Soccer hosts SFA Friday at 7 p.m. at Pritchett Field
10/9/2008 1:00:00 AM | Soccer
For the first time in the six-year history of Sam Houston State's women's soccer program, the Bearkats come into a home match in a battle for first place in the Southland Conference.
Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin enter their meeting Friday at 7 p.m. at Pritchett Field both tied for leadership in the league after one week of Southland action.
Both are 2-0 in league play. The Bearkats stand 7-2 for the season, already more victories than in any of the previous five years for the program. Stephen F. Austin stands 5-5. The Jacks are one of the league's most successful programs. SFA has won five Southland titles (1997, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 2007) and represented the league in the NCAA playoffs last year.
“The team is excited about the opportunity to play a big match like this in front of a home crowd at Pritchett,” SHSU head coach Tom Brown said. “The support we get from the crowd is important.”
Friday's Sam Houston vs. SFA soccer contest offers a classic matchup of defense vs. offense.
Stephen F. Austin comes into the fray as one of the top offensive teams in the league, scoring 22 goals in their 10 matches so far this season.
Sam Houston leads the Southland Conference in goals allowed (5). With seven consecutive shutouts and 651 consecutive scoreless minutes of action, the Bearkats rank No. 2 in NCAA Division I women's soccer in shutout percentage (.778). Only UCLA (.909) has a higher percentage.
Sophomore Jenny Pence earned “Goalkeeper of the Week” honors in the Southland Conference this past weekend after a pair of shutouts in SLC victories at Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana. Pence ranks No. 18 nationally in goals against average (.579) and No. 5 in the NCAA in save percentage (.902).
“Defensively, we've obviously been solid all year long,” Brown said. “SFA is going to present us with a lot of challenges and we will need another solid effort.”
Brazilians Luana Miessa and Raquel Bueno provide the offensive punch for Sam Houston. Miessa has scored seven goals while Bueno has totaled five. Bueno, a senior, now stands as Sam Houston's all-time career scoring leader with 21 goals in four seasons.
“It is a big thing any time you can go on the road and pick up wins like we did last weekend. That's huge,” Brown said. “It said a lot about our players that they were able to go and get two wins in two very different types of games.”
There is no admission for Sam Houston State women's soccer games at Pritchett Field. The contest with the Lumberjacks is the first of three home Southland Conference matches for SHSU. The Kats will play host to Texas State-San Marcos on Friday, Oct. 17 and UTSA on Sunday, Oct. 19.
