BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's soccer team hosts a pair of key Southland Conference contests this weekend, entertaining Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. Friday and Sam Houston State at 1 p.m. Sunday at the LU Soccer Complex.
 
The Cardinals (6-6-0 overall, 2-1-0 Southland) enter the weekend in a four-way tie for third place in the conference. Stephen F. Austin (3-6-1, 2-0-1), the defending regular-season champion is in second place. Sam Houston State (5-4-1, 2-1-0), joins Houston Baptist and Central Arkansas in that four-way logjam for third.
 
LU has to find a way to bounce back from its first conference loss of the season, a 6-1 setback at Central Arkansas on Sunday. That came on the heels of an impressive 3-1 win at Northwestern State on Friday.
 
"It's just one game," Cervantes said of the loss. "We have to put that behind us and move on. We can't let one bad game ruin our season."
 
The Cardinals enter the week tied for the national lead in goals scored (37) with Howard University. LU is closing in on the school single-season record for goals scored, set by the 2012 team with 41 goals.
 
LU's Alexus Aviles is tied for the conference lead with eight goals scored, which is good for 17^th nationally. Aviles is second in the conference with 17 points. Meanwhile, LU senior Mari Olastuen is tied for the conference lead and seventh nationally with a school-record seven assists this season.
 
On the other end of the field, LU goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy, who has started every game this fall for the Cardinals, is third in the nation with 81 saves.
 
The Cardinals are looking for their first-ever win against Stephen F. Austin. LU has dropped all nine meetings with the Ladyjacks since starting the women's soccer program in 2007. Last season, SFA claimed a 2-1 home victory in overtime over the Cardinals.
 
Amanda Doyle has scored five of SFA's eight goals this season, assisting one other. Goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert has started all 10 games, posting a 1.48 goals-against average and .806 save percentage. The Ladyjacks have been outscored 17-8 this season, but have outscored their opponents 6-2 in Southland Conference play.
 
Sam Houston State, which is at McNeese State on Friday night, is coming off a 1-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday, as Magen Ross earned the shutout. Ross is 3-0-0 on the season with a 0.32 goals-against average and two shutouts. Kylie Hambleton has started seven games in net for the Bearkats, posting a 2-4-1 record with a 1.35 goals-against average and one shutout.
 
Mariah Titus leads Sam Houston State in scoring with 11 points on five goals and one assist. The Bearkats are 6-3-0 all-time against LU, including a 2-0 victory at the LU Soccer Complex last season.
 
Friday's game is the annual Power of Pink contest to raise awareness for breast-cancer research. The Cardinals will wear special warm-up shirts to commemorate the occasion. Those shirts are also available to the public for $15, with a minimum of 50 percent of the sale price donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, courtesy of LU women's soccer and Cotton Cargo. The shirts can be ordered by contacting assistant coach Jamie Meshew at jmeshew@lamar.edu.
 
The Kona Ice truck will be at Sunday's game, giving fans the opportunity to keep cool by purchasing shaved ice in a variety of flavors. All Junior Cardinal Club members on hand Sunday will receive one free order of shaved ice. In addition, Big Red, the official mascot of Lamar University athletics, will be on hand for photo opportunities.
 
For ticket information, please call 409-880-1715, or click here.