Soccer Got Their Groove Back (Momentarily)

As non-conference play comes to an end for the Southern University women’s soccer team, the skeptical thoughts of their past games are slowly going away as they are starting to show perseverance and redemption. The Lady Jaguars recently played the Lady Colonels of Nicholls University here in Baton Rouge as their last game before conference matches start, and it’s safe to say they are starting to get their groove back.
“We just had to come together and learn off each other,” coach Jeremy Fontenot states as he speaks with OSM sports reporter Eric White. Since the 2023 season started, the Jags have previously only won one match, and that was against the Southeastern Lions. “It just took time,” says Fontenot. True enough, this is a new team. Several new players are competing in their first year with the Lady Jags. Likewise, with any other sport, adjusting to new coaches, teammates, and even a new city might not always be the easiest for an athlete.
As the game began, Lady Jaguars started a little rocky, gaining seven fouls in the first half alone. Not letting the fouls stop them, they also saved a few kicks from becoming points. Goalkeeper Sydney Bellamy played 72 minutes out of the 90-minute game with a sub-in for freshman Madison Underwood for the remaining 18. Out of the total six saves for the game, both goalies obtained three a piece.
The first 45 minutes of the game was a little slow, as the Lady Jaguars and Lady Colonels traded blows back and forth, and the score remained equal at 0 at the break. Nicholls had six shots in the first half compared to four for Southern.
Launching into the second half, the team came out with a new energy and it was noticeable. The Lady Jags aimed to put pressure on the Lady Colonels, and that’s what they did. Let Coach Fontentot tell it, “We knew what we could do, and we just came out a little harder.”
At the 60-minute mark, the Lady Jags scored their first point of the game. Junior forward Taylor Henry scored a goal with an assist from senior forward Kyra Reeves. The aggressiveness and pressure by the Lady Jags were shown for the remaining 30 minutes of the game because the Lady Jags were not letting up off the Lady Colonels, and when the ball was in their possession, they fouled for the remaining time.
“All we want to do every day is put some pressure on them, attack hard, play physical, and aggressive on the ball,” Fontenot says after winning the match on Saturday.
In the end, the Lady Jags came out with a win, ending the game with a score of 1-0. If we look at shot attempts, Southern would have a lead over Nicholls of 13-8. At 8-6, the Lady Jaguars would hold the upper hand in shots on goal. Nicholls State had seven saves against Southern’s six at the end, and Southern had one assist while Nicholls had none.
One thing to be said is that Southern has got to stop fouling so much. As stated before, the seven in the first half became 11 by the end of the game, compared to Nicholls 7. Let’s see if they’ll improve as they start their official conference season.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference Play will start for the Lady Jaguars next Friday, September 22nd, as they face off against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. The soccer game will be at A.W. Mumford Stadium. In addition, it will be live-streamed on ESPN+ for the fans who cannot make it in person.