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HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State soccer could not muster much offensively as Incarnate Word kept the Kats at bay in a 4-1 victory on Friday night at Pritchett Field.

The loss dented the Bearkats chances at qualifying for the Southland Conference Tournament as the squad fell to 2-14-1 overall and 26-1 in league play with two matches remaining. The Cardinals jumped ahead two goals at the break and did not look back, improving to 4-8-2 overall and 3-5-1 in Southland action.

Prior to the match, the Kats honored their seven-member senior class. The unit will play for the final time at home on Sunday when Sam Houston hosts Abilene Christian at 1 p.m. The class, which includes Allie Johnson, Maddie Gangi, Megan Bennett, Maddy Panozzo, Kylie Dick, Jordan Jarzombek and Madison Cannon has accounted for 30 wins in the past four years, looking to add another to that tally.

First Half
The senior-day festivities were short lived early on as Incarnate Word jumped ahead 1-0 in the second minute. The Cardinals' Emani Stewart registered her third goal of the season, beating a defender down the left side, setting up a one-on-one matchup with the keeper, sending the ball into the bottom left corner. The Bearkats matched UIW with four shots a piece, however, both shots on goal landed in the back of the net. In the 22^nd minute, UIW was granted a corner kick and capitalized. Sam Batley sent a ball into the six-yard box, resulting in a one-timer from Abbi Koenigs who notched her first goal of the year. Jordan Jarzombek led the Kats offense in the opening frame, recording Sam Houston's best opportunity with a shot wide inside the 18-yard box.

Second Half
Incarnate Word sent its second ball off the cross bar early in the second half as Shelbie Miller headed a ball off a throw in inside the six-yard box that just missed. Moments later, in the 51^st minute, she capitalized, as the Cardinals scored their second goal off a corner from Batley. Miller, who stood inside the six-yard box, headed the ball in the upper right corner of the net past a diving Anna Kaiser to make it 3-0.

In the 30^th minute, Sam Houston appeared to be poised to get on the board as Madison Cannon beat a defender down the right side but the ball was swiped away as she neared the 18-yard box. Cannon again created an opportunity for the Kats, finding an open Allie Johnson in the 77^th minute, who rifled a shot, only to be saved be UIW keeper Haley Nelson. In the 81^st minute, Sabrina Martineau pushed the lead to 4-0, firing a deflected ball in front of the box for her second goal of the season.

Sam Houston was able to get on the board in the 89^th minute as Whitney Woodward recorded her first goal of the season, using a header off a corner inside the six-yard box from Meredith Carlson. The squads split six shots on goal each while the Kats avoided a third-straight shutout with the netter.

KEY STATS
Sam Houston managed just two shots on goal in the second half and could not slow down the Cardinals offense. UIW added 14 shots to the Bearkats' seven. Two of UIW's four goals came off the corner as the squad created nine corners on the night to the Kats' one.

QUOTABLES
Head coach Tom Brown on the result…
“I was just disappointed. I thought we just did not come out and compete quite as hard as they did. We talked about trying to really set the tone here at home here on senior night. We got an unlucky bounce there at the beginning and then heads went down. It was a frustrating night all the way around.”

Head coach Tom Brown on offensive inability…
“In the first half we were playing with two front runners and we just were having trouble getting them combined. In the second half, we went with the three and I thought we created some good chances but we couldn't get them finished. We talked about with the way they play their midfield, there was space in the wide area but we seemed very slow to get the ball into those areas.”

Sophomore Whitney Woodward on the loss…
“When we got scored on early, it kind of hurt our morale but the team didn't put our heads down completely. We kept battling and winning one versus one's and sometimes the game doesn't go your way. I think this team has done good in the sense of not giving up.”

Sophomore Whitney Woodward scoring the Kats' goal…
“I just knew that with corner kicks, you can really capitalize on those. When the ball came in, I saw I was free from my man and definitely attacked the ball. That's all you have to do on those plays.”