HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team suffered a tough 2-1 loss against UIW Sunday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium.
Southeastern (5-5-1, 1-2 SLC) fell short against UIW (5-5-2, 2-1 SLC) down the stretch after a surge of momentum late in the second half at home. UIW maintained their lead throughout the match with two goals, but SLU battled to bring the game within reach after Alexandra Knight connected in the net. Senior goalkeeper Kendall Curran handled all the responsibility in the net against the Cardinals with a season-high seven saves.
The Lions came out aggressive in the opening minutes of kickoff with quality offensive attacks to apply pressure to UIW's defense. The Cardinals quickly regained their composure on the road to develop a counter attack in response. Southeastern worked to spread UIW's defense, but the visitors held strong to limit gaps within their back line.
Both teams continued to battle back and forth, searching for an opportunity to strike and claim an early lead. Midway through the first half, UIW gained momentum as it attempted seven shots along with three corner kick opportunities. Curran stepped up for SLU with multiple stellar saves to keep the Cardinals off the board.
Southeastern fought to turn the tide of momentum late in the first half, but UIW continued to limit opportunities around the box. The Lions settled with two shots and two corner kicks to close out the first half, but held the Cardinals scoreless, tied 0-0.
UIW returned from the halftime break with renewed energy as it secured a corner kick early in the second half, capitalizing on SLU's mistakes. Southeastern's defense pulled through, alongside the aggression of Shae Kuntz, to deny opportunities around the box as Curran remained focused around the net. The hosts gained opportunities to counter attack, but could not capitalize with off target passes.
Midway through the second half, the Cardinals broke free to claim a 1-0 advantage over the Lions as Peri Olmo connected in the net. Olmo's goal, off an assist by Tyler Coker, sparked a run for UIW on the road in the 77th minute of the match. As the visitors held confidence, they struck again in the 82nd minute of the contest as Olivia Orellana extended the lead, 2-0. Zaiba Ishaque's sly assist to Orellana flipped the momentum in the Cardinals favor.
Working against the clock, Southeastern refused to give up at home late in the second half. In a thrilling long range laser, Knight connected in net for her seventh goal this season in the 84th minute of the match. Sage Sturrock battled to deliver a perfectly timed assist to Knight to keep the Lions within the fight.
As momentum juggled back and forth between the two teams in the final minutes of the match, Southeastern gained an opportunity to equalize the match but could not convert with a close shot around the net. UIW held on to its lead to claim the victory with 13 shots, nine shots and nine corner kicks. Cardinal goalkeeper Hannah Alexander played all 90 minutes in the net with two saves. SLU ended the contest with nine shots, three shots on goal led by Knight and two corner kicks.
The Lions will continue conference play, and return on the road, to face Texas A&M-Corpus Chrisi Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. Southeastern's match against the Islanders will be streamed on ESPN+.
SCORE ONE MORE CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the women's soccer program are encouraged to join the Score One More Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Score One More Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern soccer program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Soccer, follow @LionUpSoccer and @Nathan90G on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow slusoccer on Instagram.
