PREVIEW: Ladyjacks Set for Southland Road Test at HCU

Thursday, October 1

Houston, TX

7:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

HCU

PREVIEW: Ladyjacks Set for Southland Road Test at HCU

9/30/2026 4:13:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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SFA travels to Houston on Thursday to face the defending Southland Conference Tournament champion Huskies.

By: Jason Madden, Assistant Director for Communications

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin soccer team travels to Houston for a rematch of the 2025 Southland Conference Championship against HCU. The matchup marks the 20th meeting in the all-time series and the first since HCU edged SFA, 1-0, in overtime in last season's SLC title match.

SFA at HCU
  Date and Time: Thursday, October 1 at 7 PM
  Location: Sorrels Field, Houston, Texas
  Broadcast: ESPN+

SOUTHLAND STANDINGS
The Ladyjacks enter the week in ninth place with a 4-8 overall record and a 1-2 SLC record. SFA defeated TAMU-CC in the SLC opener before dropping both matches to McNeese and NSU. HCU is currently fifth in the conference with a 5-3-3 record and a 1-0-1 SLC record.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
The defending Southland Conference Tournament champion Huskies enter Thursday's matchup at 5-3-3 overall and 1-0-1 in league play, riding a six-match unbeaten streak. HCU opened conference play with a 1-1 draw against Nicholls before earning a 4-1 road victory over UTRGV, outshooting the Vaqueros 21-5 and placing 14 shots on goal. Paisley Barela scored twice in the win and shares the team lead with Isabella Dillow at five goals, while Dillow also has three assists. HCU has scored 21 goals this season, with Barela, Dillow, Madison Stormberg and Olivia Rossman each providing multiple-goal threats. The Huskies are led in goal by Emmy McKeon, who had recorded 37 saves entering the UTRGV match, as HCU prepares for a rematch of the 2025 SLC Championship match.

SERIES HISTORY
SFA leads the all-time series 13-6, including a 6-1 mark in Houston. The Ladyjacks are 6-4 over the last 10 meetings and earned a 2-0 road win in the most recent regular-season matchup in 2024. The teams last met in the 2025 Southland Conference Tournament title match, where HCU edged SFA 1-0.

LEADERSHIP CARRIES THE MESSAGE
As the Ladyjacks prepare for Thursday's rematch of the 2025 Southland Conference Tournament Championship, head coach Ashley Whittemore believes her returning leaders will help carry the significance of last season's meeting into the matchup. HCU claimed a 1-0 overtime win in the title match, but SFA's leaders remain focused on turning that experience into motivation.
"Our leadership remembers and understands what happened last year, and I think that will help with the competitive nature going into this game," Whittemore said. "The younger players were not here last year, but regardless of the team or opponent, they want to compete and win. They will be intrinsically motivated to do that."

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 23 goals, with 17 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."

SOUTHLAND NUMBERS
The Ladyjacks enter this week's matchups with forward Alyce Chappelle ranked second among the Southland Conference's top 10 goal scorers. Chappelle has scored seven goals in 12 matches, ranking second in the conference. Freshman standout Savanna Oberholtzer ranks second in the SLC with two game-winning goals, while Chappelle sits third. The Jacks rank second in the conference with both 2.00 assists per game and 24 total assists. SFA also leads the Southland in saves with 67.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Alyce Chappelle: Alyce Chappelle leads SFA with 15 points, pairing a team-best seven goals with one assist in her first season as a Ladyjack. The Idaho transfer scored the game-winner against Jackson State as part of a two-goal performance and has quickly become a focal point of the SFA attack. Chappelle added her second game-winning goal in the 88th minute against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference opener. She leads the Ladyjacks in five of six offensive categories and ranks second in the SLC in total goals. Against NSU, Chappelle netted two goals, including a last-second goal to give the Ladyjacks a first-half lead over the Lady Demons.

WHITTEMORE PREVIEWS THE WEEK
Head coach Ashley Whittemore said the Ladyjacks are focused on preparation, execution and playing their brand of soccer as they continue Southland Conference action.
"We expect it to be a good game," Whittemore said. "The girls will be up for it and excited for this opportunity. HCU is a good team, and we are going to scout them and play them the best we can. Moving forward, our focus is on us and everything we need to do to take care of ourselves."

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. The Islanders were picked seventh in the preseason poll, receiving 51 points.

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.

A LOOK TO THE NUMBERS
The Ladyjacks have 24 assists on 23 goals, led by Prié's three assists. That total reflects an attack built on combination play rather than a single scorer, with Davis, Rosito, Platt and several others regularly involved in the final pass.

The Ladyjacks rank among the top 75 scoring offenses in the nation and are ranked 44th in the country in assists per game and 68th in points per game at 5.83. The Ladyjacks have scored 23 goals this season, the 48th-most in the nation, while their 24 total assists rank 30th nationally. Alyce Chappelle leads the Jacks in goals and is ranked in the top 30 for goal scorers in the nation.

WHITTEMORE BEGINS CONFERENCE YEAR TWO
Head coach Ashley Whittemore enters Thursday with a 12-12-10 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.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ladyjacks and Lady Demons left nothing in the tank after SFA fell to NSU in a 4-3 dogfight at the Chopping Block. Chappelle netted two goals for the Jacks, with Brandie Musser setting a new personal single-game high for saves in a match.

UP NEXT
The Ladyjacks only have one match at HCU before their bye on Sunday. SFA returns to action when they travel to Nicholls for a meeting with the Colonels on October 8 at 7:00 p.m.

WOMEN OF THE MATCH
vs Sul Ross - Savanna Oberholtzer: Six shots, two shots on goal, one goal, 60 minutes
at Oklahoma State - Brandie Musser: 90 min, 3 goals allowed, four saves
at Arkansas State - Carlie Thurmond: 1 goal, 1 shot, 63 minutes
vs LA Tech - Kamrynn Davis: Played as a defender for 90 minutes as a forward, ran 8 miles, recorded 5 shots and 4 on goal.
vs ULM - BB Bonzheim: One shot, 55 minutes, made second start for SFA in the new season
at Texas A&M - Sydney Williams: Logged 90 minutes, won 77% of duels, 3 blocked shots
at Texas Southern- Lucie Platt: Logged 31 minutes, 3 shots, 3 shots-on-goal, 2 goals
vs Jackson State- Alyce Chappelle: Logged 39 minutes, 4 shots, 2 shots-on-goal, 2 goals
vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Kensley Smith: 57 minutes, 1 SOG, 1 goal
at McNeese: Sawyer Kohutek: 76 minutes, 1 SOG, 1 goal
vs NSU: Alyce Chappelle: 51 minutes, 2 SOG, 2 goals

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