BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University, having secured a spot in the Southland Conference tournament for which it is hosting, will close out the regular season Thursday on the road in Edinburg to meet UT Rio Grande Valley. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. 

PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals shocked then SLC leader Northwestern State, 2-0, in their last match to earn three points and climb up the standings. Lauren Smith scored two goals in the second half while Maddie Rich posted her second straight shutout with three saves. Rich and Smith were also tabbed as SLC Goalkeeper and Offensive Players of the Week, which was the second career honor for both. 

BACK IN FRONT
Lauren Smith's two goals have put her back in front of the SLC lead in goals with 12. She is also the fifth Cardinal to score 12 goals in a single season, which is tied for third alongside Kimmy Albeno (2012) and Jordan Mulnix (2015).   

DASH KAM
Kam Jalayer assisted on both goals to Lauren Smith in Thursday's match against Northwestern State. She has seven assists, which is third in the SLC and only trails teammate Annika Kassenbrock, who has eight.

SOUTHLAND SEED SCENARIOS
LU's win over Northwestern State has clinched them a spot in the upcoming SLC tournament. The Cardinals can finish as high as the third seed with the following scenario. 
    - LU win at UTRGV 
    - East Texas A&M loss to Houston Christian
    - Southeastern loss/draw to McNeese
    - Northwestern State win/draw over Nicholls
        * 1st: NSU: 20/22
        * 2nd: SFA: 19
        * 3rd: LU: 16 points (LU owns tiebreaker with ETAMU due to common record against NSU if the Demons win the conference title)
        * 4th: ETAMU: 16 points 
        * SLU: 14/15 points

ALL-TIME vs. UTRGV
The Cardinals are 2-1-2 all-time against UTRGV. The last two meetings between the two sides have ended up in scoreless draws. The Cardinals are 1-0-1 in two matches in Edinburg.

ABOUT THE VAQUEROS
UTRGV (5-10-2, 2-6-1 SLC) are tied for last after falling, 1-0 to East Texas A&M. In that match, UTRGV outshot the Lions 22-12 while goalkeeper Emilia Compian posted four saves. The Vaqueros are third in the SLC in goals scored with 28 (1.64) per game, trailing both NSU and Lamar. The pair of Lisa Elowsson and Savannah Frisby each have five goals to be in the conference's top 10. Yiselle Bernal has five assists, which ties her for fourth. 

UP NEXT
The Cardinals will be hosting this year's SLC Tournament at the LU Soccer Complex beginning Tuesday, Nov. 4th. Their first round opponent and kickoff time are to be determined.