Box Score HUNTSVILLE ? Raquel Bueno scored a pair of goals and the Sam Houston State defense held tough in the final minutes to give the Bearkats a 2-1 victory at home against the first-place Northwestern State Demons.
The victory for the Kats is their first Southland win of the season, improving their mark to 1-3 in league play. For the Demons, it was the first loss in Southland play.
“This is such a big win for us,” said SHSU head coach Marcia Oliveira. “They came out and did exactly what we asked of them. They played our plan to perfection and it worked the way we thought it would.”
Bueno didn't waste anytime getting the Kats on the board in their first home match in more than a month. She took a corner kick from Tofi Chavez and beat NSU keeper Johnna Klohoker just three minutes into the match.
From there the Bearkats played a tough defense to carry a 1-0 lead in to the half. The second half started nearly the same way for SHSU. Bueno took a through pass from Rheannon Bullock and beat Klohoker once again, this time in a one-on-one breakaway.
“We really stressed the first 10 minutes of each have with the girls,” Oliveira said. “That is where we have been beat in the past and tonight we just wanted to come out and make a statement and set the tone for the game.”
A goal by Northwestern State's Kayce Schultz in the 69th minute set up for some tense moments down the stretch. The Bearkat defense held on for the final 20 minutes with keeper Jenny Pence making several acrobatic saves to preserve the victory.
The Bearkats will be home again Sunday when they take on Central Arkansas at 1 p.m.
