Sam Houston State had the greater share of possession and created far more chances, but Louisiana-Lafayette was the only team to put one in the back of the net as they claimed a 1-0 win to open the season.
The Bearkats will have an immediate opportunity to get their first win of the season as they host UT-San Antonio Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Pritchett Field.
SHSU outshot ULL 28-5, including 17 shots in the second half. Most of the shots were either blocked or drifted away from goal. Cajun keeper Alexias Stricklin was forced to make seven saves, while Kylie Hambleton made just one save.
“I felt happy with the way we moved the ball and thought we were much more technical than we've been in the past,” SHSU head coach Tom Brown said. “In the first half we had some great ideas about how to get in behind but I was disappointed with our play in the second half. We had a couple of chances but players are just going to have to put them away.”
Junior forward Ashley Alonzo nearly opened the scoring in the 31st minute but her driven shot hit her own teammate just shy of the goal line.
Yazmin Montoya scored the game winner in the 53rd minute, blasting a shot past Kylie Hambleton into the net.
The Kats poured forward in the final minutes and but were unable to create any clear cut chances.
“I'd be a lot more worried if we weren't creating things and weren't able to hold the ball. We'll just have to get regrouped and be ready for Sunday,” said Brown.
ULL picked up a pair of bookings in the game, with Tina Sanchez and Natalie Newman each earning yellow cards.
