Ladyjacks Geared Up For Final Home Weekend
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Stephen F. Austin (5-6-2, 4-0-2 SLC) vs. Nicholls (3-8-1, 1-5-0 SLC)
Friday, October 16 • 7:00 p.m.
SFA Soccer Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch Live • Live Stats
Stephen F. Austin (5-6-2, 4-0-2 SLC) vs. Southeastern Louisiana (9-3-1, 4-2-0 SLC)
Sunday, October 18 • 1:00 p.m.
SFA Soccer Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch Live (ESPN3) • Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- The Stephen F. Austin women's soccer team's four seniors will have just two more opportunities to suit up in front of their home fans when the Ladyjacks entertain Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana at SFA Soccer Field this weekend. Friday night's 7:00 p.m. match against the Colonels will serve as Senior Night before SFA closes its 2015 home schedule on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. against the Lady Lions.
It will undoubtedly be a special weekend for seniors Rachel Owens, Chantal Curry, Ashton Norman and Amanda Fox as the group will have the chance to give their team more separation in the conference standings on the field where it all began four years ago.
"Friday's Senior Night will be very special and one that we will celebrate," said head coach Wally Crittenden. "Our four seniors have grown up a lot over these last four years, especially over the last three months. I'm excited to see how they continue to grow over the next month and then I'm looking forward to seeing what they do in their careers as they move on to represent our program and our university in the working world."
The seniors find themselves in a familiar position at this juncture of the season -- in sole possession of first place with tough tests upcoming. Currently just one point clear of second place Abilene Christian, every game becomes increasingly more important as the season winds down.
"We have a lot to play for this weekend," Crittenden said. "Our seniors are a competitive group and they want to make sure that as a team we have our best two games of the year. That's where our focus is going to be. It's where it's been all week at training. We've had a tremendous week of training, one of the best weeks of the season. We're really excited about that and just excited to see this group get on the field again and compete."
NOTES
SFA vs. Nicholls: The Ladyjacks and Colonels will meet for the 27th time on Friday night, with SFA owning a commanding 23-1-2 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the 1998 season. The `Jacks have won 11 straight against the SLC foe since 2005, including two victories last year. On Oct. 19, SFA took a 3-1 decision over Nicholls during the regular season and then struck for five goals in a 5-0 win in the SLC Tournament semifinals on Nov. 7.
Scouting Nicholls: The Colonels currently stand in last place in the SLC standings with a 1-5-0 conference record. Nicholls started its league slate with three straight losses to Lamar, Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word before getting its first notch in the win column on Oct. 2 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Since then, the Colonels have dropped two more matches against Houston Baptist and McNeese. Nicholls is led by senior forward Spencer Valdespino, who has eight goals and one assist through 12 games this year. The 2013 SLC Player of the Year has scored a goal in four straight games entering the weekend. Senior Amanda Boylson has handled the bulk of the goalkeeping duties this year, allowing 2.13 goals per game in nine starts.
Crittenden on Nicholls: "Nicholls is a well-rounded team. They've gone through some adversities and some injuries, but they are well coached and they have a good supporting cast of players. Their game-changer is Spencer Valdespino who has been one of the top tier players in this league for several years. Anytime you get to play against a kid of that caliber in conference is a challenge and it's going to be special. I'm excited to see what happens with it. They also have a lot to play for. We're getting down to the back end of league play and they need results. I expect nothing but an inspired performance as we've gotten from everyone so far."
SFA vs. Southeastern Louisiana: The Ladyjacks are 17-9-8 all-time against the Lady Lions since the teams first met in 1995. SFA hasn't conceded a goal to SLU over the last five matchups spanning back to the 2011 season. The `Jacks are 4-0-1 during the stretch, most recently thumping SLU 3-0 last season in Nacogdoches on Oct. 17. The draw came in the 2013 SLC Tournament Championship, in which the Lady Lions went on to advance to the NCAA Tournament after a penalty shootout.
Scouting Southeastern Louisiana: The Lady Lions enter the weekend in a three-way tie for third place in the SLC with a 4-2-0 league mark. Five of their six matches so far have been decided by one goal. After beating McNeese, Incarnate Word and Abilene Christian to begin conference, SLU dropped consecutive games to Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Last Friday night, the Lady Lions rebounded with a 3-2 win against Lamar in Hammond, Louisiana. Senior midfielder Gisenia Utreras is in the thick of a great year for the Lady Lions, leading the team in points (27), goals (10) and assists (7) this season. She currently holds the conference lead by one spot over SFA's Amanda Doyle with 13 points and six goals in league play. In goal will be junior Hope Sabadash, who is 9-3-1 in 13 games this year and has allowed 0.98 goals per contest.
Crittenden on Southeastern Louisiana: "I think that first and foremost SLU does a good job in how they prepare and compete. They are always very intense and they are a very athletic team. From a team-to-team standpoint, I think that both teams match up well against each other and just want to play and get after it. I think it's always exciting to play a team that wants to play you straight up and just go. It makes for a very exciting end-to-end type game, and ultimately, it's going to come down to execution. Who makes plays and who doesn't make plays. It's tight at the top of the table right now and every game matters. There's no doubt that Sunday will be an important game as it relates to the league championship as well."
