BEAUMONT, Texas – The LU Soccer Complex is home for Lamar University Sunday as the Cardinals kick off the home portion of the schedule against former Southland Conference rival Sam Houston. The match will start at 7 p.m and be streamed on ESPN+. 
 
PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals were held to just two shots in their season-opening 2-0 loss to UTEP in El Paso Wednesday evening. Goalkeepers Eloise Bywater (two saves) and Keely Thomas (three saves) combined to record five saves for LU.
 
TIME TO SPLIT THE HOME OPENERS
The Cardinals are 9-9-1 all-time when having their home openers. Last season, the Cardinals battled UC Davis to a scoreless draw. LU's last home-opening win came in the form of a 3-0 victory over Houston to start the Nathan Kogut era.
 
DRIVING I-90 WITH RILEY
Riley Wilson was on the field for the entire 90 minutes of Wednesday's game. This marked the sixth consecutive match and 12^th time in the last 13 contests that Wilson wasn't subbed for. Throughout her career, Wilson has had 17 90-minute matches.
 
ALL-TIME vs. SAM HOUSTON
Winners of their last five meetings against SHSU, the Cardinals have evened the head-to-head record at 10-10-1 all-time. In Huntsville last season, Marissa Gross scored a goal and dished out an assist while Riley Wilson tallied her first career goal in a 3-1 win. The last meeting between the two teams in Beaumont saw a 2-1 victory for the Cardinals (2024). In that contest, Kamryn Harvey scored her first goal of the season while Maddie Rich recorded seven saves.
 
ABOUT THE BEARKATS
SHSU battled to a 1-1 draw against Oklahoma State in its season-opener Wednesday. Gabrielle Gipson scored the equalizer in the 40^th minute while goalkeeper Hannah Stipp picked up seven saves to preserve the draw. Sophomore Ellie Morgan was named to the preseason All-Conference USA squad after recording four goals and one assist in all 17 games for the Bearkats last season.
 
UP NEXT
LU begins a three-game road trip to Ruston, La. to meet with Louisiana Tech Thursday. The match starts at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.