Friday, September 15
Nacogdoches, Texas
7:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Northwestern State
Ladyjacks Set To Open Conference Play, Finish Non-Conference Slate in Weekend Matches
9/13/2017 5:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Friday's game will be the first played at SFA Soccer Field this season
Match 7 vs. Northwestern State
Friday, September 15th 7:00 p.m.
Nacogdoches, Texas | SFA Soccer Field
Game Notes | Live stats | Video | 2017 SFA Soccer Media Guide
Match 8 vs. TCU
Sunday, September 17th 1:00 p.m.
???????Nacogdoches, Texas | SFA Soccer Field
Game Notes | Live stats | Video | 2017 SFA Soccer Media Guide
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – "There's no place like home" the old adage says.
For the Stephen F. Austin women's soccer team, a return to action at SFA Soccer Field this weekend is a long-awaited moment. The Ladyjacks will open conference play with a rivalry match against Northwestern State on Friday before a quick jaunt back into the non-conference slate to face the final non-Southland foe of the regular season in TCU on Sunday.
The Ladyjacks have had quite a go of it in the first third of the season, facing capable opponent after capable opponent and spending a majority of that time on the road. The mileage was expected, but the re-shuffling of the original home opener—a Friday-Sunday twinbill with Texas Southern and Texas State—due to Hurricane Harvey was anything but planned. Friday's match against the Tigers was canceled, and heavy rainfall in the Nacogdoches area forced the Sunday matchup away from SFA Soccer Field and over to nearby Nacogdoches High, making it a home match only in name.
If the beginning of the season has been a rollercoaster of sorts, then this weekend marks the end of the ride, as SFA will play their first full live action on the SFA Soccer Field since October 28th of last year. It's no secret that the 'Jacks love playing at home, and for good reason. Since 2014, SFA has posted a 20-2-1 record in matches played there, and the weekend's matches promise two opponents who will press hard to upend the 'Jacks on their home pitch.
Stephen F. Austin's first opponent this week is one that is all too familiar, a rivalry matchup that dates back more than 20 years and will make its 31st installment on Friday. Northwestern State is off to a 4-3 start this season, and has an offense that raises more than a few eyebrows. The Lady Demons have torched opponents for 23 goals thus far, a figure that far and away leads the Southland Conference, and ranks fifth nationally. That threat isn't confined to just one player either, as Northwestern State features four players with three or more goals, and has seen 12 different players find the back of the net this season.
The Lady Demons have posted impressive shot numbers (20.86 per game, seventh nationally) this season, and hung 12 goals on NAIA foe LSU-Shreveport earlier this season. After back-to-back defeats to UL Lafayette and Texas State, the Lady Demons then rattled off two 4-0 victories at Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State last weekend. NSU also relies on the veteran presence of coach George Van Linder, who is underway on his sixth season at the helm. Van Linder himself spent two seasons coaching the Ladyjacks, accruing a 19-15-4 record during the 2008-09 seasons.
"George does a great job there, he's a great coach and I've known him for a long time, so there's a lot of respect for him and that program", said SFA head coach Wally Crittenden. "Last year I thought they had one of the best teams they've had there and they have a lot of those kids back again this year, so it's an experienced group, it's a group that's hungry and looking to build on their success from last season. They understand just as much as we do that the opening game of league play is very important. It's going to be a good, spirited game and we're really excited that it's on our field and is a true home opener for us."
When taking a look at the Lady Demons results this season, two outlying results immediately stick out. The Lady Demons achieved the expected resulted against LSU-Shreveport in a 12-0 victory, only to be immediately humbled by one of the nation's top offenses in SEC foe Ole Miss, resulting in an 8-0 defeat. Taking those games with a grain of salt, the remaining matches speak to a quality opponent that will still come to play on Friday, given what is at stake.
"Taking away the outlier games, their other games are tight", Crittenden added. "They've been in good, tight contests, just like their result against Texas State. Regardless of what has happened over the opening four weeks of the season, all bets are off this Friday because it's a rivalry game, it's the conference opener and it's on our field. We're one of the few teams in the league that gets to open conference play at home and against a true historical rival, so it has the settings for a great game."
After Friday's match against Northwestern State, the Ladyjacks will once again be challenged by a tough opponent in Sunday's matinee against TCU. The Horned Frogs sit at 5-2 heading into the weekend matches, showing promise of another strong season on the heels of the 2016 squad, which notched the program's first NCAA tournament appearance.
