Stephen F. Austin
Arkansas State
SFA Finishes Strong In Win Over Red Wolves
9/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 8, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The game's start might have been delayed by a day, but the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team was right on time when it came to finishing scoring chances against Arkansas State Monday at the SFA Soccer Complex. The missed opportunities that have hampered the Ladyjacks early this season were nowhere to be found in SFA's 3-1 victory over the Red Wolves.
The Ladyjacks (2-3-0) pressured Arkansas State into an own goal in the first half, then tacked on a pair of insurance scores in the second period to secure their second straight home win.
The game against the Red Wolves (3-1-0) was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon but was postponed because of a scheduling issue that resulted in no officials being assigned to the contest.
"A couple of our goals today, maybe they weren't so pretty," SFA head coach George Van Linder said. "But, at the same time, it was great to see us finish those opportunities when we got them. That's what we've been looking for."
The first such opportunity came in the 33rd minute. Junior Megan Cash broke free in ASU territory, wide to the left of the goal, and sent a pass across the box to sophomore Kesia Broome. Broome scrapped for possession with a Red Wolves defender, who ended up flicking the ball past her own goalkeeper for an own goal that gave SFA a 1-0 lead.
The Ladyjacks carried their one-goal advantage into the half and got back on the attack early in the second. Senior Summer Bradfield lobbed a high pass toward the front of the net from deep in the right corner. The ASU 'keeper tried to make a play on the ball, but it got away from her, and freshman Janae Lee was there to put the ball in the back of the net at the 55:06 mark. The goal is Lee's first of the season.
Down two goals, Arkansas State turned up the pressure and answered with a goal of its own in the 69th minute. Kara Nitti got a good pass from teammate Erin McKenna and headed the ball past SFA 'keeper Courtney Bauder from about 10 yards out to make it a 2-1 game.
The goal followed a flurry of shots by ASU, but, in the midday sun, the Red Wolves were unable to maintain the pace they set after SFA's second goal. The Ladyjacks refreshed their lineup generously, though, using nine different bench players in the game.
"With the heat today, we had to count on a lot of people to play well, and we got that," Van Linder said. "I think that showed up in the scoring. The first half was pretty even, but we kind of got going in the second half, and it looked like we had fresher legs. I think our depth was a big asset today. That's nice to see, because depth and fitness is something we spend a lot of time talking about."
The depth paid off with a third goal in the 77th minute. Following a corner kick by Bradfield at the 76:20 mark, SFA pinned the ball inside the 18-yard box, despite numerous ASU attempts to clear it. Sophomore Kim Kimmel swiped one such attempt and got the ball to senior Amanda Lackey, who took aim from the top of the 6-yard box and beat the 'keeper with a low shot to the right. The goal is Lackey's first of the season and her first since scoring in the 2006 season opener. She has nine career scoring strikes.
"To play that well against a team that was undefeated coming in and to see some different players score goals was very encouraging," Van Linder said.
For the game, SFA enjoyed a 21-9 advantage in shots and a 9-3 edge in shots on goal.
Bauder moved to 2-2-0 on the season with two saves to her credit.
With the victory, SFA improves to 4-0-0 all-time against Arkansas State and extends its home winning streak to nine straight games, dating to last season. The Ladyjacks are unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 home matches and are 37-4-5 (.859) at home since moving back to the SFA Soccer Complex for the 2003 season.
SFA will try to extend its home winning streak Sunday, when the Ladyjacks entertain Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 4-1-0 entering this week's action. Sunday's game is set for a 1 p.m. start.
-- SFA --
