Sept. 14, 2008

DENTON, Texas - The Lamar soccer team played strong out of the gate and was within striking distance of North Texas for much of the game before falling 2-0 at the Mean Green Soccer Complex on Sunday afternoon.

Lamar (1-4) was playing its first game in a week and showed little effects from evacuating to Fort Worth three days ago. The opening 45 minutes were evenly contested for much of the period, save for a n eight-minute stretch midway through the period.

UNT got on the board at the 18:25 mark when Kelsey Perlman took a ball from Kelli Lunsford and slipped a one-timer into a 2-foot-wide opening on the short corner. With 13 minutes to play in the period, UNT tried to get some instant offense in the form of eight substitutions but weren't able to use the strategy to its advantage. The Mean Green managed two shots, with one on goal and a corner kick before the break.

Instead, Lamar senior Aline Pugliesi created one of the Cardinals' better scoring chances when she dribbled through the midfield and into the attacking third before being fouled. Her direct kick cleared the UNT wall but sailed over the cross bar by less than a foot.

The Cardinals offered up their best scoring chance 14 minutes into the second period when Erin Binagia fired a ball from 16 on goal. The ball appeared bound for the back of the net before it caromed off Emily Pacetti and over the crossbar.

UNT scored its second goal at the midway point of the second half when Brittany Cleveland reached the back of the net from 15 yards out at the 67:37 point.

UNT (5-1) outshot Lamar 28-4 and managed six corners to zero for LU.

Jessica Winters made her third start in goal and stopped seven shots. Stefani Tuner and Courtney Stocks also registered a shot apiece for Lamar.