Box Score
CONWAY, Ark. – For the second time in three seasons, the Lamar Cardinals swept the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles to advance to the 2019 NCAA Soccer Championship.
Tournament MVP Esther Okoronkwo assisted on the game-winner, then scored two goals of her own in the 3-1 victory over No. 2 seed Northwestern State at the Bill Stephens Soccer/Track Complex on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
Okoronko’s goals were her 24
th and 25
th of the season, shattering the Southland season record. For the tournament, she tallied six goals and an assist for a record-setting 13 points in a tournament.
The game-winner was credited to junior Lucy Ashworth, the 2019 Southland Player of the Year, who took a nice pass from Okoronkwo and tapped the ball frame just past the keeper at the 31:12 mark. Ashworth tallied three goals and four assists in Lamar’s three games to earn a spot on the all-tournament squad along with teammates Madison Ledet and Macie McFarland.
Northwestern State was the only team to defeat Lamar in the regular season and the Lady Demons maintained their fight today. Sophomore Nicole Henry, the 2019 Southland Defensive Player of the Year, fired a quick shot in the 67
th minute to get on the scoreboard. Henry, freshman Olivia Mattson and sophomore keeper Acelya Aydogmus were named to the all-tournament team.
Lamar (15-6) will learn its first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament during the NCAA Selection Show, scheduled for Monday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
2019 SOUTHLAND ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Esther Okoronkwo, Lamar (MVP)
Lucy Ashworth, Lamar
Madison Ledet, Lamar
Macie McFarland, Lamar
Acelya Aydogmus, Northwestern State
Nicole Henry, Northwestern State
Olivia Mattson, Northwestern State
Brianna Mascia, McNeese
Mariah Ruelas, McNeese
Dana Curtis, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Abby Deakin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi