SFA Seeks Fifth Straight Win at UCA Friday
10/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Stephen F. Austin (5-6-1, 4-0-1 SLC) at Central Arkansas (6-7-0, 3-2-0 SLC)
Friday, October 9 • 7:00 p.m.
Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex • Conway, Arkansas
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team will put its four-game winning streak on the line this Friday night in Conway when the Ladyjacks travel to play Central Arkansas in an important Southland Conference match. The league contest will be the only scheduled date of competition for SFA this week as the entire conference is off on Sunday.
The Ladyjacks are coming off a pair of exciting road victories last week at Lamar and McNeese – both of which were decided by one goal. Shortly after conceding a late goal against the Cowgirls on Sunday afternoon in Lake Charles, Louisiana, SFA found an equalizer and eventually won on a golden goal by Hanna Barker five minutes into overtime.
“The character, competitive mentality and composure that we’ve shown in the face of adversity, especially over the past few weeks, has been great to see,” said head coach Wally Crittenden. “These are skill sets that you have to acquire over the course of a season. Through the several adversities that we’ve faced this year, we’ve managed to stay committed to our principles and who we are as a team. Our kids are playing at a high level right now – both technically and mentally – which is exciting.”
A big reason for the recent success has been the execution in the offensive third. Through five league games, the Ladyjacks rank third in the SLC with nine goals scored – an average of 1.80 goals per game.
“The belief, energy and confidence that comes with scoring goals is contagious,” said Crittenden. “Our front half is going into every game confident that they are going to score goals, which helps our back half play looser and be more decisive. From a leadership standpoint, we are seeing our kids run away with it and that is fantastic to see. There is definitely more around the corner for this team.”
NOTES
SFA vs. Central Arkansas: The Ladyjacks and Bears will square off for the 10th time on Friday night in Conway with SFA holding a 7-1-1 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 2006. Last season on Oct. 24, the Ladyjacks rolled over the Bears by a 3-0 final margin. Senior midfielder Rachel Owens netted the game-winner in the 53rd minute and junior forward Jasmine White secured the victory late with a goal of her own in the 89th minute.
Scouting Central Arkansas: The Bears enter Friday’s contest with a 6-7-0 record overall on the season and a 3-2-0 mark in SLC play. Overcoming a sluggish 2-5 start, UCA has been victorious in four of its last six matches. After taking down McNeese (2-1), Lamar (6-1) and Incarnate Word (2-0) in order, the Bears were most recently tamed by Abilene Christian 1-0 last Sunday in Abilene. Sam Houston State spoiled UCA’s conference opener 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 18. Leading the six Bears with multiple goals this year is freshman forward Camille Bassett. A product of Vista, California, Bassett has six goals to her name in 2015, including five in conference play. Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Hughes has spent the majority of time between the pipes for UCA and is currently allowing 1.34 goals per game to the opposition.
Crittenden on Central Arkansas: “Central Arkansas is a good team. They’re getting good results and playing good soccer. We’ve seen them on film several times so far as we’ve had several common opponents. I think we have a good idea of how our schemes and athleticism compare. They have one of the top point holders in the conference right now so it’ll be great to see how we measure up against her. We’re expecting a great game. I’m excited, not only about Friday night’s game which obviously has conference implications in the title race, but to see where we hope to be in several weeks at the conference tournament. There will be some psychological preparation that we’ll mention to get our team excited about what awaits for them that first week of November.”
Last Time Out: SFA experienced one of its most exciting games of the season to-date last Sunday on the road at McNeese. After falling behind 1-0 late in the game, senior Rachel Owens drove home a penalty kick in the 80th minute to knot things up at 1-1. Sophomore forward Hanna Barker sealed the deal just five minutes into overtime, collecting a ball from Madison Hall and slotting it off the post and in. The golden goal game-winner – Barker’s first goal of the 2015 season – secured a 2-1 win for the Ladyjacks. Last Friday night, another goal by Owens was enough to down Lamar 1-0 in Beaumont.
Southland Dominance: SFA has dominated the Southland soccer scene over the last four seasons. The Ladyjacks have a 42-1-2 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 27 contests since.
Doyle Rules: Junior captain Amanda Doyle is 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 last Friday night. 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 has already surpassed her goal total (4) from 2014.
Offensive Showdown: Friday night’s matchup with UCA will feature two of the best goal scorers in the Southland Conference. SFA’s Amanda Doyle and UCA freshman Camille Bassett are tied for the league lead with five goals apiece this season.
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 last Sunday. SFA leads the league in number of players with a game-winner.
Shot Count: SFA leads the Southland with 96 shots taken through five conference games for an average of 19.20 shots per match. The Ladyjacks have outshot every league opponent so far, limiting teams to an average of just 10.00 attempts per contest. Sophomore forward Hanna Barker is second in the SLC individually with 27 shots taken (5.40/game).
Spreading the Wealth: A different Ladyjack has assisted on six of SFA’s nine 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 three 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 five league games. Here’s a breakdown of some notable rankings:
Goals – 3rd (9)
Assists – 3rd (7)
Points – 4th (25)
Shots – 1st (96)
Goals Allowed – 1st (3)
Goals Against Average – 1st (0.57)
Shutouts – 1st (2)
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 1,105 minutes over 12 games. Senior midfielder Rachel Owens has played 1,100 out of 1,105 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.
Looking Ahead: The Ladyjacks will return home next week for games against Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana. SFA will recognize its four seniors – Rachel Owens, Ashton Norman, Amanda Fox and Chantal Curry – on Friday night against the Colonels. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. with the senior night presentation taking place before the game.
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