NATCHITOCHES, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team suffered a 2-1 loss to Northwestern State Thursday evening at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.
The Lady Lions (3-5-3, 2-1-1 SLC) fell behind early in the first half against Northwestern State (7-3-3, 2-1-1 SLC), but battled to equalize the match in the second half. Freshman Alexandra Knight stepped up big to connect in the net and secure her second goal of the season. The Lady Demons rallied late in the second half to close out with the victory. Southeastern goalkeeper Kendall Curran finished the match with four saves after playing all 90 minutes in the net.
Both teams came out the gate working to gain an early advantage and secure momentum in the opening minutes of the match. SLU's defense carried over from its last two shutouts to limit attacking opportunities for the Lady Demons. Northwestern State found its rhythm midway in the first half as it formulated a series of offensive possessions to pressure its visitors. The Lady Lions worked to find their groove on the road, but struggled to maintain possession for an offensive attack.
Northwestern State struck first in the 19th minute of the match to gain a 1-0 lead in the first half as junior midfielder Emily Senatore connected in the net. The Lady Demons continued to work to attack the seams within Southeastern's defense, but the green and gold counter attacked to work to cut into the deficit as it used its speed up top.
After an 18-minute delay due to power outage around the pitch, the Lady Lions worked to regroup and take advantage of openings in Northwestern State's defense, but could not capitalize. Southeastern remained aggressive to quicken the tempo of the match in the final minutes of the match, but the Lady Demons held on to close the first half with the lead.
SLU returned from the halftime break with more intensity as it turned the tide of momentum in its favor in the opening minutes of the second half. Junior transfer Loegan Alia dropped a dime to Knight in the 53rd minute to equalize the match, 1-1. Knight recorded her second goal this season for Southeastern to provide a spark of momentum early in the half. The Lady Lions continued to keep their foot on the gas as they pressured Northwestern State's defense with narrow misses around the net. As the Lady Demons became out of sorts in the second half, SLU pushed to attack with a series of advances up the field.
Northwestern State regrouped late in the second half as it fought to stretch Southeastern's defense, but was unable to formulate a threatening attack. The Lady Lions controlled the majority of the second half, but the Lady Demons refused to go down on their home field as Senatore stepped up to connect in the net. The Oxford, Conn. native answered the call once again for Northwestern State to post her 10th goal of the season and regain the lead, 2-1.
Southeastern fought for a scoring opportunity in the final minutes of the match, but the Lady Demons clamped down defensively to close out the match. SLU finished with eight shots, two corners and one shot on goal against Northwestern State.
The Lady Lions will continue their two-match road stretch against Lamar Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in Beaumont, Texas. Thursday's match against the Cardinals will be streamed on ESPN+.
SLU – 1 0 – 1 - 1 (3-5-3, 2-1-1 SLC)
NSU – 2 1 – 1 – 2 (7-3-3, 2-1-1 SLC)
Scoring Summary
1. 19:03 – NSU – Emily Senatore (9) – Assist: Riley Stern, Hosane Soukou
2. 53:02 – SLU – Alexandra Knight (2) – Loegan Alia
3. 83:07 – NSU – Emily Senatore (10) – Assist: Riley Stern
Shots – NSU 13, SLU 8
Saves – SLU 4 , NSU 0
Corner Kicks – NSU 6, SLU 2
Fouls – SLU 10, NSU 6
Offsides – NSU 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
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