SFA Wraps Up Regular Season at SHSU
10/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Stephen F. Austin (9-6-2, 8-0-2 SLC) at Sam Houston State (7-6-3, 4-3-2 SLC)
Friday, October 30 • 6:30 p.m.
Pritchett Field • Huntsville, Texas
Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – With the 2015 Southland Conference Championship and number one seed in the upcoming league tournament securely in hand, the Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team will attempt to cap its second straight undefeated season on Friday night against rival Sam Houston State. The Battle of the Piney Woods match will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Pritchett Field.
After getting a big 2-0 midweek victory at second place Abilene Christian on Tuesday afternoon and watching Lamar beat third place Houston Baptist on Wednesday night, the Ladyjacks clinched their fifth straight regular season championship.
“To win the league is always a goal and it’s a goal that we talk about openly,” said head coach Wally Crittenden. “It’s how we challenge our players and keep everyone accountable throughout the year. We were in a pretty tough spot early on this year and a lot of teams in that position would have fragmented. What I was most impressed with was how these kids were resilient, rededicated themselves, openly accepted challenges to improve and shouldered the burden of winning a championship. They didn’t let that goal drift away which is really special.
“I can’t say enough about the competitive character of this group – what they’ve been through, where they are now and where I believe they are heading. It’s going to be exciting to watch.”
The Ladyjacks’ 26 points is untouchable to the rest of the league with just one game remaining, but a lot is still on the line for Crittenden’s team. SFA will seek to put the finishing touches on a second consecutive undefeated SLC season and extend its unbeaten streak in conference to a nation-leading 33 straight games.
Other than the streaks and momentum that will be sought after heading into the SLC Tournament, the Ladyjacks will be up for the challenge on Friday as it is a rivalry game. While winning a league title is a tremendous feat and one that will be celebrated, Crittenden will be the first to say the current focus is completely on Friday night’s showdown with the Bearkats.
“It will be Sam Houston’s senior night,” Crittenden noted. It’s Battle of the Piney Woods. It’s a rivalry game. They’re going to be motivated and they’re going to want to beat the champs. We’re going into the game with a new target on our back – with one bigger even than the one we had before winning the title on Wednesday maybe. But that’s nothing new for us. We expect their best game – we’ve gotten as much from everyone we’ve faced this year.
“I think we match up very well with them from athletic, style, mentality and competitive character standpoints. It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to demand a lot like every rivalry game does. We’ve had a chance to congratulate each other on the SLC title but we have moved on and had a great practice on Thursday. We’ll be ready for the challenge.”
NOTES
SFA vs. Sam Houston State: The Ladyjacks are 13-2-0 all-time against the Bearkats entering Friday night’s season finale, dating back to when the series began in 2003. SFA has won five straight in the series, most recently taking a 2-1 decision last year on Oct. 5 at SFA Soccer Field. Hanna Barker tied the game at 1-1 in the first half and Amanda Doyle scored the game-winner in the 74th minute in the rivalry affair.
Scouting Sam Houston State: After getting out to a 4-1 start to the SLC season, the Bearkats have struggled a little as of late, going 0-2-2 in their last four contests. SHSU most recently tied Abilene Christian 2-2 on the road on Oct. 25. The squad also finished level with Southeastern Louisiana and lost to Nicholls and Northwestern State in double overtime during the stretch. Three of the last four games played for the orange and blue have gone into double OT. The Bearkats are led offensively by Mariah Titus and Allie Johnson with five goals apiece. Kylie Hambleton has handled a majority of time in front of net, allowing 1.19 goals per game in 13 matches played this year.
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks are coming off what may have been the biggest result of the season so far, beating second place Abilene Christian 2-0 on the road to set up a fifth straight SLC Championship early in the week. Freshman forward Breanna Moore put SFA up 1-0 in the 12th minute and sophomore midfielder added to the lead by converting on a set piece at the top of the box in the 64th minute. The Ladyjack defense pitched another shutout to get the job done.
Drive To Five: The Ladyjacks clinched the 2015 Southland Conference Championship on Wednesday night for the program’s unprecedented fifth straight league crown. It is the 10th regular season title for SFA, which doubles the next closest member institution (Southeastern Louisiana – 5). No other current SLC school has more than one. The Ladyjacks’ streak of five straight titles is the longest in the country only behind Florida Gulf Coast University’s six straight out of the Atlantic Sun Conference. SFA is the only school with five consecutive outright championships though as FGCU shared the A-Sun crown in 2011.
Southland Dominance: SFA has dominated the Southland soccer scene over the last five seasons. The Ladyjacks have a 46-1-3 league record during the span with five 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 32 contests since – the longest current unbeaten streak in the nation.
Breezin’ Through SLC Play: Freshman forward Breanna Mooore (Breezy) has been on fire for the Ladyjacks over the last four games. The Kingwood native has scored a goal in four straight matches and also has an assist in the span for a total of nine points. SFA is 4-0 during the stretch and has outscored its opponents 10-0 thanks to Breezy’s contributions. Her goal on Tuesday afternoon at Abilene Christian was the game-winner.
Goose Eggs: The SFA defense has been superb over the last four games, coming off four straight shutouts of Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana, Incarnate Word and Abilene Christian. The Ladyjacks haven’t conceded a goal in over 380 minutes spanning the last five games – the team’s longest shutout streak of the year. SFA has as more shutouts (6) than goals allowed (4) this season and leads the league in both categories. A clean sheet on Friday night would give SFA its longest shutout streak (5) since the 2013 season.
Doyle Rules: Junior captain Amanda Doyle is having a breakout year for the Ladyjacks. She currently ranks third in the league in points (17), goals (7) and is tied for fourth in assists (3). She had a hand in each of SFA’s first seven conference goals and has recorded a point in three of the last four games.
Top Drawer of the Southland: Four Ladyjacks were recently represented in Top Drawer Soccer’s Conference Top 20 rankings, released on Wednesday. Junior defender Brooke Dunnigan was rated as the second best player in the SLC, followed by junior midfielder Amanda Doyle (10th), sophomore forward Hanna Barker (16th) and senior defender Chantal Curry (19th). SFA’s four selections on the list were the most in the conference.
Capital One Academic All-District: Redshirt sophomore forward Carolina Orsi was selected to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District Seven Women’s Soccer First Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. Orsi boasts an impressive 4.0 GPA as a kinesiology major. She has appeared in 11 games for the ‘Jacks this season.
Among the League’s Best: The Ladyjacks currently rank among the best in the SLC in several statistical categories after 10 league games. Here’s a breakdown of some notable rankings:
Goals Allowed – 1st (4)
Goals Against Average – 1st (0.38)
Shutouts – 1st (6)
Shots – 2nd (176)
Goals – 2nd (20)
Assists – 2nd (16)
Points – 2nd (56)
Defensive Anchor: 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 1,575 minutes over 17 games. Dunnigan led the team in minutes played in 2014 with 1,781. She was the only Ladyjack to start all 20 games.
Up Next: Following Friday’s game, the Ladyjacks will being preparation for the 2015 Southland Conference Tournament in Conway, Arkansas as the number one seed. SFA will have a first round bye and will play on Friday, Nov. 6 in the semifinals.
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