Ladyjacks Beaumont Bound For SLC Tourney
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Southland Conference Tournament | Bracket
Lamar Soccer Complex | Directions
Game 19: Stephen F. Austin (15-2-1, 11-0-0 SLC) vs. TBD
Friday, Nov. 7 (7:00 p.m.) – Lamar Soccer Complex (Beaumont, Texas)
• Live Stats | Southland Digital Network
SFA picked up two 1-0 wins over both Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Incarnate Word over the weekend to extend their current win streak to 13 straight and take over the nation’s lead. The win streak ties the longest in program history established by 2011 SFA squad, as they also tied their regular season record of 15 win for a third-straight season. The Ladyjacks closed out the regular season with a 15-2-1 overall record and 11-0 and 8-0 records in conference play and at the SFA Soccer Field, respectfully.
“It is special,” head coach Wally Crittenden said. “I keep saying that, but it is tough to put into words the gravity this season has had. Going into the second year of a program, a lot of people wonder what is going to happen in your tenure and each one of the last three-to-four games have had its own importance and major benchmark. As players, that does begin to wear on you. We are asking them to be emotionally invested and understand the implications of games that they are playing one after the other. As a program, I am very impressed with how they’ve maintained their focus and understanding of the situation and ultimately to prepare to compete. If it was a tight game, which most of them have been, then we grind through and done that. We are very tested in that regard.
“As we go forward, I can honestly say that we play very well on the road. We are excited to get on the bus together and head to Beaumont. Now it comes down to earning the right to play one more game. All the pageantry and everything else, forget it. You are playing for your teammates and the right to play one more game together. That is our message and these girls are ready for whoever we face.”
The Ladyjacks, the tournament’s top seed, will enjoy a first round bye and play the winner of fourth-seeded McNeese State and fifth-seeded Nicholls in a 7 p.m. at the Lamar Soccer Complex. The SLC Tournament Championship match will be held on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1:05 p.m. with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The first two rounds will be broadcasted on the Southland Conference Digital Network, while the championship match will stream on ESPN3.
NOTES:
• Ladyjacks in the SLC Tournament - SFA is 1-0-1 in the SLC Tournament under Crittenden’s guidance. Last season the Ladyjacks defeated Sam Houston State 2-1 in the semifinal round, before tying Southeastern Louisiana 0-0 in double overtime, where the Lady Lions claimed a 3-1 edge in a penalty kick shootout to earn the league’s NCAA Tournament bid.
SFA vs. SLC Tournament Field - The Ladyjacks are 5-0 against the SLC Tournament field (Sam Houston State, Houston Baptist, McNeese State, Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana) after completing a perfect run through conference play for the third time in the last four seasons. SFA has outscored the field 11-2 over five matches played. Only Sam Houston State and Nicholls scored against the Ladyjacks, each finding the net once, as SFA prevailed 2-1 and 3-1 in those respective contests. McNeese State is just one of two Southland member to take the Ladyjacks into an extra period, as SFA defeated the Cowgirls 1-0 in overtime. Lamar also took the Ladyjacks to overtime, where the Lady Cardinals fell 2-1. LU did not make the conference tournament.
SFA’s 2014 Matches Vs. Tournament Field:
• at HBU – W, 2-0
• vs. SHSU – W, 2-1
• at McN – W, 1-0 (OT)
• vs. SLU – W, 3-0
• vs. NICH – W, 3-1
• Ladyjacks Sweep SLC Individual Honors - SFA became the first program in Southland Conference history to sweep all four individual honors, claiming Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, the league office announced on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in conjunction with the release of the all-conference teams. Ladyjacks Zuri Prince, Hanna Barker and Christa Robinson took home the league’s player, freshman and newcomer of the year awards, respectfully, while head coach Wally Crittenden picked up coach of the year honors for a second consecutive season.
• SFA Places Six on All-SLC Teams - The Ladyjacks led all Southland members, placing six on the all-conference teams. SFA placed five on the first team and one on the second team, while four Ladyjacks earned honorable mention.
First Team:
Zuri Prince
Chelsea Raymond
Megan Dunnigan
Brooke Dunnigan
Morgan Glick
Second Team:
Amanda Doyle
Honorable Mention:
Hanna Barker
Christa Robinson
Rachel Owens
Chantal Curry
• Looking Ahead - Following Friday’s match, the winner will advance to the SLC Tournament Championship, which will be held on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1:05 p.m. with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The match will be streamed on ESPN3.
• SFA In The Rankings – The Ladyjacks currently possess the nation’s longest active win streak at 13 matches, while their perfect 11-0 run through league play ranks second in the country behind Illinois State’s 18 straight. However, the 11 consecutive league wins is the most in the country, as only five schools went undefeated in their conference play. Valparaiso (Horizon League) and La Salle (Atlantic 10) each posted 8-0 records, while Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun) went 7-0 and Illinois St. went 6-0.
SFA closed out the regular season with an undefeated record at home, posting an unblemished 8-0 mark, joining Virginia (11-0) Troy (9-0), FGCU (9-0) and Florida (7-0), as the only schools in the country to win every match played on their home field.
The Ladyjacks are currently tied for seventh in the country in shutout percentage (.667), ranking eighth in both win percentage (.861) and save percentage (.877). The Ladyjacks also rank 14th in goals against average (.543). SFA sits 72nd in the RPI (71st last week), the team’s second highest rank of the season and still the highest of any team in the Southland.
Senior forward Zuri Prince ranks seventh in the country in game-winnings goals (6), while Morgan Glick ranks eighth in save percentage (.889).
In the SLC, the Ladyjacks closed out the regular season ranked first in fewest goals allowed (10) goals against average (0.55), shutouts (12) and shots (292), second in points (107) and goals (40) and tied for second in assists (27).
• No Place Like Home – SFA owns a 112-41-12 (.715) all-time mark at home, but it has been their recent success in Nacogdoches that stands out. The Ladyjacks have posted a 39-4-0 (.907) record over last four-plus seasons at the SFA Soccer Field.
• Glick, Dunnigan Named Capital One Academic All-District – Seniors Morgan Glick and Megan Dunnigan were named to the Capital One Academic All-District 15 teams announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday, Oct. 30. Glick was named to the first team, while Dunnigan garnered second team recognition. The academic all-district honor is the first for Glick and second for Dunnigan, who was named to the Capital One Academic All-District VII first team as a sophomore.
• 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 17 career assists, good enough for fourth all-time.
• Raymond In The Record Books – Senior Chelsea Raymond, already the all-time goals leader (49) and shots leader (303) at SFA, became the all-time career points leader 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 115 (49 goals, 17 assists). She also sits fourth all-time with 17 assists in her career.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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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