BEAUMONT, Texas – M.J. Eckart gave the Lamar University Cardinals an early 1-0 lead, but LU couldn't hang on, as visiting Louisiana Tech rallied for a 2-1 win over the Cardinals in a non-conference women's soccer game Sunday night.
 
Eckart put LU (0-2-0) on top just 3:20 into the contest, converting a corner kick from Angelica Hernandez, who picked up her first point as a Cardinal. Louisiana Tech (1-0-0) tied the game a little less than 16 minutes later when Annabel Prior blasted a shot over the top of LU goalkeeper Rachel Gries. The teams went into intermission tied at 1.
 
The Lady Techsters took the lead for good 12:54 into the second half when Jenna Dages took a pass from Kathryn Sloan and beat Gries from the top of the box. LU had some good scoring changes in the latter stages of the game, but couldn't get the equalizer past Louisiana Tech goalkeeper Kylee Setop, who made four of her five saves in the second half.
 
"I certainly saw some positives tonight," LU coach Steve Holeman said. "We created a lot more opportunities than we did in Friday's loss to Texas State, but give Louisiana Tech credit. They showed a lot of fight and courage."
 
Eckart had five of LU's 12 shots and three of the Cardinals' six shots on goal. Gries made four saves for LU.
 
"We're still experimenting with our combinations. We still have to find the right mix," Holeman said. "Our goal is to get better every game and every practice. We are playing a tough non-conference schedule, which we hope will play dividends when conference play starts."
 
The Cardinals are home for a pair of non-conference games next weekend, hosting UTRGV at 7 p.m. Friday and TCU at 1 p.m. Sunday. After that, they hit the road for five straight games, including contests at Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Mississippi and LSU.
 
"If you want to get better, you have to play top-quality teams," Holeman said. "I'm looking forward to having our fans support us next weekend."
 
For ticket information, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE.