SFA Wraps Up Homestand With Corpus/HBU
9/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Stephen F. Austin (1-6-1, 0-0-1 SLC) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (0-5-2, 0-0-1 SLC)
Friday, September 25 • 7:00 p.m.
SFA Soccer Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch Live (ESPN3) • Live Stats
Stephen F. Austin (1-6-1, 0-0-1 SLC) vs. Houston Baptist (3-2-1, 1-0-0 SLC)
Sunday, September 27 • 1:00 p.m.
SFA Soccer Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch Live (ESPN3) • Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – One week after getting a big point in the Southland Conference opener against Northwestern State, the Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team returns to SFA Soccer Field on Friday and Sunday for two more pivotal league contests. The Ladyjacks host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before colliding with Houston Baptist on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in a rematch of the 2014 SLC Tournament Championship.
Despite falling behind 1-0 in the early going against the Lady Demons last Friday night, SFA was able to come back and earn an important point at home in league play thanks to a 24th minute equalizer from Amanda Doyle. The 1-1 draw also extended the Ladyjacks’ impressive unbeaten streak in conference to 23 games, dating back to Sept. 21, 2013.
Now sitting just two points out of first place, SFA will look to extend that streak against the Islanders and Huskies this weekend.
“Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is going to come out with high energy and a very physical presence,” said head coach Wally Crittenden. “It was a tight game last year and I would expect the same thing as we go into our second weekend of conference. They have some talented players with a very high skill-set. It should be a good test and hopefully we can get another good crowd out there for it on Friday night.”
Sunday’s matchup will feature the same two squads from last year’s SLC Tournament final. HBU was able to snap SFA’s 14-game winning streak by way of a 2-0 victory in the championship game to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re all excited about Sunday’s game as well,” said Crittenden. “From a motivation standpoint, we don’t need to say much to our team specifically about that game in light of the last time that we played them. It’ll be a high emotion game for us.
“Both teams in each game this weekend are going to create good chances. We’re going to create great chances. It’s simply going to come down to which players execute and make plays. Especially in the beginning of conference, that’s what we’re going to face.”
Sunday’s date with HBU will mark the end of a lengthy five-game homestand for the Ladyjacks – who are currently 1-1-1 on the stint. SFA will be on the road for six of the final eight games in conference down the stretch, with home affairs against Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana set for Oct. 16 and 18.
For the first time since partnering with ESPN last spring, fans will be able to watch each of SFA’s upcoming games online through ESPN3 or via the Watch ESPN app. Live stats will also be provided through the links above along with in-game Twitter updates @SFA_Soccer.
NOTES
SFA vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Ladyjacks and Islanders will meet for just the third time in the young series history on Friday evening. Since the teams first met back in 2013, SFA has been in control with a 2-0-0 record overall. Last year on Oct. 31, thanks to a sensational goal by Zuri Prince, the Ladyjacks took down the Islanders 1-0 at home on senior night. Prince’s back heel flick off a corner kick became an instant web gem that found its way onto ESPN’s Top Ten Plays and Fox Sports One’s Play of the Night. Last year’s victory also secured the 2014 SLC regular season title outright for SFA – its fourth consecutive league championship. The Ladyjacks won the first ever meeting in the series by a final margin of 5-0 in Corpus Christi on Nov. 1, 2013.
Scouting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders will be seeking their first win of the 2015 season when they make the trip to Nacogdoches on Friday, coming in with an overall record of 0-5-2. After ending up on the wrong end of a 4-0 result at Houston on Sept. 13, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi answered back with a 1-1 draw at Abilene Christian last Friday night. The Islanders were outshot by the Wildcats 27-15 on the evening, with an 8-3 deficit in the two overtime periods, but still managed to play ACU level and earn a point in the conference standings. AMCC has scored five goals in 2015, led by two from junior midfielder Yvette Franco. Jessica Berdan, Brooke Erdmann and Hailey Sutton have chipped in a goal apiece. Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Delaney has played every minute for the Islanders in goal this season, averaging 2.15 goals allowed per game and ranking 11th in the nation with 7.57 saves per game.
