Ladyjacks Open 2018 Regular Season with Pair of Weekend Home Matches

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – With a very successful preseason in the rearview, the Stephen F. Austin women's soccer team will look to get into the driver's seat in the 2018 campaign when it opens the season with a pair of home matches this weekend. SFA will face NAIA opponent LSU-Shreveport in the home and season opener on Friday, before welcoming in SEC foe Mississippi State for the Sunday evening fixture.

"It's always nice to play at home, and I think we have a very good balance in our schedule, probably moreso than we've had in recent memory", said SFA head coach Wally Crittenden. "We open up at home, which is comfortable, to face LSU-Shreveport and then we welcome Mississippi State on Sunday, which was a very tough and exciting game last year at their place and will be a tremendous challenge for us. We're a little older, little more mature and better game managers than we were last year, so I'm very excited to see how we match up this weekend."

The Ladyjacks got underway with the sixth season under head coach Wally Crittenden in a big way, winning a pair of exhibitions against Louisiana-Monroe and the University of Houston by a combined score of 6-0. SFA was sharp on both sides of the ball as evidenced by the scoring margin, and are in good form heading into both weekend tilts.

"I think we're in a good spot after our exhibitions", said Crittenden. "When you build a preseason schedule you've got different priorities, and for us that's building team chemistry, getting our players as game fit as we can, and we want to make sure that we are playing in the shape we want and carrying out our game plan on the field. Certainly the first game that we played challenged us in our possession, challenged us to break down a team with a heavy defensive posture, and I think we did well in that contest. Then on Sunday we go on the road and we grind and compete against a very motivated UH team, and we managed that game very well."

Friday's opponent LSU-Shreveport poses a firm test for the Ladyjacks right off the cuff, as they open their season with nothing to lose due to the match counting as an exhibition on their schedule. The Pilots welcome back 75 percent of total team points scored during the 2017 season via a group of nine returners, including double-digit goal scorer Kati-Jayde Cunningham. Head coach Ashley Holland enters her third season at the helm.

"LSU-Shreveport is going to bring a ton of energy, a ton of motivation and an attitude that they have something to prove", said Crittenden. "There is no doubt we will get their best shot, and get everything they have thrown at us. That is a game that will demand a very high level of focus, execution and consistency from us, and I'm sure that our leadership on the team share that sentiment."

Following Friday's match, the 'Jacks will have one day of rest before facing the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, a team they opened the 2017 campaign with. The Bulldogs posted a 9-5-4 record in the second season under coach Tom Anagnost, and capped off a season that saw them post their best winning percentage since 2001. The Bulldogs feature a young team with 20 underclassmen, but also return their top three goal scorers in Brooke McKee, MaKayla Waldner and AK Ward.

"They did have some key departures from last season, and we'll get a better idea of their personnel when we watch them play Thursday, but there is no doubt they will be very well organized and physical", Crittenden explained. "Right away you're talking about a game that will demand our very best from a competitive character standpoint, our very best from a physicality standpoint and once those two standards are established, the team that can keep and move the ball and execute in the final third is the team that will come away with the result."

The Bulldogs open their season on Thursday evening, facing Southern Miss at home. When the 'Jacks and Bulldogs last played to open the 2017 campaign, SFA fought hard against the Bulldogs but a goal in the 58th minute from Waldner would seal the contest for the home side. This time around, the 'Jacks feature an offense that already looks to be deeper and more dynamic than last season, and can challenge the Bulldogs at every level.

Stephen F. Austin is 11-11-1 all-time in season opening matches, and looks to snap a three-game slide in openers dating back to the 2015 season with a win over the Pilots on Friday. Of the past five season opening opponents, four have hailed from Power 5 conferences. Crittenden is 2-3 in season opening matches while at the helm for SFA.

-SFA-

Schedule

Ladyjacks Open 2018 Regular Season with Pair of Weekend Home Matches

Next Event

Footer

Stephen F Austin

Upcoming Events