Women’s Soccer Continues to Struggle

The Southern University Jaguars faced multiple defeats (0-2) this weekend. Their first match up was a loss against the Texas Southern Tigers (0-2) on last Friday, at Southern University’s own Jaguar Park. This was Southern’s soccer team’s sixth loss of the season with Texas Southern being the first game in the conference.
Southern started the first half with impeccable defense against Texas Southern. The head coach of Southern’s soccer team, Jeremy Fontenot, said “we played “a strong first half”, this is exactly the case where Texas Southern and Southern were in constant battle with ball possession switching every ten seconds. Southern was not able to keep up the consistency for the whole game. Coach Fontenot says that at “the end of the day the ones that had more hustle wins the game.”
Which brings us to the second half; the first ten minutes. Southern fought to get the ball away from the net, but their struggles were in vain. TXSU player, Brianna Norwood, scored the first goal after one of her teammates hit the crossbar of the net, gaining a 1-point lead (0-1). In the fight to earn the first point of the second half TXSU player, Niyah Sanders, became injured and referees immediately stopped the game. This created an even game setting after Southern’s own, Abby Farias, went down. The game continued for three more possessions until it was stopped by referees. One soccer player says that attacking the goal may have made a difference in the outcome of this game. Senior player, Jessica Persico says that the team “Could’ve taken more shots.” Southern took five shots in total. Two of the shots were denied by Texas Southern defense, two were shots saved by Texas Southern goalie Tamryn Syron, and Southern’s last shot attempt was off target. TSU attempted eleven shots total. Texas scored goals out of 11 attempted two. Southern’s goalie, Kendra Lewis, was able to stop only six shot attempts from Texas Southern. Two of the other shot attempts were off target, and the last attempt hit the goal post. The second time Texas scored was from a corner kick by Alisa Holloway ending the game at (0-2).
Their second loss came from a hard fought battle against the Prairie View Panthers On Sunday. Southern lost this game, with a score of zero to Prairie Views five. While the game was played vigorously on both ends, Southern University received three yellow cards in total. After suffering so many losses, including their first conference game of the season last Friday at Jaguar Park, Southern’s soccer players were a little more than disgruntled and it showed on the field. Head Coach Jeremy Fontenot said, “I don’t think as a team we are disciplined.”
Southern played more aggressively, but that did not put scores on the board. Not all is lost considering that the jags are facing nine more conference games in the future. The coach has high hopes for the team as he said Southern’s soccer team “still has a chance to turn things around, we just have to get back to work”. Within thirteen minutes of the first half of the game Prairie View’s Alexis Mack scores the first point assisted by Alex Fields giving Prairie View a one point lead.
Almost two minutes later, Prairie view adds a point on the scoreboard by another panther, Danielle Vargas, assisted by, Alexis Mack, giving the opponents a two point lead. After the second point scored by Prairie View, Southern’s defense became tighter. There were three more shot attempts by PVAMU players, but all attempts were saved by Southern’s goalie, Kendra Lewis. In the first half, Southern took a total of only two shots.
Going back to the first conference game, one player stated that the problem was not enough shots were taken. The game plan for the next two games at Arkansas Pine Bluff and Grambling respectively is focused on athleticism. To bring home a win, coach Fontenot’s plan for the player is “fitness and being disciplined.” In the second half, Prairie View was able to put three more points on the board.
The third goal of the game came from Prairie View’s Mila Bustos. Southern player, Jessica Guiterrez, was the last player to attempt to score, but the ball was saved by Prairie View keeper, Clarissa Ledesma. Prairie View score again off of a free kick. By the end of the second half, Prairie View ended up with five to Southern’s zero.
Southern’s coaches, players, and staff have high hopes in defeating Arkansas Pine Bluff and Grambling state this weekend at home on Friday 29 and Sunday October 1. Let’s hope that the Jags can turn their losing streak around.