BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's soccer team hopes to earn a Southland Conference Tournament berth when it travels to McNeese State for the regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Friday.
 
The Cardinals (7-11-1 overall, 3-6-1 Southland), need a win over the Cowgirls along with some favorable results from two games on the out-of-town scoreboard. LU needs Southeastern Louisiana to defeat or tie Nicholls and Northwestern State to defeat or tie Central Arkansas.
 
The Cardinals stayed alive for the postseason with a 2-1 win at Houston Baptist on Wednesday night, ending the Huskies' hopes of winning the conference regular-season title. The Huskies are guaranteed the second seed in the tournament, giving them a first-round bye.
 
"We played one of our best games of the season," LU coach Orlando Cervantes said of the win over HBU. "We showed we can match up against anybody in our conference."
 
LU goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy made 10 saves in the win over the Huskies, a few of the spectacular variety, to secure the win. Lovejoy has 150 saves on the season to establish a new LU mark, breaking the previous standard of 147 set by Kelsie Binetti in 2007. Lovejoy's 150 saves lead the Southland Conference and rank second in the nation.
 
LU freshman Jordan Mulnix, one of the top candidates for Southland Conference freshman of the year, is tied for the conference lead in scoring with a school-record 28 points. Mulnix's 12 goals are tied with Kimmy Albeno for the LU single-season record.
 
"Jordan has really stepped up as a freshman," Cervantes said. "She is definitely deserving of being freshman of the year."
 
The Southland Conference Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 5-8 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark.
 
"We just have to take care of business on Friday and see what happens," Cervantes said. "I'm hoping to see several of our fans cheering us on at McNeese State on Friday night."