Lady Lions Host Texas Southern, Travel to Grambling

HAMMOND The Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer team will return home for the first time in nearly a month on Friday, when it hosts non-conference foe Texas Southern at 4:30 p.m. at the Southeastern Soccer Complex. Friday's match with the visiting Lady Tigers (0-6) the Lady Lions' first in Hammond since Aug. 21 will be the first of two contests for Southeastern (4-1-1) this week. On Sunday, the Lady Lions travel up to Grambling (0-5) for a 1 p.m. match.

Southeastern closed out a four-match road swing with two consecutive victories. On Sunday, junior Maiya Cooper^[1] tied a school record with her third career hat trick in a 4-0 victory at Mississippi Valley State.

Cooper, who was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, leads the team with five goals and ranks among the national leaders in goals (1.00, 12th) and points (2.00, 24th) per game. Junior Megan Miller^[2] and sophomore Jaci Teresinski^[3] follow with three goals each, while juniors Kerry McWhirter^[4] and Sam McNally^[5] have two goals apiece. In all eight Lady Lions have accounted for the team's 19 goals, as junior Karly Dagys^[6], sophomore Kelsey Salcido^[7] and senior Kyle MacIntosh^[8] have each scored this season.

Southeastern also features two of Division I's top playmakers in Dagys and junior Lauren Stillians^[9]. Stillians leads the nation with 1.20 assists per game and ranks fourth nationally with six assists. With five assists, Dagys is right behind her in 10th place nationally and is eighth in the nation with 0.83 assists per game. Salcido is the only other Lady Lion with multiple assists, as she has three.

Cooper and Dagys continue to climb Southeastern's career rankings. Cooper ranks among the school's all-time leaders in career points (68, 5th), goals (30, 3rd) and game winning goals (8, 3rd). Dagys sits among the best Lady Lions in points (48, 10th), assists (18, 5th), shots (136, 8th) and game-winning goals (6, 7th). Stillians needs one assist to move into the school's top 10.

Defensively, the back line of MacIntosh, McWhirter, sophomore Shanyce Shaw^[10] and freshman Jennifer Marzi^[11] have helped the Lady Lions to hold opponents to just five goals this season.



Teresinski (0.50 GAA) and junior Cassie Northrup^[12] (0.95 GAA) have split time in the net.

On Friday, Southeastern will be facing a Texas Southern team looking for its first win and first goal of the season. The Lady Tigers have been outscored, 37-0, this season. Freshman Rebecca Hajney has handled the majority of the goalkeeping duties and has a 6.17 goals against average.

Among Texas Southern's losses this season are defeats at the hands of Southeastern's Southland Conference rivals Sam Houston State (9-0), UTSA (7-0) and Central Arkansas (5-0). Friday's match will be the first-ever meeting between Southeastern and TSU.

On Sunday, the Lady Lions will meet another opponent searching for its first win at Grambling. The Lady Tigers, who play Louisiana-Monroe on Friday, are led by sophomore Tiana Bateau and freshman Kenisha Butler, who each have one goal. Sophomore Jordan Taylor handles the goalkeeping for GSU and has a 5.46 goals against average.

Southeastern will be the fourth Southland team Grambling has faced this season. The Lady Tigers lost to Lamar (7-0), Sam Houston State (4-1) and Central Arkansas (4-0) earlier this season.

Southeastern has won the two previous meetings between the two schools. Last season, the Lady Lions took an 8-1 victory in Hammond, as Dagys tied a single-match school record with four assists.

Following this week's action, Southeastern will close out non-conference play on Sunday, Sept. 25, when it travels to Louisiana Tech for a 1 p.m. contest.

References

1. ^{^} Maiya Cooper (www.lionsports.net)
2. ^{^} Megan Miller (www.lionsports.net)
3. ^{^} Jaci Teresinski (www.lionsports.net)
4. ^{^} Kerry McWhirter (www.lionsports.net)
5. ^{^} Sam McNally (www.lionsports.net)
6. ^{^} Karly Dagys (www.lionsports.net)
7. ^{^} Kelsey Salcido (www.lionsports.net)
8. ^{^} Kyle MacIntosh (www.lionsports.net)
9. ^{^} Lauren Stillians (www.lionsports.net)
10. ^{^} Shanyce Shaw (www.lionsports.net)
11. ^{^} Jennifer Marzi (www.lionsports.net)
12. ^{^} Cassie Northrup (www.lionsports.net)