MOBILE, Ala. ? The Jaguar soccer team will return to action Friday night against the Lamar Cardinals in Beaumont, Texas, after a week-long break due to Hurricane Gustav. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
USA looks to carry the momentum of last Friday’s 3-1 win over Nicholls State into its match with the Cardinals.
“We need to continue to create chances, but I want to see us be a little more efficient putting the good chances away,” South Alabama head coach Mike Varga said. “I thought we created good chances against Nicholls State and we’ve worked hard this week on capitalizing on more of our chances. Hopefully, we’ll defend well as a team and when the chances present themselves we’ll be able to put them in the net.”
USA (1-2) enters the contest with a 1-0 all-time record against LU. The Jags defeated the Cardinals 11-1 last season at the Northwestern State University Classic in Natchitoches, La.
South Alabama forward Tiara Smith scored a hat trick in last season’s contest against LU, and forward Carly Williams added two goals.
The Jags improved their all-time record against current Southland Conference teams to 15-2-1 after knocking off Nicholls State last Friday.
“We’re playing more like a team,” Varga said. “The key so far has been growing together everyday and getting better in practice.”
USA goalkeeper Kelsie Langford enters the match with 303 career saves, and needs only three saves to become the program's all-time leader.
The Cardinals enter the match with a 0-2 record. LU fell 4-0 to Texas Tech in its season-opener and followed with a 5-0 loss to Louisiana-Monroe.
Lamar carries a 20-game losing streak into the match. The Cardinals finished 0-18 last season in the program’s first season. LU has never scored a goal in the first half of a match. They scored only two goals in 2007, both of which came in the second half. The Cardinals were picked to finish last in the Southland Conference preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
Live stats for Friday’s contest between South Alabama and Lamar can be accessed by clicking here.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
