Stephen F. Austin
Mcneese State
Ladyjacks Blast McNeese
11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 5, 2009
NATCHITOCHES, La. - A year after seeing their Southland Conference Tournament trip end with a shoot-out loss in the first round, the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks left little room for doubt in the 2009 tournament opener. SFA banged out 24 shots and put up its third-highest goal total of the year in a 5-1 win over McNeese State Thursday at the Demon Soccer Complex.
The win improves SFA to 10-8-1 on the season and moves the Ladyjacks into a semifinals showdown with No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana. That game is set for a 4:30 p.m. start on Friday.
Four of the Ladyjacks' five goals came after halftime, including the game-winner off the foot of senior Megan Cash. Her goal five minutes into the second period gives her a team-leading eight for the season and proved to be the difference after a late goal by McNeese.
Freshman Laura Sadler gave SFA its 1-0 halftime cushion with a goal in the 22nd minute. She used her left foot to bat a cross out of mid-air and into the net for her sixth goal of the year. Junior Camille Royer was credited with the assist.
Cash's goal came off a cross from the right corner by junior Kim Kimmel. She delivered the ball in front of the net for Cash, who blocked out a defender, settled the ball, then turned and fired a waist-high shot past the goalkeeper's right.
SFA went ahead, 3-0, in the 60th minute, when freshman Kylie Louw dribbled in between two defenders and beat the `keeper from 12 yards out.
Freshman Jayne Jahnke scored twice in the final four minutes to put the game away for SFA. She was assisted on both plays by classmate Chelsea Smith. On the first goal, in the 86th minute, Smith led her to the goal with a pass. Jahnke bounced a hard shot off goalkeeper Cassandra Read's hands, but she followed the shot in and cleaned up the rebound for an easy goal.
Jahnke scored again two minutes later with a shot from the left side, marking her third career goal.
McNeese's Jordan Picou gathered a deflected shot and bounced a shot of her own off an SFA defender and into the top of the net for the only Cowgirl goal of the game.
Junior Courtney Bauder took the win for SFA after recording two saves. Freshman Rachael Stelly replaced Bauder for the final nine minutes of the contest.
The Ladyjacks finished with 11 shots on goal - led by four from Cash - while holding McNeese to just six shots total and three on goal. The 24 shots attempted by SFA are the eighth-most put up by the Ladyjacks this season. SFA has posted at least 20 shots on 11 occasions this season and has done so nine times in the last 11 contests.
With the win, the Ladyjacks improve to 6-7-1, all-time, in 10 Southland Conference Tournament appearances. SFA is 5-1-0 in tournament games held in Natchitoches.
The Ladyjacks dropped a 2-0 decision to Southeastern Louisiana in their meeting earlier this season. The two teams played to a scoreless tie through 90 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods before the Lions took a shoot-out win in the first round of last year's SLC Tournament.
SFA is on a four-game unbeaten streak dating to a 1-1 tie at UTSA on Oct. 25.
- SFA -
