HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana senior defender Kim Porche celebrated Senior Night with a career game, recording a goal and two assists to help lead the Lady Lions to a 3-1 Southland Conference win over Northwestern State Friday night in Strawberry Stadium.

    Porche, who was honored along with midfielders Lauren Babcock and Maddie Kresevic prior to the match, scored her second career goal and set a career high for assists for Southeastern (4-9-3, 2-5-2 Southland). Sophomore forward Amber Marinero scored her third goal of the season while redshirt-freshman midfielder Lexie Gundersen netted her first career goal. Junior defender Christina Cutura had her second assist of the year. Freshman goalkeeper Michaela Hawthorn made three saves.

    Payton Roney scored her third goal of the season for Northwestern State (5-11-0, 1-8-0 Southland). Gabriella Gamboa had her third assist. Alex Latham recorded seven saves.

    Marinero drilled in a shot in the box off a cross from Porche to break a 1-1 tie in the 78^th minute. Gundersen then headed in another cross from Porche to extend the lead to 3-1 in the 84^th minute.

    NSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute when Roney lined in a shot over Hawthorn from 20 yards out off a pass from Gamboa.

    Porche knotted the match in the 42^nd minute, deflecting in a pass from Cutura into the right corner of the net.
  
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
   Hawthorn saved a shot by Esdeina Gonzalez in the sixth minute.

    Cutura headed a corner kick by redshirt-junior midfielder Maggie Ramsey just wide left in the 21^st minute.

    Ramsey's shot from the right wing sailed high over an empty net in the 30^th minute.

    Hawthorn picked up another save against Jasmine Juarez in the 44^th minute.

    Southeastern freshman midfielder Larissa Galvez Estrada drilled a shot just wide left in the 50^th minute.

    Latham dove to her left to deny an attempt by Kresevic in the 50^th minute. Kresevic then missed just wide off a pass from freshmen midfielder Megan Gordon a minute later.

    Latham snared a header by junior defender Sofia Olsson in the 52^nd minute. She stopped another shot by Cutura in the 65^th minute.

    Ramsey missed high on a run in the box in the 67^th minute.

    Latham went down to grab a low liner off a free kick by Cutura in the 74^th minute.

    Gamboa missed wide on a free kick in the 83^rd minute.
                                                      
NOTES
   Southeastern broke a three-match losing streak.

   The three goals tied a season-high for the Lady Lions.
 
    Porche's goal was her first since one against Mississippi Valley State her freshman season. The assists were her first since she had one against Incarnate Word as a sophomore in 2015.
 
  All three of Marinero's goals have been match winners, a team high.
 
    Southeastern now leads the series with Northwestern State 22-11-2. The Lady Lions are 12-2-2 against NSU at home and have not lost to the Lady Demons in Hammond since 2002.
 
QUOTES
Southeastern head coach Chris McBride:
On the team's play…
   "I thought our girls did a really good job today of controlling the game. They got a goal early just in transition but outside of that, I thought we did a good job of really containing the game and not letting them to create many changes. We talked about all week about work ethic and mentality and it was really good tonight."
 
On getting the win for the seniors…
   "I really appreciate them - coming in their senior year and having a new coach isn't easy. All three of their attitudes and work ethics has been fantastic since the day I got here. I'm delighted for the three seniors and the team and I know the team is delighted for the seniors to get the win."
 
Southeastern senior defender Kim Porche:
On getting the win…
   "We certainly came out with a lot of power this weekend. We had a lot of fire in us because we really needed this win and wanted this win and that drove us to play really well. We all just connected and had that Southeastern soccer going tonight."
 
On her performance…
   "Definitely the game of my life, game of my career. A goal and two assists, I'm speechless. I cannot even believe that happen to me. I couldn't have done it without my teammates and my coaches. They had my back. It was all them."
 
UP NEXT
   Southeastern closes out its 2017 regular season home schedule against Central Arkansas Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Southeastern La. 3, Northwestern State 1
Goals by period       1  2  Tot
 Northwestern St.....  1  0 -  1
 Southeastern La.....  1  2 -  3
 
 SCORING SUMMARY:
  1.   6:32 NWST-4 Roney, Payton (3) (Gamboa, Gabriella) - lines shot in from about 20 yards out off pass from 22 from rt side
  2.  41:39 SLU Porche, Kim (1) (Cutura, Christina) - 5 deflects shot in at right side of the net
  3.  77:37 SLU Marinero, Amber (3) (Porche, Kim) - 5 passes to 24 in box
  4.  83:30 SLU Gundersen, Lexi (1) (Porche, Kim) - 5 crosses to 14 heads in
 
 Shots: Northwestern St. 9, Southeastern La. 17
 Saves: Northwestern St. 7 (Latham, Alex 7), Southeastern La. 3
 (Hawthorn, Michaela 3)