Termini's Second-Half Goal Propels SFA to 1-0 Win over LSU-Shreveport

Friday, August 17

Nacogdoches, Texas

7:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

1-0-0

LSU-Shreveport

0-0-0

LSU Shreveport

Stephen F. Austin

Termini's Second-Half Goal Propels SFA to 1-0 Win over LSU-Shreveport

8/17/2018 8:50:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Ladyjacks win season opener for first time since 2014

By: SFA Athletics

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Sophomore Katelyn Termini scored on a breakaway early in the second half to push the Stephen F. Austin women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over visiting LSU-Shreveport in the Ladyjacks' 2018 season opener on Friday night at SFA Soccer Field. It was SFA's first victory in a season opener since 2014 when the Ladyjacks posted a 2-0 triumph over Oregon State, and improved them to 12-11-1 all-time in season openers and 3-3 in Crittenden's tenure as coach.

"First and foremost I think we want to thank LSU-Shreveport", said SFA head coach Wally Crittenden. "They came out and competed in tremendous fashion. Certainly they took a defensive posture, but they had excellent competitive character and Ashley's doing great things in that program. A lot of respect for them tonight."

The game was played on a soaked pitch, as a sunny evening was complimented by a spot shower, which rained hard onto the playing surface for the greater part of 30 minutes leading up to the game's opening kick. Nonetheless, the Ladyjacks got to work trying to break down the heavy defensive formation employed by the Pilots. Despite amassing a 23-3 advantage in total shots for the contest, SFA was limited by inefficiency with passes and ball striking in the final third, and were unable to find the back of the net aside from Termini's second-half tally.

"As far as our side, I'm not really please with how we played", added Crittenden. "Certainly there were little bursts in there where we did some good things, and I thought we represented ourselves well at times, but overall not thrilled. I think the biggest thing in these moments is staying focused on the task at hand, and nothing is more important that what your challenge is tonight. It doesn't matter what other distractions or adversity you might have, because all that matters is what you're going to deal with on this field with your teammates. It's important to be able to accept when things don't go well and make a change, and it takes a special group to do that."

After a stalwart defensive effort from the Pilots kept SFA off the scoreboard in the first half, the 'Jacks eventually broke through in the game's 54th minute, as Mari Gillespie played a ball through to Termini, who sidestepped the charging keeper on the breakaway, was able to retain her composure and slotted the ball into the net for her first goal of the campaign and the game-winning strike.

"The most important positive takeaway from tonight is that they were able to make that change tonight, it wasn't something I said or my other coaches, it was something they had to go through and deal with", Crittenden said of his team's ability to adapt. "I think our players will tell you that they didn't expect it to be as difficult as it was from a shape standpoint and athleticism standpoint, but you have to respect the opponent and the challenge and make sure you respond. Not to say I was pleased with it in the second half, but certainly there was an improvement there, so we'll address it, learn from it and get ready for Sunday as a team."

Sunday's opponent Mississippi State will certainly pose a different set of challenges for the 'Jacks, and if there was any distraction for the team due to Friday's game, that's well in the past now.

"The message to the team is that you've been thinking about it, trying to stay focused on it and the task at hand, well now it's time to do it", explained Crittenden. "Sunday is that time for us, so our kids will be excited, they'll be ready to go and they'll use this game as a learning experience. To get where we want to go and achieve the goals we've set out, you have to be ready to get up for two games a weekend, you can't just focus on one. We've worked too hard as a program to take that approach, and this was something of an outlier in the competitive character of our team, so we'll address it and move on to Sunday."

The 'Jacks built up a 23-3 advantage in shots in the contest and a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks, while ceding just one shot on goal to the Pilots. Allyson Halliday and Maddie Talbot combined for the shutout in goal, with the former starting and the latter earning the victory while making one save.

Next up for SFA is a rare Sunday evening tilt against the aforementioned Mississippi State Bulldogs, set for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the Ladyjacks in their bid to defeat the SEC foe, while those who cannot make it out to the game can view the contest on Facebook Live via the SFA Athletics Facebook page.

-SFA-