Ladyjacks Eye Fourth Consecutive SLC Title
10/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Game 16: Stephen F. Austin (12-2-1, 8-0-0 SLC) vs. Central Arkansas (5-8-2, 1-5-1 SLC)
Friday, Oct. 24 (7:00 p.m.) - SFA Soccer Field
• Live Stats | SFA All Access
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team looks to continue their perfect run both in Southland Conference play and at home, hosting Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Friday at the SFA Soccer Field. With the current standings, a win for the Ladyjacks would claim no worse than a share of their fourth consecutive regular season title.
"We have a chance to win a championship on Friday," head coach Wally Crittenden said. "Everybody wants to play in the games the last few weeks of the season. Every soccer player on every team across the country gets excited about their final several games, but it is those teams that have the resiliency to see the discipline and focus to be accountable and to grind through games in late September and early October that put themselves in a position to achieve what we are in position to on Friday.
"Central Arkansas is going to be a fantastic test. They are going to be a very spirited and motivated team and they have a lot to play for. We have to have a good week of practice and we got to be excited. We have to enjoy and appreciate the opportunity on Friday to potentially win a championship at home, in front of a bonfire for homecoming and what I'm told will be a crowd of 2,000-3,000 people. It is a very special occasion and I want to make sure that we go through the week and both understand and appreciate the opportunity to represent our program, university and community against Central Arkansas on Friday night.
Seniors Megan Dunnigan, Morgan Glick, Christie Hinojosa, Chelsea Raymond and Zuri Prince, are looking to become their first class the Southland Conference's history to come through and win a regular season all four seasons for soccer. Last season, SFA became the first school in the SLC's soccer history to win three consecutive.
"It is a fantastic accomplishment," Crittenden said. "It is something that cannot be understated and has to be appreciated. In the general realm of athletics, it is something that doesn't happen that often. To have a program that potentially has had the kind of success that this program has had over the last four years, looking at all sports and conferences, there are very few programs that have had that sustained success, and that is a tribute to our seniors, to our program and to our administration. Hopefully we can represent that on Friday night and just have it all come together, because it will be very, very special."
SFA, after picking up 3-0 and 3-1 wins against Southeastern Louisiana and at Nicholls over the weekend, is 12-2-1 on the season and remain perfect in league action at 8-0 to sit atop the standings with three matches remaining in the regular season. The Ladyjacks have outscored their conference foes 18-3 in league play and are 5-0 at the SFA Soccer Field this season. SFA enters Friday's match on a 10-match win streak, tied with the 2012 team for the third-best win streak in program history.
NOTES:
• Ladyjacks vs. UCA - SFA and the Sugar Bears will be meeting for the ninth time on the pitch, when the two teams face off on the SFA Soccer Field on Friday night. The Ladyjacks will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak against UCA to eight straight, after dropping their first initial meeting 1-0 in the 2006 season. Since its lone defeat, SFA has recording six wins against UCA, sandwiching a 1-1 tie in the middle in 2010, to hold a 6-1-1 all-time advantage. The Ladyjacks, who defeated the Sugar Bears 2-1 last season in Conway, Arkansas, are 3-0 at home against UCA. When playing at the SFA Soccer Field, SFA has outscored the Sugar Bears 11-0.
• Scouting UCA - The Sugar Bears enter Friday's match 5-8-2 overall and 1-5-1 in SLC play. Currently 11th in the conference standings, UCA is coming off a 2-0 loss to Houston Baptist on Sunday. The Sugar Bears, with just one win conference, are riding a four-game losing streak, with their other losses coming against Incarnate Word (1-0), Southeastern Louisiana (2-1) and Sam Houston State (1-0). UCA's one win in conference play came in a 2-0 triumph of Northwestern State, also recording a 2-2 double overtime tie against Abilene Christian.
Sophomore Shelby Wilson leads the Sugar Bears with 11 points through the team's 15 matches played (all contests started), compiling four goals and three assists. Wilson is one of three players for UCA to score four goals this season, joined by sophomore Allie Coleman and freshman Dayna Mounie. Freshman Anna Hughes anchors the Sugar Bear defense, starting 14 of the 15 matches in goal. Hughes has posted a 5-7-2 record in the net, making 74 saves to 24 goals allowed in 1,345 minutes between the posts.
