Stephen F. Austin
Arizona
Ladyjacks Tripped Up By Arizona, 3-0
9/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Arizona 3, SFA 0 
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team played a great first half against Arizona on Sunday afternoon in the Sun Devil Desert Classic, but couldn’t keep up with the Wildcats in a 3-0 defeat. The match was played at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University.
Redshirt sophomore Lillie Ehlert had another great outing for the Ladyjacks between the posts. She tied a career-high set on Friday night with 11 saves for SFA – nine of which came in the second half. The goalkeeper made multiple diving stops and put an end to numerous Arizona attacks on the afternoon.
The Ladyjacks (0-5) created their best scoring chances in the opening half. Sophomore forward Hanna Barker came within inches of her first goal of the season in the 25th minute, launching a strike over the Arizona keeper and drilling the crossbar. Junior midfielder Amanda Doyle recorded SFA’s only shot on goal less than 30 seconds later, but it was saved.
Junior defender Brooke Dunnigan was able to get a shot off on a Barker corner kick in the seventh minute and senior midfielder Rachel Owens also took a crack at goal in the first half.
Arizona (5-0) lit the scoreboard first with a goal off a flip throw-in at the 40:33 mark in the game. Hannah Stevens headed the long throw into the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 cushion at halftime. It was the first goal allowed by the Ladyjacks in the first half over the team’s last four games.
Other than the one Wildcat break-through in the first 45 minutes, SFA played Arizona level before the intermission. The Ladyjacks were only outshot by four (8-4) and gave up a minimal 3-1 edge in shots on goal and corners.
Arizona took control in the second half, getting goals from Paige Crouch in the 59th minute and Kennedy Kieneker in the 83rd to cap the scoring at 3-0. Crouch scored from straight on after dispossessing SFA of the ball in the offensive third, while Kieneker notched a goal with a header off a corner kick.
SFA finishes its season opening five-game road stretch after facing some of the best teams in the nation. Four of the Ladyjacks’ five opponents so far in 2015 have been members of Power Five conferences (Arkansas, Minnesota, Arizona State, Arizona) while three opponents have been ranked or receiving votes in the national polls. The five teams are a combined 16-4-1 through Sunday's afternoon results.
The Ladyjacks will play their first home game next Friday, September 11 against ULM at SFA Soccer Field. Start time is set for 7:00 p.m.
-SFA-