"It's part of our schedule, there's no breaks and we've gotten used to a high level of talent in our opponents thus far", said Crittenden. "TCU is a very athletic, competitive and high character program that is going to push us, but we're going to push them too, as we are playing very well right now against some good teams. We expect a very tight game with TCU, it's always a good contest between us, and we're very excited to be playing that game on Sunday."
After facing the high scoring offense of the Lady Demons on Friday, the Ladyjacks won't find much of a respite, if any, in the high-scoring attack that TCU brings to the table. TCU is the 22nd ranked scoring offense among Division I programs, and is eighth in the nation in assists per game (3.14). Chances are high that if TCU is getting a game-winning goal, it's coming off the foot of Allison Ganter, who ranks fifth in Division I in game-winning goals, 22nd in total goals and 14th in points, with 14. In combatting both of these powerful offenses, the best defense may come down to possessing the ball and simply keeping it out of their hands, as it were.
"We have to keep the ball, because possession is a preferred method of defense", Crittenden added. "In order to keep the ball, it helps to have a good surface that you're familiar with, and we have a great one. It's going to be cut fast, and the ball will move quickly, which both teams will benefit from. All of the pieces are in place for us to make a couple tremendous statements this weekend, both to open conference play and also finish the non-conference schedule strong."
Playing at home allows the Ladyjacks to experience the comfort of routine that only playing at home can provide. After weeks on the road, long bus trips and hotel stays, the players will now experience the comfort of practice, film sessions and other preparations at home.
"From a logistical standpoint, it's great to be at home because you're more comfortable, you have a routine, you know your amenities and know how to prepare", Crittenden explains. "Even when you move the game 10 minutes off campus, there's still added logistics that you're thinking about that take away from focus on the game, which is really what the benefit of playing at home is all about. I'm excited for our players to finally take the field on a Friday night, and especially for the newcomers who have represented SFA very well to start the season and have yet to play a live action on their home field."
Despite coming off a loss in last Sunday's game at UTEP, the Ladyjacks are in good form heading into the weekend matchups. While some indicators are clearly evident, such as the three-game win streak the 'Jacks had accrued, others such as possession, tactical approach and effective offensive build-up in the final third don't show up on the stat sheet. Even still, with all the improvements the team has made in these facets of the game, there is still room for SFA to improve in other areas. With all of the near misses the team has compiled this season, one has to figure the team is due for a win by multiple goals sometime soon, when that will come and against which opponent remains to be seen, however.
-SFA-
Friday, September 15th 7:00 p.m.
Nacogdoches, Texas | SFA Soccer Field
Game Notes | Live stats | Video | 2017 SFA Soccer Media Guide
Match 8 vs. TCU
Sunday, September 17th 1:00 p.m.
???????Nacogdoches, Texas | SFA Soccer Field
Game Notes | Live stats | Video | 2017 SFA Soccer Media Guide
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – "There's no place like home" the old adage says.
For the Stephen F. Austin women's soccer team, a return to action at SFA Soccer Field this weekend is a long-awaited moment. The Ladyjacks will open conference play with a rivalry match against Northwestern State on Friday before a quick jaunt back into the non-conference slate to face the final non-Southland foe of the regular season in TCU on Sunday.
The Ladyjacks have had quite a go of it in the first third of the season, facing capable opponent after capable opponent and spending a majority of that time on the road. The mileage was expected, but the re-shuffling of the original home opener—a Friday-Sunday twinbill with Texas Southern and Texas State—due to Hurricane Harvey was anything but planned. Friday's match against the Tigers was canceled, and heavy rainfall in the Nacogdoches area forced the Sunday matchup away from SFA Soccer Field and over to nearby Nacogdoches High, making it a home match only in name.
If the beginning of the season has been a rollercoaster of sorts, then this weekend marks the end of the ride, as SFA will play their first full live action on the SFA Soccer Field since October 28th of last year. It's no secret that the 'Jacks love playing at home, and for good reason. Since 2014, SFA has posted a 20-2-1 record in matches played there, and the weekend's matches promise two opponents who will press hard to upend the 'Jacks on their home pitch.
Stephen F. Austin's first opponent this week is one that is all too familiar, a rivalry matchup that dates back more than 20 years and will make its 31st installment on Friday. Northwestern State is off to a 4-3 start this season, and has an offense that raises more than a few eyebrows. The Lady Demons have torched opponents for 23 goals thus far, a figure that far and away leads the Southland Conference, and ranks fifth nationally. That threat isn't confined to just one player either, as Northwestern State features four players with three or more goals, and has seen 12 different players find the back of the net this season.