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks played just one game last week as the entire league was off on Sunday. After a long trip up to Conway, Arkansas, SFA managed to earn one point against Central Arkansas in a tough environment with a 1-1 draw. The `Jacks went up 1-0 early in the second half on an own goal by UCA and held the advantage until the closing minutes. However, the Bears leveled the match at 1-1 in the 88th minute on a shot from midfield that took a bad bounce inside the box and trickled in. Neither team could find separation in the two overtime periods.
Shot Count: After putting up a season-high 30 shots against UCA last week, SFA leads the Southland with 126 shots taken through six conference games for an average of 21.00 shots per match. The Ladyjacks have outshot every league opponent so far, limiting teams to an average of just 11.67 attempts per contest. Sophomore forward Hanna Barker is first in the SLC individually with 38 shots taken (6.33/game) after a career-high 11 cracks at goal against the Bears last Friday.
Senior Achievements: The 2015 senior class will go down as one of the best in program history. Since coming to SFA in 2012, Rachel Owens, Chantal Curry, Ashton Norman and Amanda Fox have helped the Ladyjacks win four Southland Conference Championships (three regular season, one tournament) while having the opportunity to win two more. Winning the regular season titles each year from 2012-14 and claiming the 2012 SLC Tournament Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament, the Ladyjacks also finished runner-up in two other tournament championship appearances in 2013 and 2014. The senior class boasts a combined record of 54-16-6 (.750) and an SLC mark of 33-1-3 (.932) during their collegiate careers. Collectively, he group has combined to score 18 goals and assist on eight more.
Southland Dominance: SFA has dominated the Southland soccer scene over the last four seasons. The Ladyjacks have a 42-1-3 league record during the span with four consecutive SLC championships to show for it. SFA, who went 11-0-0 last year, has only lost to a conference opponent once since 2011. That day came nearly two years ago on Sept. 21, 2013 when Oral Roberts won in overtime, 2-1. The Ladyjacks haven't dropped a conference game in the 28 contests since.
Home Sweet Home: SFA has enjoyed a significant home field advantage over the last five years and will return to their own soil for the first time in nearly three weeks on Friday. The Ladyjacks are 42-5-1 at SFA Soccer Field since 2010, including undefeated home slates in 2011, 2012 and 2014. SFA is 11-1-1 over its last 13 home games after going a perfect 8-0-0 at home last season and starting 3-1-1 in front of the home fans this year.
Doyle Rules: Junior captain Amanda Doyle got off to a sensational start to Southland Conference play, leading the league in goals scored (5), assists (2) and total points (12) after five games. She had a hand in each of SFA's first seven conference goals, most recently assisting on the game-winner at Lamar on Oct. 2. A native of Carrollton, Texas, Doyle scored twice against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and put in two more against Houston Baptist during the second week of league play. Her first goal of the year came in a 1-1 draw against Northwestern State in the SLC opener on Sept. 18. She currently ranks second in the league in goals and points during Southland action.
Game-Winner Distribution: In the Ladyjacks' four conference victories, four different players have been credited with a game-winning goal. Madison Hall put away Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a goal early in the second half, Amanda Doyle scored twice in a 2-1 win over Houston Baptist, Rachel Owens netted the lone goal of a 1-0 result at Lamar and Hanna Barker provided the golden goal in overtime at McNeese. SFA leads the league in number of players with a game-winner.
Spreading the Wealth: A different Ladyjack has assisted on six of SFA's 10 goals during SLC play this season. Amanda Doyle, Hanna Barker, Ashton Norman, Chloe Fowler, Madison Hall and Bailey Bosley have each offered a helping hand on goals over the last four weeks. Bosley and Fowler's assists marked their first collegiate points at SFA. Barker and Doyle currently lead the Ladyjacks in assists this year with two. Kelly Ann Craig also recorded a helper earlier in the non-conference season.
Among the League's Best: The Ladyjacks currently rank among the best in the SLC in several statistical categories after six league games. Here's a breakdown of some notable rankings:
Goals Allowed -- 1st (4)
Goals Against Average -- 1st (0.62)
Shutouts -- 1st (2)
Shots -- 1st (126)
Goals -- 4th (10)
Assists -- 5th (7)
Points -- 5th (27)
Back Line Mainstay: Junior defender Brooke Dunnigan is the only Ladyjack to have played every minute of the 2015 season so far, staying on the pitch for a total of 1,215 minutes over 13 games. Senior midfielder Rachel Owens has played 1,210 out of 1,215 possible minutes. Dunnigan led the team in minutes played in 2014 with 1,781. She was the only Ladyjack to start all 20 games.
Preseason All-SLC: The Ladyjacks were well represented with the release of the 2015 Preseason All-Southland Conference teams, earning five selections between the first and second squads. Junior defender Brooke Dunnigan and senior defender Chantal Curry were each named to the first team with sophomore forward Hanna Barker, senior midfielder Rachel Owens and junior midfielder Amanda Doyle representing SFA on the second team.
SFA Picked to Win Fifth Straight SLC Title: SFA was picked to win the 2015 Southland Conference regular season championship in polls conducted by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced on Wednesday, August 12. The Ladyjacks claimed 116 points with eight first-place votes in the coaches' poll and 119 points with nine first-place votes in the SID poll.
Up Next: SFA will play its final three games of the regular season on the road, starting with a long trip to Abilene Christian next Friday. On Sunday, Oct. 25 the Ladyjacks will take on Incarnate Word at 1:00 p.m. in San Antonio and then wrap up the season on Friday, Oct. 30 at rival Sam Houston State.
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