midfield. Mississippi State outshot Nicholls 19-0 on the night, and finished with 10 shots on goal.
Amanda Boylson got the start for the Colonels in the net, earning six saves and surrendering four goals. After a series of physical plays near the net, Golden replaced Boylson with eight minutes remaining in the game.
Goalkeeper Tanya De Souza saw the first 73 minutes of action on Friday, giving way to Rhylee DeCrane for the final 17.
Nicholls will travel to Ruston for a matchup with Louisiana Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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Arizona State 2, Stephen F. Austin 0
TEMPE, Ariz. – Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert was outstanding in front of the net on Friday evening, but the Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team couldn’t generate enough offense in a 2-0 loss at No. 24 Arizona State on the opening day of the Sun Devil Desert Classic.
Ehlert registered a career-high 11 saves in the game to shatter her old personal best by six. She was relentless in her penalty box all evening long, making numerous big plays to keep the Ladyjacks (0-4-0) in the game. The biggest of those moments came in the 54th minute when Ehlert showcased a diving save to stop an ASU penalty kick. Cali Farquharson took the PK for the Sun Devils but couldn’t get it past the outstretched arms of a diving Ehlert.
Ehlert and the rest of the SFA defense fended off an onslaught of ASU shots in the first half to keep the game scoreless heading into the intermission. With the clean sheet in the period, the Ladyjacks became the Sun Devils’ first opponent to shut them out in a half this year.
The Sun Devils (3-0) broke through in the 52nd minute when Sara Tosti’s shot from the top of the 18 deflected off an SFA player on its way to the net.
The Ladyjacks nearly evened the score on a shot from Hanna Barker midway through the second half. The sophomore forward found space down the middle of the field and created enough separation from her defender to unleash a shot on frame from just inside the penalty area.
Barker’s attempt proved to be the best chance for SFA the rest of the way. ASU padded its lead with a goal just moments later to cap the scoring at 2-0. Aly Moon poked in a loose ball in the box for Arizona State after a corner kick in the 69th minute.
Madison Hall and Hailey Hunt also ended the night with a shot each for SFA.
The Ladyjacks will return to Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for a neutral site game against Arizona on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. before making the return trip to Nacogdoches.
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UC Riverside 2, Houston Baptist 0
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside scored two second-half goals to defeat HBU women’s soccer, 2-0, Friday night at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium.
Ellee Hall had the lone shot on goal for HBU (2-1-0), while Elizabeth Adams registered a shot attempt. Alanis Guevara started in goal and made four saves in the no decision. Katie Turner took the loss as she allowed two goals and tied her career high of five saves in the second half.
Blanca Barrio took a match-high four shots while four Highlanders took two shots on goal to lead UCR (3-2-0). Elizabeth Silas earned the win in goal for UCR, making one save.
UCR put the pressure on in the 12th minute, with three consecutive corner kicks culminated by Tyler Cunningham’s shot attempt blocked.
The Highlanders outshot the Huskies, 8-1, in the opening half, and had five of the six corner kicks.
In the 55th minute, the Highlanders were awarded a corner kick. Barrio took the corner, the ball found Alexa Bustamante, who passed to Amanda Apelian who headed the ball past Turner for a 1-0 UCR lead.
The Highlanders put the dagger in with a goal in the 87th minute. Turner made the initial save off a Brittany Mata shot, but the rebound went to Hannah Wyatt who scored.
UCR held a decisive advantage in shots for the match. The Highlanders doubled up HBU in corner kicks, 4-2, in the half, and had a 9-3 advantage in the match.
HBU will compete in the UT-Rio Grande Valley Tournament next weekend, Sept. 11-13. The Huskies face Southern Utah at 5 pm on Sept. 11, followed by a 1 p.m. first kick against the host Vaqueros on Sept. 13.
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