The Lady Demons have posted impressive shot numbers (20.86 per game, seventh nationally) this season, and hung 12 goals on NAIA foe LSU-Shreveport earlier this season. After back-to-back defeats to UL Lafayette and Texas State, the Lady Demons then rattled off two 4-0 victories at Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State last weekend. NSU also relies on the veteran presence of coach George Van Linder, who is underway on his sixth season at the helm. Van Linder himself spent two seasons coaching the Ladyjacks, accruing a 19-15-4 record during the 2008-09 seasons.
"George does a great job there, he's a great coach and I've known him for a long time, so there's a lot of respect for him and that program", said SFA head coach Wally Crittenden. "Last year I thought they had one of the best teams they've had there and they have a lot of those kids back again this year, so it's an experienced group, it's a group that's hungry and looking to build on their success from last season. They understand just as much as we do that the opening game of league play is very important. It's going to be a good, spirited game and we're really excited that it's on our field and is a true home opener for us."
When taking a look at the Lady Demons results this season, two outlying results immediately stick out. The Lady Demons achieved the expected resulted against LSU-Shreveport in a 12-0 victory, only to be immediately humbled by one of the nation's top offenses in SEC foe Ole Miss, resulting in an 8-0 defeat. Taking those games with a grain of salt, the remaining matches speak to a quality opponent that will still come to play on Friday, given what is at stake.
"Taking away the outlier games, their other games are tight", Crittenden added. "They've been in good, tight contests, just like their result against Texas State. Regardless of what has happened over the opening four weeks of the season, all bets are off this Friday because it's a rivalry game, it's the conference opener and it's on our field. We're one of the few teams in the league that gets to open conference play at home and against a true historical rival, so it has the settings for a great game."
After Friday's match against Northwestern State, the Ladyjacks will once again be challenged by a tough opponent in Sunday's matinee against TCU. The Horned Frogs sit at 5-2 heading into the weekend matches, showing promise of another strong season on the heels of the 2016 squad, which notched the program's first NCAA tournament appearance.
"It's part of our schedule, there's no breaks and we've gotten used to a high level of talent in our opponents thus far", said Crittenden. "TCU is a very athletic, competitive and high character program that is going to push us, but we're going to push them too, as we are playing very well right now against some good teams. We expect a very tight game with TCU, it's always a good contest between us, and we're very excited to be playing that game on Sunday."
After facing the high scoring offense of the Lady Demons on Friday, the Ladyjacks won't find much of a respite, if any, in the high-scoring attack that TCU brings to the table. TCU is the 22nd ranked scoring offense among Division I programs, and is eighth in the nation in assists per game (3.14). Chances are high that if TCU is getting a game-winning goal, it's coming off the foot of Allison Ganter, who ranks fifth in Division I in game-winning goals, 22nd in total goals and 14th in points, with 14. In combatting both of these powerful offenses, the best defense may come down to possessing the ball and simply keeping it out of their hands, as it were.
"We have to keep the ball, because possession is a preferred method of defense", Crittenden added. "In order to keep the ball, it helps to have a good surface that you're familiar with, and we have a great one. It's going to be cut fast, and the ball will move quickly, which both teams will benefit from. All of the pieces are in place for us to make a couple tremendous statements this weekend, both to open conference play and also finish the non-conference schedule strong."
Playing at home allows the Ladyjacks to experience the comfort of routine that only playing at home can provide. After weeks on the road, long bus trips and hotel stays, the players will now experience the comfort of practice, film sessions and other preparations at home.
"From a logistical standpoint, it's great to be at home because you're more comfortable, you have a routine, you know your amenities and know how to prepare", Crittenden explains. "Even when you move the game 10 minutes off campus, there's still added logistics that you're thinking about that take away from focus on the game, which is really what the benefit of playing at home is all about. I'm excited for our players to finally take the field on a Friday night, and especially for the newcomers who have represented SFA very well to start the season and have yet to play a live action on their home field."
Despite coming off a loss in last Sunday's game at UTEP, the Ladyjacks are in good form heading into the weekend matchups. While some indicators are clearly evident, such as the three-game win streak the 'Jacks had accrued, others such as possession, tactical approach and effective offensive build-up in the final third don't show up on the stat sheet. Even still, with all the improvements the team has made in these facets of the game, there is still room for SFA to improve in other areas. With all of the near misses the team has compiled this season, one has to figure the team is due for a win by multiple goals sometime soon, when that will come and against which opponent remains to be seen, however.
-SFA-
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