BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University reveled in its defense and moved up to a tie for third in the Southland Conference standings by knocking off Southeastern Louisiana, 1-0, Thursday evening at the LU Soccer Complex. The Cardinals trail conference leaders Northwestern State and East Texas A&M by a single point.
It was a Lauren combination that decided the outcome of the game as
Lauren Fincher scored the lone goal in the 30th minute with
Lauren Smith picking up the assist. The Cardinals (5-5-4, 2-1-3 SLC) held SLU (3-6-3, 2-2-1 SLC) to eight shots while freshman goalkeeper
Eloise Bywater collected four saves. Offensively, Big Red took 19 shots including eight on goal
The Cardinals started the match's first seven minutes on the offensive with three chances to strike first. The Lions nearly grabbed the lead in the 24th minute before Bywater collected the save. Six minutes later, Smith fired a shot that deflected off the SLU goalkeeper, but Fincher struck the ball off the rebound and handed Big Red a 1-0 lead, which would be maintained into halftime.
As the second half started, the Lions attempted to equalize in the 55th minute only to be denied. Big Red created multiple opportunities to double its lead, including one in the 68th minute that hit the crossbar and missed going over the goal line. The Cardinals kept SLU from attempting a shot in the final 25 minutes of the match and gave their fans a reason to celebrate with the final score of 1-0.
"We really challenged our group to play on the front foot tonight against a really good team, and I think the results and stats showed that," said head coach
Nathan Kogut. "We wanted to be dangerous going forward and tough in the back, and keeping the shutout was important to our team. It was nice to be on the front foot more, and now we have to carry it forward to a rivalry game on Sunday afternoon."
Up next for Big Red is the Battle of the Border match against McNeese, which will take place in Lake Charles, La. The match is scheduled to start Sunday and will be streamed on ESPN+.
