The Lamar soccer team lost in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals to the no. 7-seeded Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks, 2-1, Friday, at the LU soccer complex.
“I thought that we were prepared to take them on,” LU head coach Steve Holeman said. “I am proud of the effort they gave and credit goes to SFA. They limited our opportunities and play in a defensive system that you don’t see very often.”
In the opening half, the Ladyjacks controlled possession in the Cardinals’ half of the field. In the 21st minute, SFA scored the first goal of the match when forward Katelyn Termini collected a loose ball and fired a shot on the right-side past LU keeper Sandra Nygard to take the advantage.
The lead was short-lived as the Cardinals were on the move 12 minutes later when sophomore forward Lucy Ashworth sent a cross into the box to senior forward Kelso Peskin who recorded a diving header that hit the back of the net right past SFA keeper Allyson Halliday to tie the score 1-1 at halftime.
“I don’t think I can pick a player that she didn’t do a good job,” Holeman said. “The group is resilient — we work on set pieces all the time but SFA is very good in that area.”
In the second half, the Ladyjacks offense looked to break the tie. A minute into the half, SFA midfielder Sophia Fondren had a shot rebound off the crossbar and over the next few minutes SFA had three shots on goal that were saved by Nygard.
Late in the half, the Cards were in attacking position as Ashworth had a shot saved by SFA keeper Maddie Talbot. SFA broke the tie on the 83rd minute. Fondren’s corner kick found defender Carli Arthurs in the box who headed the ball into the goal to end the game, 2-1.
“It’s disappointing to come out with a loss,” Madison Ledet, LU sophomore forward, said. “I know we all worked our very hardest and we put everything on that field. All we can do now is get ready for next year.”
The Cardinals finish the season with a record of 12-6-2.
“The senior class is special,” Holeman said. “I have been doing this for over 20 years and this is one of my favorite senior classes. Four quality players, and all had post-season accolades. I think we have come a long way since three years ago. We have recorded 30 wins now in the last two years. That is something to be proud of, and there’s not a lot of programs that have that many wins over a two-year span.”
Following the SLC Championship match, Cardinals Ledet and sophomore defensive midfielder Sophia Manibo were named to the Southland All-Tournament Team.
Story by Cade Smith, UP staff writer