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Lady Cards defeat rival McNeese, 3-0

LU’s Esther Okoronkwo dribbles the ball during Friday’s 3-0 rout of SLC rival McNeese State at the LU Soccer Complex. UP photo by Cade Smith
LU’s Esther Okoronkwo dribbles the ball during Friday’s 3-0 rout of SLC rival McNeese State at the LU Soccer Complex. UP photo by Cade Smith

The Lady Cardinals soccer team defeated Southland Conference rivals the McNeese State Cowgirls, 3-0, Friday at the LU Soccer Complex. The fixture was part of senior night and Lamar ran their win streak to nine. After the game the team was awarded the SLC regular season trophy and are now 12-6 (9-1 SLC).

“It was a great game and this team has fought hard all year,” head coach Steve Holeman said. “McNeese was a rival and it was senior night for us, and it was great to get that win.”

Holeman said that the team wanted to get the win for senior defender Macie McFarland as she was an integral part of the dynasty over the past two seasons.

“She has been a special person and player for us,” he said. “She has been with us for four years and has laid the groundwork for years to come.”

It didn’t take long for the Lady Cardinals to open the scoring. In the 14th minute, midfielder Ana Loftus found the ball at her feet after the ball had been bouncing around, she took the opportunity with defenders closing in and placed the ball into the upper left corner for the goal.

In the 28th minute, Lady Cards forward Esther Okoronkwo found forward Madison Ledet who dribbled to shake off a defender and fired a low and hard 20-yard shot to the bottom left corner to put LU up 2-0 at halftime.

“We were prepared to play them in a 4-4-2 and but they adjusted very quickly into a 4-3-3,” Holeman said. “I thought they were better in that — In the first half I thought we had control and had two nice goals.”

In the second half, Lamar faced a tougher defense, but they managed to keep the momentum going. In the 85th minute, LU forward Lucy Ashworth lined up for a free kick from the right side of the box. She crossed it to the far post and found midfielder Sophia Manibo who played the ball across the box. It rebounded off the crossbar to the feet of defender Kaisa Juvonen who fired into the goal to seal LU’s last regular season victory.

LU goalkeeper Sandra Nygard managed to secure a clean sheet and saved seven of the 14 shots the Cowgirls fired at her.

“We knew it was going to be a 90-minute match,” Holeman said. “McNeese is well coached, and they are not going to give up. They had their moments and we were fortune enough to keep them off the scoreboard. They created a lot of good opportunities and we were fortunate enough to put that one away in the second half.

 McFarland reflected on her career as a Cardinal where she was part of three championships.

“I feel really grateful that I got to spend my four years here at Lamar with my teammates and coaching staff,” she said. “I couldn’t have imagined a college experience any better than I had playing here. It was a journey going from worst to first — winning one game in 2016 to becoming SLC champs in 2017 and winning the tournament, and to finish off my senior year with the championship.”

Holeman said it has been a fantastic year for the team as they won his second regular-season championship.

“We’ve taken it one game at a time all season and we continued to find a way to win,” he said. “We have a bit of a winning streak and we have a lot of momentum going into the (SLC) tournament.”

The Lady Cardinals will return to action in the post-season, Wednesday, when they travel to Conway, Arkansas, to face the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks in the semi-finals of the Southland Conference tournament.

The Lamar University women's soccer team rises the championship trophy during the football game at Provet Umphrey Stadium on Nov 2. UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
The Lamar University women's soccer team rises the championship trophy during the football game at Provet Umphrey Stadium on Nov 2. UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
Category: Sports