Battle For First Place Progresses On

The soccer match originally set for Thursday evening at 6 p.m. between the Southern University Lady Jags and in state foe Nicholls State was canceled due to schedule complications.
The game was then set to be in Baton Rouge at A.W. Mumford Stadium; but due to scheduling issues the game was canceled. There is no timetable for when the game will be made up.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to play that match. Funny things just happen during the season. You kind of think is it too much to rest or not enough rest; but on the flip side it helped. It worked to our advantage. We got enough time to rest and get players back and get healthy from injuries. We came out with a lot of energy and we had a lot of effort,” said Head Coach Courtnie Prather.
However, Sunday afternoon a match was played, not only a match, but also the match of the season against newcomer Howard University. After starting 0-8, the Lady Jags battled back to win 3 of its 4 next matches, with the only blemish coming as a result of a tie against Mississippi Valley State.
This match had a lot riding on it; including the battle for implications on first place in the SWAC; which is tied between four teams including Southern. The match was one for the ages resulting in a 1-0 win for the Lady Jags.
The match was delayed for an extended time as rain played a factor in performance.
“The weather delay really had an effect on two players, Alexia Longoria and Jaqueline Almendarez. The extra time at the half allowed their muscles to cool down. Once play picked back up, they both got hurt as a result of the long layoff; but other players filled in nicely. Our other 8 skill players and goalkeeper stepped up, especially freshmen Sydney Mitchell and Jessica Perisco. They played positions they don’t normally play and did an effective job,” said Coach Prather when asked about her response to the weather.
Nonetheless, the rain did not stop the Jaguars. Goalie Sarah Forde had a phenomenal performance, with her fourth straight scoreless outing. She has performed amazingly countless times this season. The object of the game is to prevent your opponents, especially conference opponents, from scoring. The Lady Jags captured six points in league play this week, points needed to capture first place; the spot is determined by the amount of points you accumulate per game.
As the battle for first place matriculates as the season progresses, look for the Lady Jags to scrap up more points.
When asked about her final thoughts of this weekend’s play, “Well, we are undefeated in conference play, but we don’t really look at it that way. We at look at like we’re 1-0 every game. We just want to identify our mistakes and enjoy this win for 24 hours. We’ll be back in the weight room tomorrow for Alabama State and Alabama A&M. Also, give Howard their respect, I tip my hat off to them. They haven’t had a home game in conference play all season, so to do what they’ve done and have the record have shows a sign that they are a very well coached team. We have five games left that are equally as tough, if not more challenging; anything can happen.”