As a team, the Sugar Bears are tied for second in SLC in assists (24), fifth in saves (77), sixth in points (72) and goals (24), tied for sixth in corners (59), seventh in goals allowed (24) and goals against average (1.55) and 10th in shots (161). Individually, Cassie Lange is tied for sixth in the conference with four assists. In goal, Hughes ranks fourth in saves (73), tied for seventh in shutouts (2) and is 10th in goals against average (1.61) and save percentage (.753).
• Promotion(s) vs. UCA - Fans are encouraged to come show their SFA spirit and wear pink on Friday night for the team's annual "Kicking For A Cure" match. SFA Athletics will give out t-shirts provided by Barnes & Noble Bookstore to the first 200 in attendance. The SFA Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will also have free handouts and giveaways for fans to help promote breast cancer awareness.
• Looking Ahead - Following Friday's match against UCA, the university's annual homecoming bonfire will take place just south of the SFA Soccer Field. The Ladyjacks will enjoy an open day on Sunday, before returning for two matches at home to close out the regular season next weekend. SFA will host Texas A&M - Corpus Christi on Halloween, before wrapping up with Incarnate Word on Sunday, Nov. 2.
• SFA In The Rankings - The Ladyjacks currently possess the 10th best win percentage (.833) in the country, also ranking 15th in save percentage (.870) and tied for 15th in shutout percentage (.600). SFA is also tied for 19th in scoring offense (2.33) and 24th in goals against average (.649), sitting 72nd in the RPI (92 last week), the team's highest rank of the season and highest of any team in the Southland.
In the SLC, the Ladyjacks rank first fewest goals allowed (10), goals against average (0.65), shutouts (9) and shots (238), second in points (94) goals (35) and corners (68), tied for second in assists (24) and 10th in saves (67).
Senior forward Zuri Prince is first in the league in game-winning goals (5), tied for second in points (20) and assists (6), tied for third in goals (7) and tied for seventh in shots (39). Fellow senior Chelsea Raymond leads the league in shots (49), ranking second in goals (8), fourth in points (19) and fifth in game-winning goals (3). Freshman Hanna Barker is tied for sixth in points (15) and ninth in goals (6). In goal, senior keeper Morgan Glick leads the league in shutouts (7), ranking second in goals against average (0.61) and save percentage (.884) and fifth in saves (61).
• No Place Like Home - SFA owns a 109-41-12 (.710) all-time mark at home, but it has been their recent success in Nacogdoches that stands out. The Ladyjacks have posted a 36-4-0 (.900) record over last four-plus seasons at the SFA Soccer Field.
• Raymond Named SLC Offensive POW - Senior forward Chelsea Raymond, after helping the SFA to a 2-0 record on the weekend, was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday, Oct. 21. The native of Irving, Texas (MacArthur HS), recorded her first multi-goal match of the season and ninth of her career, scoring two goals for the Ladyjaxks in their 3-1 win at Nicholls. Raymond scored the first goal of the match in the 20th minute on a deep ball, before adding another in the 61st minute off a cross from freshman Hanna Barker. Raymond then assisted on the SFA's third goal against the Colonels, recording the 15th assist of her career to move into a three-way tie for fourth place all-time in program history. The offensive recognition was the second overall and second consecutive for the Ladyjacks this season, after senior Zuri Prince garnered the offensive honor one week prior.
• Raymond In The Record Books - Senior Chelsea Raymond, already the all-time goals leader (48) and shots leader (292) at SFA, became the all-time career points with a goal against Southern (9/14). Raymond scored her second goal of the season at Louisiana-Monroe (9/12) to tie the all-time mark of 96 points, before striking on a one-on-one opportunity in the 53rd minute against SU to hold the points outright with 98. Raymond has since added five more goals to move her career points total to 111 (48 goals, 15 assists). She also sits fourth all-time with 15 assists in her career.
