CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The top-seeded Lamar Cardinals would not be denied the double for the second straight season as they defeated No. 3 seed and rival McNeese, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon to claim their second straight Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Champion at Dugan Soccer Stadium.
With the win, the Cardinals earned the Conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship, with Selection Monday set for tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. CT on ncaa.com.
Lamar controlled the match with a 17-10 advantage in shots, though only a 6-5 edge in shots on target. They also led in corner kicks at a 7-3 pace.
The Cardinals controlled possession early on as they looked to break down the tough McNeese defense that had only allowed one goal in 200 minutes of tournament play led by goalkeeper Jackie Kelly.
But 10 minutes into the contest it was McNeese who got the first true great opportunity as Morgan Schooley played a deflection and fired from inside the box towards the open net. However, Alana Clark appeared and cleared the threat before it crossed the line to keep the match scoreless.
Lamar found the breakthrough in the 28th minute as Arely Alaniz blasted what seemed to be a long-range cross that hung over Hollie Massey's head and went off the inside of the far post and in for the 1-0 lead. That was enough of an advantage to take into the break.
The Cardinals thought they found the second goal early in the second half as Cariel Ellis received a gorgeous pass from Isela Ramirez, but Jackie Kelly came off her line and made an incredible stop. Massey got a free look from distance, but it just went off the post.
However, the opportunities were too much for the Cowgirls to handle as a corner kick from Alaniz was settled by Alana Clark to Ellis, who found Trinity Clark for the tap-in and the 2-0 lead at the 60th minute.
The Cowgirls would not lie down easily as a hand ball forced a PK in the 61st minute, which Kiana Kukaua beat Nicole Panis to cut the deficit back to one, but Lamar went right back on the attack as Ellis drew a foul in the box in the 64th minute to force a PK of their own.
Eva Karen, a PK taker from Friday's penalty shootout, stepped up and beat Kelly to put the game out of reach for good at 3-1.
From there, it was celebration time in Boomtown as Lamar controlled and ran the clock out to claim the title.
Lamar moves to 10-0 all-time as the No. 1 seed at the Southland Championship and are the first team in SLC history to claim back-to-back tournament titles. The Cardinals have claimed all four of their titles since 2017.