HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss against Lamar Sunday evening at the Strawberry Stadium.
Southeastern (8-7-2, 4-4-1 SLC) fell in its final home match of the 2026 season against Lamar (9-2-4, 6-1-1 SLC). The Cardinals claimed an early lead, but the Lions battled to stay within the fight late in the match with near shots around the net. As SLU remained aggressive throughout all 90 minutes of the contest, the hosts were unable to avoid the shutout.
Before the start of the match, the Lions honored nine seniors for their hard work, dedication and impact to the program throughout their time in Hammond, America. Loegan Alia, Kendall Curran, Tristen Gulczynski, Brooke Opferman, Ella Quinlan, Olivia Quiroz, Kaitlyn Tung, Alyssa Turco and Isabella Walls were celebrated for the ceremony, joined by family and friends.
Both teams came out aggressive in the opening minutes of the anticipated match. Southeastern worked to control the tempo of the contest as Lamar battled to strike first on the road. The Cardinals settled in and found their rhythm in the sixth minute of the match as Sofia Wilby found the back of the net for the lead, 1-0.
Wilby, from an assist by Marissa Gross, fueled the surge of momentum for Lamar as it continued to work to increase its lead with five shots and four corner kicks in the first half. Southeastern fought to answer back with three shots in the half, but the Cardinals denied opportunities to their advantage with counter attacks. Midway through the first half, the Lions remained relentless in their effort to equalize the match with multiple looks around the box, but were unable to capitalize.
Lamar's defense held strong to hold Southeastern scoreless to close out the opening half as it maintained its lead heading into the halftime break.
The green and gold returned in the second half with a charge of energy to stay within the fight as it gained a free kick off a yellow card called against the Cardinals. Junior Lainey Connell attempted the set piece with an on target shot around the box, but SLU was unable to find the back of the net. As Lamar worked to create another counter attack, Walls stepped up defensively to limit opportunities for the visitors.
With shots on target not going in favor of the hosts, Southeastern became frustrated midway through the second half and claimed multiple yellow cards. Lamar remained on the attack, but SLU regained its composure to spread out the defense. Sophomore Alexandra Knight broke free off a perfectly timed pass, but Keely Thomas for the Cardinals stayed focused in net to record the save, 1-0.
The Lions refused to give up down the stretch with five shots and two corner kicks, but Lamar remained poised to block opportunities around the net. The Cardinals held onto their lead to claim the victory as SLU struggled to finish with an on-target shot in the back of the net in its final home match. Southeastern ended the contest with eight shots, four shots on goal and three corner kicks. Curran closed out the night playing all 90 minutes in the net with four saves.
Lamar posted 10 shots, five shots on goal and five corner kicks to secure the road win. Thomas ended the match with four saves, recording her fifth shutout of the season.
SLU will travel to Thibodaux, La. to face league rival Nicholls Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in its final conference match of the season. Thursday's match against the Colonels will be streamed on ESPN+.
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.
