Stephen F. Austin
Grambling St.
Ladyjacks Top Grambling in Opener
8/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 27, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Shahin Pabani missed the majority of her junior season with an injury. Sunday, the senior forward looked eager to make up for lost time. Pabani scored a pair of goals and picked up an assist to lead the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team to a 4-1 win over Grambling State in the season opener at the SFA Intramural Complex.
Pabani put away her first goal in the 52nd minute, sparking a scoring flurry of three goals in under six minutes that put the game out of reach. On Pabani's first goal, sophomore forward Amanda Alders received a pass from midfield and raced past the Grambling back line taking the Lady Tiger goalkeeper with her to the right side. At the last minute, Alders flicked a crisp centering pass back toward Pabani, who was trailing the play, and the Ladyjack veteran put the ball in the back of the net to give SFA a 2-0 advantage.
Just two minutes later, Pabani got in the scoring column again when she tracked down a loose ball in front of the Lady Tiger net after Grambling 'keeper Cherie' Silas failed to control a shot from SFA freshman Kelli Wilson. Pabani scored easily with Silas on the ground, and Wilson earned an assist to go along with career goal No. 1, which she scored in the first half.
Sophomore Amanda Lackey capped off the SFA scoring in the 57th minute when she dribbled through the Lady Tiger defense and scalded a shot past Silas' right shoulder. The Ladyjacks first got on the board in the 29th minute, when Wilson found the back of an empty net from point-blank range following a deflected shot by Pabani.
Sophomore goalkeeper Francesca Tierno started and picked up the win. She recorded four saves with one goal allowed, a late score on a free kick from 30 yards out.
The Ladyjacks (1-0-0) will play again on Friday, Sept. 1, when they travel to Ruston, La. to take on Louisiana Tech in a 7 p.m. match. SFA's next scheduled home game is Sept. 3 against Centenary at 2 p.m.
-- SFA --
