Stephen F. Austin
Centenary College
Ladyjacks Blank Centenary
8/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 29, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Kim Kimmel's second-half goal, combined with a stingy Ladyjack defense, led to a 1-0 win for Stephen F. Austin over Centenary Friday night in the Ladyjacks' 2008 home opener. The victory evens SFA's record at 1-1-0.
Kimmel's goal in the 76th minute was just one of many opportunities the Ladyjacks made for themselves in the game. SFA played the majority of the contest in Centenary's half of the field and finished with a 27-6 advantage in shots and a 12-2 edge in shots on goal.
"We're certainly excited with the win," first-year head coach George Van Linder said. "We created a lot of chances tonight, but we feel like, in the future, we may not have as many, so we need to do a better job of capitalizing on those."
The goal came just seconds after a Camille Royer corner kick that was not cleared by the Centenary defense. Sophomore Brenna Crockett settled the ball and fed it to Kimmel just outside the 6-yard box. Kimmel then turned and sent a low shot past the Centenary 'keeper to the right, tucking it into the back corner of the net to give SFA a 1-0 lead at the 75:53 mark.
Kimmel, a sophomore transfer, had entered the game five minutes earlier. She recorded a shot on goal that led to the corner kick preceding her score.
"Kim has been working so hard to try and fit into the system we're playing up front," Van Linder said. "It's a new style of play for her, so I was very happy to see her get that opportunity and finish it off."
Kimmel finished with three shots on goal, as she was one of three Ladyjacks with multiple shots on target. Freshman Janae Lee had a pair, and sophomore Kesia Broome fired 10 shots, with four finding their mark.
SFA controlled the real estate at the other end of the pitch. With senior defender Jessica Cotton returning for her first game after off-season surgery, and classmate Lauren Fricks -- typically a midfielder -- rotating into the back, the Ladyjacks started their most experienced back line yet this season.
The results were all positive. Centenary managed just three shot attempts in each half and didn't record a shot on goal until the 66th minute. The Ladies added one more attempt on goal in the 77th minute, but sophomore goalkeeper Courtney Bauder smothered both shots.
"I'm real proud of the defense tonight," Van Linder said, "especially after what happened last week [SFA dropped a 5-0 decision at TCU in last Friday's season opener]. Our defense really seemed to keep things organized back there. I'm really pleased with Cotton. For her to come in and play 90 minutes after being injured all of camp was big for us tonight."
Bauder (1-0-0) finished with just two saves in her first career regular-season start, but she raced out of the net on multiple occasions to squash long Centenary runs with sprawling stops.
The Ladyjacks head to Houston on Sunday to try and put together back-to-back wins. The game against the Cougars is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. Houston is 1-1-0 after recording a 3-1 win at Southland Conference foe Sam Houston State on Friday.
-- SFA --
