LAKE CHARLES – Texas State's Lauren Lewis' goal in the 16^th minute was all the scoring the Lady Bobcats needed to eliminate Southeastern Louisiana from the Southland Conference Tournament Friday night at the Ward 3 Recreation Complex.

 

The fifth-seeded Lady Lions (11-6-2) were eliminated despite out-shooting No. 1 seed Texas State (12-3-4), 10-1, in the final period. Southeastern was making its 10^th trip to the Southland Conference semifinals. Texas State will now advance to the SLC Tournament final to face McNeese State – a 3-1 winner over UTSA in Friday's second semifinal. Sunday's final is set for 1 p.m. with the winner advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

 

Texas State came out as the aggressor in the match's opening minutes. Southeastern freshman goalkeeper Lacey Bockhaus made nice saves on shots by Kelsey Bernard and Rikki Padia to hold off the early Lady Bobcat rush.

 

Texas State's score came on an unfortunate bounce for the Lady Lions, Southeastern senior Kristin McDonald attempted to clear a loose ball near the Lady Lion net, but the ball ricocheted off Lewis and into the Southeastern net.

 

“We were very disappointed that we were unable to take advantage of our opportunities and put the ball in the net,” Southeastern head coach Blake Hornbuckle said. “We came out flat in the first 20 minutes and that was the difference in the match. We righted the ship in the second half and felt we controlled the flow of play, but simply could not finish. We played well against a very talented Texas State team, but did not get the job done. It's a frustrating way to end the season.”

 

Southeastern kept the score at 1-0 heading into the halftime break. Texas State held an 11-2 shot advantage in the initial period.

 

The Lady Lions took over the role of aggressors in the second half. Southeastern sophomore Natalie Santana had three near misses in the first six minutes of the second half.

 

Southeastern's best chance to score came in the 69^th minute, as Lady Lion junior midfielder Candice Wallace got free deep in the Texas State box, but her shot hit off the post. Brittany Flores struck the deflection for Southeastern, but Texas State was able to block her attempt.

 

Santana nearly scored 10 minutes later, but TSU goalkeeper Mandi Mawyer was able to stop the shot to keep Southeastern scoreless. Southeastern's last prime opportunity came with just under 10 minutes left. Freshman Kyle MacIntosh got her head on Santana's corner kick, but her attempt sailed inches high over the crossbar.

 

Despite the loss, the future is bright for the Lady Lions, who return nine starters next season. MacIntosh, Brittany Prieto and Nicole Brannigan will return from this season's starting defense that helped Southeastern tie the school record for fewest goals allowed with only 13 scores allowed in 2008. Bockhaus, who posted a goals against average of 0.67 – the lowest single-season GAA in school history, will also return with a year of collegiate experience under her belt. Top scorers Santana, Wallace, Dana Mayer and Meaghan Krawczyk also will be back in 2009.

 

Scoring Summary

SLU – 0 0 – 0 (11-6-2)

TSU – 1 0 – 1 (12-3-4)

 

16:21 – TSU – Lauren Lewis – Unassisted

 

Shots – Southeastern Louisiana 12, Texas State 12

Saves – Southeastern Louisiana 4, Texas State 3

Corner Kicks – Southeastern Louisiana 8, Texas State 4

Fouls – Southeastern Louisiana 7, Texas State 7

Offsides – Southeastern Louisiana 0, Texas State 0

 

Match 2 - No. 3 UTSA 1, No. 6 Northwestern State 0

 

Match 4 – No. 2 McNeese State 3, UTSA 1

 

Texas State vs. McNeese State, 1 p.m.