Ladyjacks Host Houston, Rice
9/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - This Week: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team will put its 16-game home unbeaten streak on the line this weekend against some tough in-state competition. SFA hosts Houston on Friday in a 5 p.m. contest and will entertain Rice Sunday at 2 p.m. Both teams have notched wins over quality teams this season, and Rice is currently ranked No. 7 in the Soccer Buzz Central Region poll.
Last Week: SFA split two games on an Oklahoma road trip. The Ladyjacks defeated Oral Roberts, 1-0, on Friday. The win marked the program's first against the Golden Eagles and was also the first SFA shutout of the season. Freshman goalkeeper Crystin Pactor made her debut with eight saves in the shutout effort. Sunday, SFA was overmatched by a deeper Oklahoma team in a 3-0 loss. The Sooners outshot SFA, 23-6.
The Opponents: Houston enters the week with a 3-3-0 mark. The Cougars opened the season with back-to-back wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and Baylor but have dropped three of their last four decisions. The Cougars are coming off a 2-1 loss at Texas Christian. Rice began the year as one of the top-ranked teams in the Central Region. The Owls are out to the best start in school history and showing they deserve that respect. Rice is 5-0-1 on the season and is coming off a huge 1-0 win over Texas. The Longhorns were ranked ahead of Rice in last week's regional poll and made their season debut in the national rankings at No. 30 before losing to the Owls.
SFA vs. The Cougars: SFA is 0-3-0 all-time against Houston. The teams first met in 1998, when the Cougars notched a 3-1 win. The Ladyjacks resumed the series last season, after a five-year lapse, and Houston recorded a 3-1 victory.
SFA vs. The Owls: The Ladyjacks are 0-1-0 against Rice. SFA first met the Owls last season, when Rice recorded a 2-0 win in Houston.
The Coaches: SFA is coached by second-year head coach Jaime Frias. Frias is 17-6-0 as Ladyjack head coach. Rice is coached by Chris Huston. The Cougars are guided by Bill Solberg.
Next Week: SFA will head to Colorado for a pair of weekend games. The Ladyjacks play at Colorado College on Sept. 22, then meet Air Force on Sept. 24.
