Southeastern Louisiana University

NATCHITOCHES – The Southeastern Louisiana women’s soccer team will open play in the Southland Conference Tournament Friday afternoon at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.

Southeastern (12-4-1, 6-1-1 SLC) earned the second seed in the tournament and received a first round bye. The Lady Lions will await the winner of Thursday’s match between third-seeded Stephen F. Austin and sixth-seeded McNeese State, facing off with the remaining opponent on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Friday’s semifinal winners will face off on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the championship match with the winner earning an automatic berth in the Southland Conference Tournament.

All of this week’s tournament action will be streamed live with live stats available on www.Southland.org. Sunday’s championship match will be televised live on the Southland Television Network (available on Charter Channel 22 in the Hammond area).

The Lady Lions enter the tournament ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense (fourth), scoring defense (10th) and shutout percentage (10th). Overall, Southeastern finished the regular season having outscored its opponents 53-9.

Southeastern’s potent offense is led by a quintet of All-Southland Conference performers – freshman Maiya Cooper (first team), junior Natalie Santana (first team), senior Candice Wallace (first team), freshman Karly Dagys (honorable mention) and senior Gloria Burkhart (honorable mention). Cooper leads the team with 13 goals, followed by Santana (eight), Dagys (seven) and Wallace (six).

Santana leads the team and the Southland Conference with 10 assists and the Lady Lions have been credited with a single-season record 55 assists this season. Wallace (nine) and Burkhart (eight) are the team’s other top distributors.

Led by first team selection Dana Mayer, all four members of the Southeastern defensive backfield earned All-Southland accolades. Mayer, sophomore Kyle MacIntosh (second team), junior Nicole Brannigan (honorable mention) and junior Brittany Prieto (honorable mention) helped Southeastern record 11 shutouts during the regular season. First team All-Southland pick Lacey Bockhaus has been a rock in goal with a 0.53 goals against average and a career-high 10 shutouts.

In addition to the team’s high standing in the national rankings, several Lady Lion individuals stand among the nation’s statistical best. Cooper ranks among the national leaders in goals (10th) and points (14th) per game, while Santana (10th) and Wallace (17th) are among Division I’s best in assists per contest. Bockhaus currently ranks 13th nationally in goals against average.

Wallace and Santana have continued to climb up the school’s career leader board. Wallace ranks among the program’s all-time best in points (63, 5th), goals (20, 6th), assists (23, 2nd) and game-winning goals (6, 5th), as does Santana with 54 points (7th), 17 goals (9th) and 20 assists (3rd).

Several Lady Lions have also moved into the single-season school leaders with their 2009 performances. Cooper’s 2009 totals in points (30, 6th) and goals (13, 5th) rank among the top season outputs ever by a Lady Lions, as do Santana’s tallies in points (26, 8th) and assists (3rd). Wallace (5th) and Burkhart (6th) also rank among the program’s single-season assist leaders.

Southeastern will be making its league record 12th trip to the Southland Conference Tournament. The Lady Lions are 9-9-2 in tournament play, splitting a pair of shutouts. The Lady Lions won the 1998 tournament and advanced to the championship rounds in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

In each of the past three seasons, Southeastern has lost in the semifinal round. Last season, Southeastern tied Stephen F. Austin in the opening round before winning a 3-2 shootout. In the semifinals, an early goal sent the Lady Lions to a 1-0 loss to eventual tournament champion Texas State.

2009 Southland Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament
November 5-8, 2009
Natchitoches, La. – Lady Demon Soccer Complex

First Round – Thursday, November 5
Match 1 – No. 3 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 6 McNeese State, 4:30 p.m. (SLC NOW)
Match 2 – No. 4 UTSA vs. No. 5 Sam Houston State, 7 p.m. (SLC NOW)

Semifinals – Friday, November 6
Match 3 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana vs. Match 1 Winner, 4:30 p.m. (SLC NOW)
Match 4 – No. 1 Texas State vs. Match 2 Winner, 7 p.m. (SLC NOW)

Finals – Sunday, November 8
Match 5 – Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. (Southland TV) (SLC NOW)

Live stats for all matches will be available at www.Southland.org.