MOBILE, Ala. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team suffered a tough 3-1 loss against South Alabama Sunday evening at the Hancock Whitney Stadium.
SLU (4-2-1) fell on the road against South Alabama (2-4-1) to close out its three-match road stretch. The Lions battled in their final non conference road match, but the Jaguars extended their lead with a second half surge to claim the victory. Sophomore Alexandra Knight connected in the net to help Southeastern avoid the shutout as goalkeeper Kendall Curran played all 90 minutes of the contest and finished with three saves in the net.
South Alabama came out the gate aggressive on its home field as Southeastern struggled in the opening minutes of the contest to find its rhythm on the road. The Jaguars pushed to attack early with six shots in the first half, but SLU's defense battled to cut off opportunities for the hosts to gain the early lead. As the Lions settled in after the hydration break in the 22nd minute of the match, both teams worked to be the first to control the tempo with a lead.
Curran stepped up for Southeastern in net with multiple tough saves in the first half to keep the Jaguars off the board. South Alabama continued to work to apply pressure to the Lions' defense, but the visitors held strong late in the first half to clear out opportunities in the box. SLU fought to make the most of its limited shots around the net, but the hosts countered in the 40th minute of the match to be the first on the board.
The Jaguars secured a 1-0 lead in the final minutes of the first half as freshman Ava Arroyo capitalized on the miscommunication between the Lions to connect in the net. Southeastern could not answer back before closing out the first half.
South Alabama returned from the halftime break with the same intensity, pushing to extend its lead early in the final half. The Jaguars continued to pressure Southeastern's defense with their offensive attacks, posting nine shots in the second half. Victoria Rocci broke free off an assist by Andrea Iljkic for the hosts in the 61st minute of the match to extend South Alabama's lead, 2-0.
SLU fought to stay within reach and cut into its deficit with eight shots in the second half, but could not seize an opportunity over the Jaguars' defense. The hosts added to their lead late in the second half in the 82nd minute of the contest as Aliya Gomes scored a goal to the bottom right of the net, 3-0. Knight stepped up for the Lions down the stretch in the final minutes of the match to connect for her fifth goal of the season, 3-1.
Knight broke her career high from last season off an assist from Charlotte Lewis as she launched a shot to the bottom left of the goal in the 84th minute of the match. The Shreveport, La. native leads Southeastern in scoring so far this season with a goal in the last two road contests.
The Lions ended the night with 10 shots, four shots on goal and eight corner kicks. South Alabama recorded 15 shots, six shots on goal and five corner kicks to secure the home victory.
Southeastern will return home to Hammond, America to host West Florida Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. to close out its non conference schedule. Friday's match will be televised on ESPN+. Fans are encouraged to Pack the Berry to support the Lions as students will receive free food while supplies last.
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.
