HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer team earned a 2-0 shutout victory over Jackson State in the season opener for both team Friday night at the Southeastern Soccer Complex.  
 
Senior Kayla Vera and junior Marisa Rodrigues each found the net for SLU (1-0). The Lady Lions finished with a 21-3 shot advantage over the Lady Tigers (0-1), but countless near misses kept a scrappy JSU squad in the match throughout.
 
Junior Hope Sabadash earned the shutout in net for the Lady Lions. The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native finished with three saves. Sophomore Maggie Ramsey, sophomore Ana Zadro and senior Gisenia Utreras each were credited with assists.
 
"In the first 10 minutes, we had a half dozen chances and we were able to finish one," Hornbuckle said. "If we finish another one early, it changes the dynamic of the game. We came out very strong and moved the ball consistently."
 
Hornbuckle was quick to praise several individuals for Friday's efforts.
 
"Gisenia was very good in the midfield for us," Hornbuckle commented. "She was very dynamic and did a great job switching the field for us. Maggie was dominant in the air and Hope was extremely organized in goal. (Freshman) Sofia Olsson was a consistent presence for us up top and (freshman) Christina Cutura played with energy and gave us a spark when she was inserted along the back line."
 
Southeastern created six shots and four corner kicks before opening up the scoring in the eighth minute. Ramsey won a ball around midfield and played it ahead to Zadro, who found Vera open. The Vancouver, Washington native put the ball in the upper left corner of the net to give Southeastern a 1-0 lead.
 
Despite going into the break with a 12-3 shot advantage, Southeastern could not increase its lead. The Lady Lions had several near misses and JSU goalkeeper Kylie Christian made a couple of diving saves.
 
SLU came out aggressively in the opening minutes of the second half. Ramsey had a shot hit the post, while junior Bri Singh and Olsson also had close calls.
 
Utreras helped create the second and final goal of the match in the 77^th minute. The Brampton, Ontario, Canada ripped a shot off the cross bar and Rodrigues was right there to score off the rebound to provide the final 2-0 margin.
 
Southeastern will be back in action on Sunday, opening the road portion of its schedule with a 3 p.m. match at Mississippi Valley State.