SFA Bound for Southland Conference Tournament after 2-1 Win at Sam Houston State

Friday, November 1

Huntsville, Texas

6:30 PM

Stephen F. Austin

8-10-0, 5-6-0

Sam Houston State

7-10-1, 5-5-1

Stephen F. Austin

Sam Houston State

SFA Bound for Southland Conference Tournament after 2-1 Win at Sam Houston State

11/1/2019 10:04:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Fondren assists on both goals as Ladyjacks lock up eight-seed for league tournament

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Strategic Communications

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - With its Southland Conference Tournament chances up in the air entering Friday's regular season finale, the SFA soccer team made the most of a limited number of opportunities in order to lock up a spot in the postseason.

Outshot 19-2, both of the Ladyjacks' shots were of the high-quality variety as junior midfielder Katelyn Termini put SFA ahead for good with an early first-half goal before junior Sophia Fondren generated the last of her two assists on Elise Davis' game-winning goal in the second half to help the Ladyjacks punched their ticket to the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament by posting a 2-1 victory at Sam Houston State Friday night.

The soccer version of the Battle of the Piney Woods was a heated, emotional battle as the Ladyjacks fought for their Southland Conference Tournament lives. A trio of yellow cards were issued during the game as SFA won its fifth in a row over the Bearkats.

FIRST HALF
• One shot was all the Ladyjacks needed to take the lead for good. Termini registered the first shot of the game - and SFA's lone shot of the opening half - and it found its way into the back of the net to give the visitors a lead they would never relinquish.
• Feeding Termini was Sophia Fondren who notched the first of her two assists on the night. Termini sent a low ball past Sam Houston State keeper Tatum Krueger early in the fifth minute to hand SFA a 1-0 lead.
• Following Termini's goal, Sam Houston State dictated the tempo on offense for the rest of the half. Needing an equalizer, the Bearkats racked up the remaining 12 shots of the opening frame but were the third consecutive team that was unable to get anything past Madeline Talbot in the opening half.
• SFA's redshirt sophomore netminder made all six of her saves on the night through the first 45 minutes to keep the Bearkats off the board.

SECOND HALF
• Chippy play took over in the final frame as a trio of Ladyjacks - Talbot, Termini and Morgan Wessling - were issued yellow cards in the Battle of the Piney Woods on the pitch.
• Keeping its shot percentage at 100 for the game, the Ladyjacks added the eventual game-winning goal in the 61st minute. Again it was Fondren making a fine pass and this time the junior fed Elise Davis who ripped a shot with her left foot past Krueger to extend SFA's lead to 2-0.
• Davis' score turned out to be extremely important as the Bearkats capitalized on the second one of their great chances in the second half. Carlota Suarez Crespo nearly cut the Ladyjacks' lead in half late in the 71st minute when she wound up and blasted a hard shot that bounced off of the crossbar of SFA's goal.
• The only time Sam Houston State was able to find the back of SFA's net came as a result of a penalty kick. Mari Gillespie took down the Bearkats' Kalynn Bickford in the box and, upon being awarded a penalty shot, Bickford cut SFA's lead in half by sending her PK try past Talbot.
• During the final nine minutes of the game, Sam Houston State attempted two more shots but neither one was on target.

KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• At a 19-2 disadvantage in shots, the Ladyjacks again found a way to make the most of their opportunities. Both of SFA's shots found the back of the Bearkats' net as Krueger suffered the loss without making a single save.
• Fondren hiked her team-leading assist total to eight with her first multi-assist game of the 2019 campaign. It marked the second time in her collegiate career in which Fondren racked up multiple assists in a single game.
• Davis' goal in the 61st minute was the junior's first game-winning goal of her collegiate career and her second strike this season.
• SFA's win over Sam Houston State was its fifth in a row, matching the Ladyjacks' longest winning streak over the Bearkats. The Ladyjacks have outscored the Bearkats 19-3 in the last five meetings between the two longtime Piney Woods rivals and now own an 18-3 (.857) all-time record against Sam Houston State.

CRITTENDEN'S COMMENTS
"What a Battle of the Piney Woods game. This is certainly one that we will talk about for a long time. Our kids executed and finished two tactical goals and had tremendous discipline in our defensive structure. To win two out of our last three while dropping only a double OT match, all on the road, is going to see us with great momentum heading into what will be a fantastic tournament in Conway. We will focus on recovery and enjoying this moment before preparing for post-season on Sunday."

COMING UP NEXT
• As the number eight seed in the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament, the Ladyjacks face a tall task when they begin their tournament run Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in Conway, Ark. SFA takes on 2019 Southland Conference regular season champion Lamar in the third of four quarterfinal games.

-SFA-