BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University soccer team will travel to Los Angeles, Calif, this Friday to contest the opening round of the NCAA Championships against UCLA.

"We're very excited to still be playing soccer," said LU head coach Steve Holeman. "Obviously, we couldn't anticipate being paired up with UCLA, but our girls were excited when it was announced and it was great to hear the cheers in the room. Most of our team has never been to Los Angeles so that will be a great experience for them. From a soccer standpoint, UCLA is going to be a tremendous challenge. They're one of the best teams in the country."
 
The Cardinals have had a tremendous season thus far, securing the Southland Conference league title and most recently triumphing against Northwestern State to secure the Southland Conference tournament championship. Much of Big Red's success this season has been owed to the high-powered offensive attack of the nation's leading scorers- Esther Okoronkwo and Lucy Ashworth. Okoronko leads the country with 25 goals this season and was named tournament MVP after she tallied six goals and an assist in a tournament record-setting 13 points. Ashworth is ranked second nationally for assists, tallying 15 assists this season.
 
The Cardinals success has also been bolstered by stellar performances by a host of Lamar University players. In addition to Ashworth and Okoronkwo, Juana Plata and Anna Loftus were named to the Southland Conference First Team, Sophia Manibo and Kaisa Juvonen were named to Second Team All-SLC, and Madison Ledet was picked to the Third Team All-SLC. Following the triumphant weekend, Okoronokwo, Ashworth, Ledet and Macie McFarland were further named to the 2019 Southland All-Tournament Team.
 
The Cardinals enter the postseason running off a 12-game win streak (10-1 SLC) and will hope their streak continues in Friday's match-up. They will face tough competition; UCLA is currently ranked 14th in the most recent top 25 poll and finished second in the PAC 12 standings (to No. 1 Stanford) with a 14-4-1 overall record. UCLA are also riding a current winning streak, notching up a five-game unbeaten run.  The Bruins offensive duo, Ashley Sanchez and Mia Fishel, appear to pose the greatest threat to the Cardinals defense. The pair have tallied 15 goals, 14 assists, and 44 points this season. 
 
Kick off is due to start at 6:00 P.M. (PT) at the Wallis Annenberg Stadium, if the Cardinals defeat the Bruins they will match up against the winner of Clemson versus Vanderbilt in Westwood.