Kats open Southland play at UCA on Friday
9/15/2016 11:17:00 AM | Soccer
By: Jeremy Villanueva, Media Relations
Sam Houston State soccer starts its quest to an eighth-straight trip to the Southland Conference tournament when the Bearkats open league play Friday at Central Arkansas (7 p.m.).
The Kats head to UCA with nine consecutive regular season victories over the Bears. Last season Allie Johnson netted a brace to lead SHSU to a 2-1 overtime victory against UCA in their league opener.
“We have been tested by some very good teams during the non-conference portion of our schedule,” head coach Tom Brown said. “We are a better team now because some weaknesses have been exposed in those games. We hope that we have learned those lessons and are now prepared to compete in the conference.”
Coming off a winless non-conference start, SHSU looks to snap its season's eight-game losing streak. The Bearkats also seek to strike their first goal in five games. Johnson leads the team in shots this season with 12 as junior transfer Beryl Smith is right behind with 11.
“I think right now it is a confidence thing,” Brown said. “Once that first goal falls, the team will feel like that burden is off our back and will play with a bit more freedom. This last weekend we generated more offensive chances and now we just need to get the ball in the back of the net.”
Central Arkansas currently holds the conference's best record at 5-3, including wins over Kansas State, Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State.
UCA leads the league in goals against average, conceding .074 per game and holds the most shutouts in league with five. Sophomore Ashley Smith leads the Bears offensively with three goals.
“We understand that everyone in the conference now starts at 0-0 and we have an opportunity to turn things around as we head into the conference play,” Brown said. “This has been our focus from day one and we will have to overcome a very good Central Arkansas team.”
The last time the Kats played in Conway, Arkansas was in the Southland Conference title game against Southeastern Louisiana last season after wins over Houston Baptist and UCA. That opening round win over the Bears went 0-0 through the 90 minutes and overtime with the Kats putting the game away 4-3 in penalties.
After Friday's match the Bearkats will conclude their eight-game road swing at Houston Baptist and Texas A&M Corpus Christi next weekend. SHSU will return home to host McNeese State on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Kickoff against UCA is set for 7 p.m. at Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex.
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