Stephen F. Austin
Nicholls State
SFA Rolls Past Nicholls
10/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 9, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin set a season-high for single-game goals en route to an 8-1 thrashing of Nicholls Friday night. The Ladyjacks scored four goals in each half, as they put up a third of their season goal total (24) against the Colonels.
With the win, SFA moves to 6-6-0 on the season and improves its Southland Conference record to 3-0-0. The Colonels fall to 4-9-0 with an 0-2-0 mark in league action.
"We have been getting a lot of shots in most of our games, although we have really been unlucky," SFA head coach George Van Linder said. "Tonight it seemed like we were living under a star and we couldn't miss. I was happy for the team tonight. They scored a lot of good goals."
Freshman Laura Sadler scored a goal in each half and added an assist to post a team-best five points. Sadler's goals gave her four on the season, tying for the team lead. Her multi-goal effort is the team's first since Breanne Vernon scored twice in the season opener, and Sadler is the first SFA player to tally five or more points since former Ladyjack Amanda Alders did it against Central Arkansas last season.
Sadler assisted on the first goal of the game, feeding the ball ahead to junior Kim Kimmel, who buried it in the net from eight yards out less than five minutes into the contest.
Senior Megan Cash got on the board next, just two minutes later, when freshman Kylie Louw hit her in stride streaking in from the left side. Cash took a touch, then sent a low shot to the far post to make it a 2-0 game.
Sadler's first goal came next, on an assist by classmate Jess Brown in the seventh minute. Brown bounced a pass off a Nicholls defender, and Sadler came in to clean up the play with a shot from point-blank range.
Senior Brenna Crockett found the net for the first time this season in the 30th minute. She beat a defender with the dribble then fired a shot from the top left corner of the goal box off the far post and in, giving SFA a 4-0 lead.
Crockett assisted on the Ladyjacks' first goal after the break. She chipped a pass into the box for freshman Chelsea Smith, who deked a defender and scored from close range in the 52nd minute.
Kelli Wilson found the net 10 minutes later, giving each of the three SFA seniors a goal in the contest. The scoring strike came off a corner kick by junior Camille Royer. Royer served a head-high ball into the box, and Wilson put her head on it, banging it home just inside the near post.
The next Ladyjack goal also came on a corner kick, this one off Brown's foot in the 72nd minute. She arched a cross toward the near post, where it rattled off a Nicholls defender and in for her second goal of the season.
The Colonels got on the board in the 73rd minute, when Gillian McCarter assisted on Jessica Herradon's goal.
SFA answered in the 77th minute, when Sadler capped the scoring with an easy goal from tight range. Freshman Jayne Jahnke chased a loose ball down near the end line on the left side, then centered it back to Sadler, who was alone in front of the goal.
For the game, SFA posted a season-high 31 shots, while holding Nicholls to eight attempts. The Ladyjacks put 20 shots on goal to three for the Colonels.
SFA goalkeeper Courtney Bauder posted two saves with one goal allowed to move to 6-5-0 on the season.
Friday's game was played on a soggy field following a full day of hard rain in Nacogdoches. The rain slackened then held off for most of the game before picking back up in the final 20 minutes.
"With the weather again, I want to express a tremendous amount of gratitude to the SFA grounds crew and my staff," Van Linder said. "They worked hard to get that field ready and again they pulled off a miracle. The field was about as good as it could be in that kind of weather. Even the opposing team commented on how good the field was despite the conditions."
The Ladyjacks will host Southeastern Louisiana Sunday afternoon. The Lions were scheduled to play at Sam Houston State Friday night, but the game was postponed until Saturday morning.
"It will be important now to re-focus and get ready for a tough Southeastern team," Van Linder said. "We know what they are capable of doing and we have to be prepared for them."
-- SFA --
