LAFAYETTE – Second-half goals by senior Gisenia Utreras and freshman Sofia Olsson helped the Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer team to a 2-0 exhibition victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday night at the Ragin' Cajuns Track/Soccer Complex.
 
After playing the Cajuns to a stalemate in the first half, the Lady Lions were able to break through with a pair of scores. Southeastern head coach Blake Hornbuckle was encouraged by his team's performance with the regular season opening in less than a week.
 
"This was a good showing for us heading into the regular season," Hornbuckle said. "It took us a little while to get going, but we showed good resilience and really started to create in the second half."
 
SLU junior Hope Sabadash recorded a shutout in the net, finishing the match with six saves. The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada was one of several performers Hornbuckle singled out for praise.
 
"Hope was a great stabilizing force in the first half," Hornbuckle said. "Gisenia was a real difference maker up top. We were pleased with the entire backline and (senior) Cheyenne Maxwell was a great physical presence in the back. Both (sophomore) Maggie Ramsey and (junior) Amber Lasher played very well centrally."
 
Southeastern broke the scoreless tie with a goal in the 60^th minute. Olsson, a Lysekil, Sweden native, beat Louisiana-Lafayette goalie Lindsey Stocks after an assist from Utreras.
 
Utreras put the final nail in the coffin in the final minutes, scoring from 25 yards out to provide the final 2-0 margin.
 
Southeastern will open the 2015 season on Aug. 21, hosting Jackson State at 7 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium.
 
SLU – 0 2 – 2
ULL – 0 0 – 0
 
Scoring Summary
1) 59:14 – SLU – Sofia Olsson – Assist: Gisenia Utreras)
2) 89:43 – SLU – Gisenia Utreras – Unassisted
 
Shots – ULL 11, SLU 8
Saves – SLU 6, ULL 2
Corner Kicks – SLU 5, ULL 4
Fouls – ULL 7, SLU 4
Offsides – SLU 3, ULL 2