NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team snapped its two-game winning streak on the road with a 2-0 loss to Stephen F. Austin Friday evening.
Southeastern (5-6-1, 4-2 SLC) had an aggressive start to the match, but struggled to cut into the early deficit by Stephen F. Austin (7-2-2, 4-1 SLC) to avoid the shutout. SLU goalkeeper
Kendall Curran had a busy night in the net and finished with a season high seven saves.
The Lady Lions maintained a strong defensive effort in the opening minutes of the match as SFA fought to gain control early. Both teams worked to secure an advantage around the midfield with multiple fouls called throughout the first half.
Stephen F. Austin found the net in the 35
th minute of the contest to attain an early lead. Freshman Alex Bayouth broke free to score her first goal of the season off an assist by Kamryn Jiles. Bayouth's goal sparked a tide of momentum in the Lumberjacks favor before the halftime break. SFA closed the first half with a 10-0 advantage in shots and 7-0 edge in corner kicks.
SLU battled to equalize the match with a few narrow misses early in the second half, but could not capitalize. SFA's defense carried into the second half to limit Southeastern's opportunities with multiple interrupted counter attacks.
The Lumberjacks extended their lead late in the second half off an unassisted goal by Ava Shannon in the 76
th minute of the match. Shannon connected for her fourth goal this season to secure the victory, 2-0. SFA goalkeeper Sierra McCluer played all 90 minutes and ended the match with zero saves in the win.
Stephen F. Austin finished the game with 19 shots, 11 corner kicks, nine shots on goal and 10 fouls. Senior Jayme Bailey led the SFA with four shots while also tying with Shannon with a pair of shots on goal.
Southeastern completed the match against SFA with two shots, zero corner kicks, and eight fouls. A total of 17 Lady Lions saw action in the contest on the road.
SLU will return to action Sunday evening at 5 p.m. against conference rival Nicholls in Thibodaux, La. Sunday's match will be the fourth annual Crystal Cup rivalry series and will be televised on ESPN+.
SLU – 0 0 – 0 (5-6-1, 4-2 SLC)
SFA – 1 1 – 2 (7-2-2, 4-1 SLC)
Scoring Summary
1. 35:55 – SFA – Alex Bayouth (1) – Assist: Kamryn Jiles
2. 76:42 – SFA – Ava Shannon (4) – Unassisted
Shots – SFA 19, SLU 2
Saves – SLU 7, SFA 0
Corner Kicks – SFA 11, SLU 0
Fouls – SFA 10, SLU 8
Offsides – SFA 1, SLU 0
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 @LionUpSoccer and @Nathan90G on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow slusoccer on Instagram.
