BATON ROUGE, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team gained a 3-1 road victory over the Southern Jaguars Thursday night at the A. W. Mumford Stadium.
Southeastern (4-1-1), off to a historic hot start in its non conference schedule under head coach Nathan Gillespie, held off Southern (0-3-0) in its three-match road stretch. Senior Brooke Opferman sparked the Lions' momentum throughout the match with two goals alongside sophomore Alex Knight connecting in the net. SLU goalkeeper Kendall Curran handled all the responsibilities in the net with one save to fend off the Jaguars.
Southeastern battled to take control early in the contest on the road against Southern. Opferman helped the Lions gain an early lead in the first half with a left foot kick to the back of the net in the 34th minute of the match, 1-0. The Pittsburgh, Penn. native set the tone for the green and gold, but the Jaguars refused to back down with their own counter attack midway through the first half. Gia Johnson broke free to connect in the net, off an assist by Kensley Simmons, in the 44th minute of the half to equalize the match, 1-1.
With Southern's late first half surge of momentum, SLU ended the first half in a 1-1 draw with the hosts. The green and gold closed out the half with four shots and five corner kicks while limiting the Jaguars to only two shots and zero corner kick opportunities on their home field.
The Lions returned in the second half working early to turn the tide of momentum back in their favor. Southern blocked opportunities around the net in the opening minutes of the final half, but Southeastern remained poised on the road to find gaps within the hosts' defense. Opferman answered the call once again for SLU with a header in the 73rd minute of the match to regain the lead, 2-1. The senior recorded her fourth goal of the season off an assist by Isabella Walls, marking her second multi-goal contest, tying with Knight as the green and gold's leading scorer.
With the advantage, Southeastern's defense held solid throughout the remainder of the second half. The green and gold's back line limited opportunities for the Jaguars and held the hosts to one shot in the second half. SLU kept its foot on the gas down the stretch as Knight connected in the net off a smooth pass by sophomore Aja Nelson in the 85th minute of the match, 3-1. The Lions stayed aggressive, recording 16 shots in the second half alone against Southern, causing a busy night in the net for the Jaguars' goalkeepers Sydney Whitten and Sidney Wooldridge. The duo closed out the night with three saves combined.
SLU finished the match with 20 shots, six shots on goal and seven corner kicks to secure the road win.
Southeastern will travel to Mobile, Ala. to close out its three-match road stretch against South Alabama Sunday at 6 p.m. Sunday's match against the Jaguars 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.