• Ladyjacks Sweeps SLC Player of the Week Honors - SFA swept the Southland Conference Player of the Week honors, with Zuri Prince, Brooke Dunnigan and Morgan Glick picking up offensive, defensive and goalkeeper awards, the league office announced Tuesday, Oct. 14, after the Ladyjacks picked up a pair of 1-0 victories to remain undefeated in SLC play, downing both McNeese State in overtime and Abilene Christian on the road. The honor was the third of the season for Glick, as she became the only keeper in the conference to win the award three times this season. Prince's recognition marks first offensive honor of the season for both her and SFA this season. Dunnigan's honor was the first of her career and marked the third defensive credit given to the Ladyjacks. Brooke Dunnigan and her older sister Megan Dunnigan have combined for all three of the defensive honors for SFA this season.
• Climbing In Assists - Seniors Zuri Prince and Chelsea Raymond continue to climb the record book in assists. Prince entered the season with 13 assists and has since added six through the 11 matches of the season to sit third place all-time with 19 in her career. Raymond has 15 career assists, good enough for fourth all-time.
• Dunnigan SLC Defensive Player of the Week - Senior Megan Dunnigan took home her second Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season, after helping the Ladyjacks to a 0-0 double overtime draw at LSU on Monday, Sept. 8. The native of Round Rock, Texas (Vista Ridge HS), captained the SFA back line, playing 99 minutes of lock-down defense in holding the Tigers scoreless to pick up the first tie of the season for the Ladyjacks.
• Glick SLC Goalkeeper of the Week - Senior Morgan Glick took home her second Southland Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honor of the season, after helping the Ladyjacks to a 0-0 double overtime draw at LSU on Monday, Sept. 8. The native of Boerne, Texas (Champion HS), anchored SFA, playing all 110 minutes in the net. The keeper made 10 saves and did not allow any goals across 26 shots faced from the Tigers.
• Dunnigan SLC Defensive Player of the Week - Senior Megan Dunnigan took home the first Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor, after helping the Ladyjacks to a 1-1 start to the 2014 season. The native of Round Rock, Texas (Vista Ridge HS), captained the SFA back line to a 2-0 shutout of Oregon State for the program's first-ever win in program history and followed by limiting No. 9 Texas A&M to just one goal. Dunnigan played all 180 minutes and took two shots.
• Glick SLC Goalkeeper of the Week - Senior Morgan Glick took home the first Southland Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honor, after helping the Ladyjacks to a 1-1 start to the 2014 season. The native of Boerne, Texas (Champion HS), anchored the SFA back line to a 2-0 shutout of Oregon State for the program's first-ever win in program history and followed by limiting No. 9 Texas A&M to just one goal. Glick, playing every minute in goal, made 10 saves across 39 shots faced, with eight coming against the Aggies.
• Entering The Season - The Ladyjacks enter the season looking to continue the success that was achieved under Crittenden in his first season. In 2013, SFA became the first three-peat conference champions in Southland history. Along the way, the Ladyjacks matched the best regular season game win total with 15 wins, setting a new shutout record with 14 blankings of the opponent. SFA also posted its first undefeated season on the road with a 9-0-3 mark. Last season, the stout Ladyjack defense led the SLC in goals allowed (12) and shutouts (14) while offense ranked fourth in goals (44) and assists (28). SFA, which at one time led the nation in both respective statistical categories, ended the season ranked ninth nationally with a .636 shutout percentage and 10th nationally with a .520 goals against average.
• Picked To Click - SFA was picked to win the 2014 regular-season crown in polls conducted by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Thursday, Aug. 14. The Ladyjacks received 11 first-place votes from the coaches and nine first-place nods from the SIDs to earn a total of 121 points in the coaches' poll and 119 in the SID poll.
• Preseason All-SLC - The Ladyjacks placed six on the 2014 preseason all-conference teams, including a league-high four on the first team, the Southland Conference office announced Wednesday, Aug. 13. Senior forwards Chelsea Raymond and Zuri Prince and sister defenders Megan Dunnigan, a senior, and Brooke Dunnigan, a sophomore, made up the first team, while junior defenders Rachel Owens and Chantal Curry each earned a spot on the second team.
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