SFA vs. Houston Baptist: Sunday’s showdown between SFA and HBU will be a rematch of the 2014 Southland Conference Tournament championship game held last November 9th in Beaumont, Texas. The Huskies’ 2-0 victory in that contest put a stop to the Ladyjacks’ five-game winning streak in the series. Despite the latest loss, SFA still enjoys a 5-1-0 edge all-time against HBU since the teams first met in 2010. The Ladyjacks beat the Huskies 2-0 on the road on Oct. 3 last season before being ousted in Beaumont.
Scouting Houston Baptist: The Southland Conference’s lone representative in the NCAA Tournament last year, HBU enters the weekend with a 3-2-1 overall record and a 1-0-0 mark in league play. The Huskies beat Incarnate Word 3-2 in their conference opener last week in San Antonio and will challenge Sam Houston State on the road this Friday before meeting up with the Ladyjacks on Sunday. Freshman forward Sabriah Spencer and junior midfielder Allison Abendschein lead HBU in points (6) through the first six games of the season. Spencer holds the team-lead with three goals and Abendschein has two goals and two assists to her name in 2015.
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks are coming off a 1-1 result against Northwestern State at home last Friday night in their SLC opener. After falling behind 1-0, junior midfielder Amanda Doyle made a defender miss in the box and capitalized on the scoring chance with her first goal of the season. The 24th-minute equalizer was assisted by senior forward Ashton Norman. SFA created several other good looks to go ahead, outshooting NSU 22-16, but couldn’t come up with a game winner after two overtime periods.
Southland Dominance: SFA has dominated the Southland soccer scene over the last four seasons. The Ladyjacks have a 38-1-2 league record during the span with four consecutive SLC championships to show for it. SFA, who went 11-0-0 last year, have 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 have almost double the amount of regular season titles as the next closest team with nine trophies since the conference started soccer in 1997.
Starting on a New Streak: The Ladyjacks had their 11-game conference winning streak snapped last Friday when Northwestern State pushed SFA to a 1-1 draw. It was the second longest active streak in the nation behind Illinois State going into the match. SFA was one of only five schools in the country that went undefeated in their respective conference last season and still hasn’t dropped a game over the last 23 contests dating back to the 2013 season.
Between the Pipes: Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert has had quite the year for the Ladyjacks in front of goal. In her first season as an everyday starter, Ehlert has accumulated 50 saves in eight games. She currently ranks 32nd in the country and second in the SLC with an average of 6.25 saves per match. Her .794 save percentage this season puts her fourth among conference keepers.
Home Sweet Home: SFA has enjoyed a significant home field advantage over the last five years and hope to continue the trend in 2015. The Ladyjacks are 40-5-1 at SFA Soccer Field since 2010, including undefeated home slates in 2011, 2012 and 2014. SFA is 9-1-1 over its last 11 home games after going a perfect 8-0-0 at home last season and starting 1-1-1 in front of the home fans this year.
Variety in the Attack: The Ladyjacks’ three goals in 2015 have come from three different players as senior midfielder Rachel Owens, senior forward Ashton Norman and junior midfielder Amanda Doyle have each found the back of the net. Sophomore forward Hanna Barker and junior defender Kelly Ann Craig each have one assist on the year. Norman, who recorded an assist last Friday, owns the team lead in points (3) after contributing a goal and an assist this season.
Showing Resiliency: After going down a goal to Northwestern State last weekend, SFA maintained its composure and netted a goal just 15 minutes later to tie things up at 1-1. Last season, the Ladyjacks won two games after trailing at some point during regulation (ULM, Sam Houston State).
Academic Success: For the sixth straight year, the SFA women’s soccer team was honored with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) College Women’s Team Academic Award, as announced by the organization on Wednesday afternoon. The award serves as recognition to the 2014-15 Ladyjack squad, which posted a 3.25-combined grade point average last year. The Ladyjacks were one of just four women’s soccer programs from the SLC to make the grade, joining HBU, Lamar and Nicholls.
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 740 minutes over eight games. Senior midfielder Rachel Owens has played 735 out of 740 possible minutes and junior defender Kelly Ann Craig has also seen over 700 minutes of action with 713. 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: After Friday and Sunday’s home games, the Ladyjacks will have just two more opportunities the rest of the year to play in front of their home fans. SFA closes the regular season with six of its final eight games on the road, starting next week with Lamar on Friday night and McNeese on Sunday afternoon.
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