Ladyjacks Set for Louisiana Road Trip
10/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2005
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team will try to stay perfect in Southland Conference play when they make a weekend road trip to Louisiana. SFA is scheduled to play at Southeastern Louisiana, in Hammand, La., on Friday, then travel to Thibadaux, La. for a match against Nicholls State Sunday.
The Ladyjacks opened SLC action last Friday with a 2-1 home win over Texas State. The victory improved SFA's record to 7-3 overall. The team's leading scorer, freshman Amanda Alders, notched the game-winning goal -- her sixth of the year -- in the second half.
Southeastern Louisiana is 2-5-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. The Lions are coming off Sunday's 4-1 loss at Northwestern State. Nicholls State (2-6-0, 0-1-0) also fell to Northwestern State in its conference opener, losing, 7-1, last Friday. The Colonels gave up seven more goals Sunday in a 7-0 loss to Louisiana Tech that extended their current losing streak to five games. Nicholls will host Sam Houston Friday before entertaining the Ladyjacks.
Conference Contenders: Right now, the only thing keeping the Ladyjacks out of the Southland Conference's top spot is their schedule. SFA trails Northwestern State in the standings. Neither team has yet to drop a league match, but the Demons are 3-0 in SLC play, while the Ladyjacks have only played one conference game. SFA is in the midst of its longest winning streak of the season -- four matches. The Ladyjacks haven't lost since falling to Houston on Sept. 11.
Ladyjack Leaders: Freshman Amanda Alders continues to turn heads in her rookie season. The forward notched her team-leading sixth goal of the year in last week's 2-1 win over Texas State. The six goals have her tied for second in the SLC, and her 14 points are tied for third-best in the conference. Alders' three game-winning goals are tops in the league.
Senior goalkeeper Natascia Michalezki is also lurking near the top of the SLC statistic sheets. Michalezki (6-3) leads the league in save percentage (.839) and is second in goals against average (1.11). The 2004 All-SLC keeper also ranks fourth in saves with 52 and is tied for first in shutouts with four. She was named the league goalkeeper of the week for her play against Texas State last Friday.
Looking Ahead: Following the road trip, the Ladyjacks will return home for a match against Sam Houston. That contest is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 14. On Sunday, Oct. 15, SFA will play a non-conference match at Centenary.
-- SFA --
