BEAUMONT, Texas – Coming off one of the biggest wins in program history, the Lamar University Cardinals look to stay at the top of the Southland Conference women's soccer standings when they take on the host Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions at 7 p.m. Friday.
 
The Cardinals (9-3-1 overall, 4-1-0 Southland) went 2-0 at home last weekend, claiming a 3-1 victory over Sam Houston State on Friday before posting a 3-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday, the first win over SFA in program history after dropping the first 11 contests to the Ladyjacks.
 
LU enters the weekend in a three-way tie with McNeese and Central Arkansas atop the Southland Conference standings with six games remaining. The top eight teams in the 12-team league qualify for the conference tournament in November. The Cardinals are looking to make their first appearance in the tournament since 2012, when they lost to SFA in the finals.
 
"We talked about avoiding a letdown after such a big win," LU coach Steve Holeman said. "We have to build off of that. After beating SFA, we're not going to sneak up on anybody the rest of the year. We had contributions from everybody on Sunday. We need that the rest of the season."
 
LU leads the conference with 12 goals scored in SLC games. LU's 28 goals overall is second only to Northwestern State's 29. However, 12 of those Northwestern State goals came in a season-opening win over LSU-Shreveport, a first-year NAIA program.
 
LU's Kelso Peskin is in a three-way tie with Hanna Barker of SFA and Savannah LaRicci of McNeese for the SLC scoring lead with 16 points apiece. Peskin has four goals and eight assists on the year, as she closes in on the LU single-season assist record of nine, set by Mari Olastuen in 2015. Peskin, Barker and LaRicci are also in a three-way tie for the scoring lead in conference games with nine points apiece.
 
LU's nine wins this season are two shy of the school record of 11, set back in 2012. The four conference wins are also two shy of the school mark, set in 2011 and equaled in 2012.
 
Southeastern Louisiana (3-6-3, 1-2-2) posted a pair of ties in conference road games last week, battling to a scoreless draw at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and a 2-2 deadlock at Houston Baptist.
 
Maggie Ramsey leads the Lions in scoring with six points on three goals. Michaela Hawthorn has played all 1,150 minutes in goal for Southeastern Louisiana, posting a 1.25 goals-against average and four shutouts.
 
Lauren Lovejoy has played all 1,190 minutes between the posts for LU, posting a 1.13 goals-against average and five shutouts.
 
Friday's game will be played at Southeastern Louisiana's Strawberry Stadium, which is also home to the school's football team. It marks the second time the Cardinals will play on artificial turf this season. LU was a 3-0 winner at Texas Southern on turf back on Sept. 7.
 
"It definitely changes the game," Holeman said of the artificial surface. It makes the game faster. But we have to get used to it. More teams are going to turf, and this year's conference tournament will be on turf."
 
Friday's game is the only one on the agenda for the Cardinals this weekend, as the SLC did not schedule games for this Sunday.
 
"I think the little break comes at a good time for all of the teams," Holeman said. "It allows all to get some extra rest."
 
Following Friday's game, the Cardinals return home next weekend for a pair of conference games. Incarnate Word comes to the LU Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. Oct. 13, while Abilene Christian provides the opposition at 1 p.m. Oct. 15.
 
For ticket information, please call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. Tickets are available at the Montagne Center ticket office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may be purchased at the LU Soccer Complex one hour prior to kickoff. LU students receive free admission with their Cardinal One card. Junior Cardinal Club members are admitted for free when they present their membership badge.