Ladyjacks Soccer Closes Home Chapter Hosting UIW

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin women's soccer returns to the Chopping Block on Sunday afternoon for its regular-season home finale against UIW. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

SFA vs UIW
  Date and Time: Sunday, November 1 at 1:00 PM
  Location: The Chopping Block
  Broadcast: ESPN+

BROADCAST AND TICKET INFORMATION
For fans who can't attend in person, Sunday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ so that supporters can catch all the action from home. Single-game tickets are available for purchase HERE. Additionally, students can enjoy free entry, making it an excellent opportunity for the student body to support Ladyjacks Soccer.

Home Finale at the Chopping Block
SFA closes its 2026 home schedule on Sunday against UIW at the Chopping Block. The Ladyjacks are 3-5 at home this season and have historically played well against the Cardinals in Nacogdoches, owning a 4-1 record in the series. SFA will look to send its home crowd out with a strong performance before concluding the regular season at East Texas A&M on Nov. 5.

WHITTEMORE'S PREVIEW OF THE WEEK
SFA returns home after earning a 3-1 road victory at UTRGV on Oct. 22. The Ladyjacks scored three second-half goals to erase a 1-0 deficit, snapping a six-match losing streak and creating momentum for the final two regular-season matches.

"There is nothing that compares to being home in front of our crowd, on our campus and on our field," head coach Ashley Whittemore said. "It means a lot to be back home. To add to that, we play a good UIW side. We're excited to have good competition at home and to give it our all."

SOUTHLAND STANDINGS
The Ladyjacks enter Sunday's matchup ninth in the Southland Conference standings with six points following their 3-1 road win at UTRGV. SFA has been eliminated from postseason contention, as the top seven teams qualify for the Southland Conference Tournament.

UIW enters the match tied for second in the conference standings with 16 points and a 5-2-1 Southland record. The Cardinals are coming off a scoreless draw against UTRGV.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
UIW brings an 8-6-3 overall record and a 5-2-1 mark in Southland Conference play into Sunday's matchup. The Cardinals have scored 26 goals this season while generating 223 shots and 78 corner kicks. In goal, Hannah Alexander has made 76 saves, owns a .776 save percentage and has recorded six shutouts.

UIW is coming off a scoreless draw against UTRGV on Oct. 25. The Cardinals outshot the Vaqueros 19-7 and held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks but could not find a breakthrough.

SERIES HISTORY
SFA holds a 7-1-2 advantage in the all-time series against UIW, outscoring the Cardinals 15-4 across 10 meetings. The Ladyjacks are 4-1-0 at home and remain unbeaten in five matches in San Antonio (3-0-2). After the sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting in 2013, SFA won seven consecutive matches from 2014 through 2021, including a 4-0 road victory in 2017 - the largest margin in series history. UIW earned its first series win with a 1-0 decision in Nacogdoches in 2024, while the most recent matchup ended in a 1-1 draw in San Antonio on Oct. 23, 2025.

COMEBACK JACKS
SFA capped non-conference play with a thrilling comeback victory over Jackson State, as Alyce Chappelle scored the game-winner in the 77th minute. One week later, Chappelle delivered another late goal in the 88th minute to complete a comeback against the Islanders and move the Ladyjacks to 1-0 in Southland Conference play.

SECOND HALF
On the season, the Ladyjacks have scored 28 goals, with 21 coming in the second half. Head coach Ashley Whittemore addressed the team's second-half success.

"We are a strong second-half team," Whittemore said. "We just have to adjust in the first half and put the pedal to the floor in the first 45 minutes as we do in the second half."

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
The Ladyjacks rank tied for 108th nationally in scoring offense at 1.65 goals per match. SFA is tied for 98th in assists per game (1.53) and ranks 107th in points per game (4.82). The Ladyjacks have scored 28 goals and recorded 26 assists through 17 matches. Alyce Chappelle leads SFA with nine goals, ranking second in the Southland Conference.

LADYJACKS LAND AT THE FIVE
Before the start of the 2026 season, the Southland Conference reintroduced its preseason polls. Coming off a historic 2025 campaign that included a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament championship match, the Ladyjacks were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll. SFA received one first-place vote, making the Ladyjacks the final team in the preseason poll to receive a first-place selection.

WILLIAMS EARNS SLC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (SEPT. 15)
Sydney Williams logged 180 minutes across matches against Texas Southern and Jackson State. She helped anchor the Ladyjacks' first shutout of the season in Thursday's 3–0 win over the Tigers, then scored the opening goal Sunday against Jackson State while leading SFA's backline to a second-half shutout in the Ladyjacks' comeback victory.

WHITTEMORE BEGINS CONFERENCE YEAR TWO
Head coach Ashley Whittemore enters Sunday with a 13-16-10 record at SFA. In her first season, she led the Ladyjacks to an 8-4-10 record, a 5-1-4 Southland mark and the program's second Southland Conference Tournament championship-match appearance since returning to the league.

KEEPIN' IT CLOSE
Five of the Ladyjacks' last six losses have come by one goal, while the other was a two-goal defeat. Head coach Ashley Whittemore said the group has remained resilient throughout the season.

"We have been right there in every single game," Whittemore said. "We are playing well each game. We are getting better this whole season, even with the hits we have taken. The team has been super resilient in stepping up and filling in those gaps in the team."

Jacks Back in the Win Column
SFA snapped a six-match losing streak with its 3-1 road victory at UTRGV on Oct. 22. The skid was the Ladyjacks' longest since a seven-game slide in 2023 and matched the second-longest losing streak in program history, equaling the six-game stretch in 1997. The win sent SFA into its final two regular-season matches with renewed momentum.

Oberholtzer Enters SFA's Single-Season Assist Top 10
Freshman Savanna Oberholtzer has recorded a team-leading eight assists this season, tying her for eighth on SFA's single-season assist list. Oberholtzer matches Lauren Fricks' 2007 total and is only the fourth freshman in program history to post a top-10 single-season assist total.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ladyjacks earned a 3-1 road victory at UTRGV last Thursday, scoring three second-half goals to erase a one-goal halftime deficit. Alyce Chappelle scored twice and added an assist, while Kensley Smith netted the game-winning goal as SFA snapped a six-match losing streak.

Chappelle Earns Honorable Mention Recognition
Alyce Chappelle earned honorable mention recognition following her standout performance in SFA's 3-1 road win at UTRGV. The sophomore forward scored twice, assisted on Kensley Smith's game-winning goal, and accounted for five points in the second-half comeback. Chappelle led the Ladyjacks with six shots, putting three on goal, and sealed the victory with an 86th-minute penalty kick.

UP NEXT
SFA concludes the 2026 regular season on Nov. 5 with a 7 p.m. Southland Conference matchup at East Texas A&M in Commerce. The contest marks the seventh all-time meeting between the Ladyjacks and Lions. East Texas A&M holds a 4-2 advantage in the series, including a 1-0 win in Nacogdoches last season, while SFA looks for its first road victory in Commerce.

FOLLOW THE LADYJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA soccer, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Ladyjacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

#AxeEm x #EarnThe90

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Players Mentioned

Alyce Chappelle

Savanna Oberholtzer

Kensley Smith

Sydney Williams

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