Ladyjacks Take Over First Place
10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2005
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team staked its claim to first place in the Southland Conference Friday with a 1-0 win over Northwestern State at the SFA Intramural Complex. The win improved SFA's record to 12-3 overall and 5-0 in SLC action and broke a tie with the Lady Demons for the top spot in the conference standings.
The only goal of the match was scored less than three minutes in, when freshman Amanda Alders settled a loose ball in front of the net and flicked a quick shot past Northwestern State goalkeeper Johnna Klohoker.
"Throughout the week we talked about how they like to come out hard the first 15 minutes," SFA head coach Jaime Frias said. "We tried to impose our speed of play on them in the first 15 minutes, instead of them imposing it on us. I thought we were very successful with that in the first half, and for most of the game."
Alders' goal gave SFA a 1-0 edge at the 2:59 mark, and the Ladyjacks spent the remaining 87:01 making sure it was the only scoring they'd need. SFA kept the ball in the Lady Demons' zone for much of the remainder of the first half, allowing just four Northwestern shots. The Lady Demons (9-5-1, 4-1-0) turned up the pressure after halftime, doubling their shots with eight, but Ladyjack goalkeeper Natascia Michalezki was up to the task. The senior recorded four second-half saves (six for the game), including a pair of sprawling stops in one-on-one situations.
The win was the ninth straight for SFA. Alders' goal improved her current streak of consecutive matches with a goal to nine. She leads the team and the conference with 13 goals on the season. Six of her goals have decided matches.
"Getting into first place in the league is the first step toward winning the conference title," Frias said. "Maintaining it is going to be the challenge. By no means are we done with the season."
The Ladyjacks will play their final home match of the season on Sunday when they host McNeese State. The contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the SFA Intramural Complex. The match is slated as senior day. The team's four seniors, Michalezki, Camren Norris, Kim Gray and Lauren Cummings, will be honored in a ceremony preceding the match. SFA will wrap up the regular season on Oct. 28 with a road match against Louisiana-Monroe.
-- SFA --
