HAMMOND, La. – Louisiana Tech's Elizabeth Doll scored on a header on a free kick from Jaelyn Peeples in the 48^th minute to upend the Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer team, 1-0, in the season opener Friday night at Strawberry Stadium.
 
In the first half, both teams came out aggressively on the defensive end. Neither team attempted a shot until Southeastern's Ellie Williams found open space in the 10^th minute but missed wide left. SLU and LTU combined for just three shots in the first 45 minutes.
 
Louisiana Tech, however, cashed in on one of the game's few opportunities. In the 48^th minute, the Lady Techsters got a free kick from Peeples from 25 yards out. Doll, a 2018 third team All-Conference USA selection, came flying in for a sliding header for the match's only goal.
 
The Lady Lions didn't quit as they got two terrific opportunities late in the second half to tie the game. In the 86^th minute, SLU moved the length of the field in 20 seconds getting it to Williams from 20 yards out. The freshman from Frisco, Texas, got a clean shot but Louisiana Tech goalkeeper Carlotta Cartelli snagged it for the save.
 
SLU refused to throw in the towel. With less than two minutes to play, Southeastern went on the attack again getting it to freshman Mya Guillory 15 yards out. The Prairieville, Louisiana product, faked the defender out to clear space for the potential game-tying goal but missed just over the cross bar as the Lady Techsters held on for the win.
 
Despite the result, third-year Southeastern head soccer coach Chris McBride was not at all discouraged with his team's effort.
 
"Tonight, we saw two teams play a very strong and organized tactical game," said McBride. "Louisiana Tech did a great job of executing. They came out in the first half with five defenders and they kept it really tight and compact which didn't give us a lot of room to move the ball and switch it. They were tough to break down and then they went to a 4-3-3 and played a lot more direct in the second half. Despite all that, I felt like we battled and made some good adjustments but were simply unable to cash in on offense. But it was a really well-played match. Even the goal they scored, I didn't think that we did anything wrong as much as they just made a great play. Overall, there are a lot of positives we can take from this one as we move on to Sunday."
 
SLU will look to even their record at 1-1 Sunday when they host ULM at 5 p.m. The Warhawks are coming off a 3-2 loss Friday night at Grambling. The Lady Lions and ULM matched up last year in Monroe, Louisiana, with SLU cruising to a 6-0 win.
 
"They have changed a lot," said McBride. "They have brought in a lot of new players and they are definitely more athletic than a year ago. So I expect another tough one Sunday which is exactly what we want from our non-conference schedule which a really tough slate of games to prepare us for our conference."
 
The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of Sunday's game against ULM. Tune in online at www.LionSports.net or the Lions' Gameday Experience app for Android or iOS devices. Fans can also watch on Southeastern's YouTube channel (/SLUathletics) with any mobile, tablet or smart TV device (e.g., Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and Roku). 
 
SCORE ONE MORE CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the women's soccer program are encouraged to join the Score One More Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Score One More Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern soccer program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Soccer, follow @SLUSoccer and @chrismcbride88 on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.