Tournament Berth On Line Friday
10/20/2011 2:42:00 PM | Soccer
The Bearkats close out their 2011 home slate with a pair of contests this weekend, playing host to Nicholls State Friday at 7 p.m. and Southeastern Louisiana Sunday at 1 p.m. at Joseph Pritchett Field.
Victories in both matches would guarantee the Kat women their third consecutive trip to the Southland Conference tournament.
"Playing three matches in five days is a challenge, but we got the week off to a good start Wednesday night," Sam Houston head coach Tom Brown said.
Brown's Bearkats defeated Central Arkansas 3-1 Wednesday as a flooded field at Pritchett forced postponement of the match with UCA originally scheduled on Oct. 9.
Emily Jurecka scored off a cornerkick in the first half and Kirby Zak and Emily Edenstrom both tallied within a minute of each other to build a 3-0 margin in the 64th and 65th minutes.
"Scoring a pair of goals in quick succession shows we're developing a bit of a killer instinct," Brown said. "We now have victories over two of the three teams chasing us for the playoff berth. We could get some help from other teams but it would be so much better to handle for ourselves."
Six teams qualify for the post-season event in Natchitoches, La., Nov. 3-6. Currently, the Bearkats rank sixth in the league standings with a 3-3 Southland mark. McNeese State is one-half game behind at 2-3 and Northwestern State and Central Arkansas are two games back at 1-5.
The Bearkats own a two-match winning streak, defeating McNeese in Lake Charles Sunday 1-0 in overtime before Wednesday's 3-1 win.
Tricia Mallory is the Kats' top scorer with six goals and four assists this season. Edenstrom has tallied four goals and Kayla Anderson, Jessica Toms, Megan Manis and Zak have three goals apiece.
Fans are invited to a "Pizza Party" at Pritchett Field Friday. Special 20 oz. bottles of Vitamin Water will be given away free and the first 100 fans through the gate will each receive a slice of pizza.
Following the home stand Friday and Sunday, the Bearkats will wrap up the season with a road match at Stephen F. Austin on Friday Oct. 28. The Lumberjacks lead the Southland with a perfect 6-0 conference record this year. Texas State and Lamar are tied for second place, both at 4-1. Southeastern Louisiana and UTSA sport 3-2 records to tie for fourth place.
