This past Friday the Lady Jaguars looked to snag their second win of the 2015 soccer season this against conference opponent Howard University. SU fell to 1-9 overall, and 1-2 in conference play. The Jags would start off hot, as Jami Blackston attempted her first shot at scoring a goal nearly two minutes into the match; her shot went wide. She later missed a corner kick for a goal attempt in the 8th minute. Then the Lady Jaguars went cool the rest of the first half of the matchup, mustering only one lone shot in the last 37 minutes of the game. Jessica Perisco would attempt to heat things back up with another attempt at scoring in the 45th minute, but her shot went wide as well. However, the Lady Bison of Howard started out hot. They controlled the tempo of the match in the first half and produced 12 shots and one goal in the 36th minute; just moments before half. Four of HU’s twelve shots were shots on goal. The second half would prove to be much more promising for SU. They came out with a little more energy and bit more vigorous. They would end up outshooting the Bison seven to six. The Jags came out firing, manufacturing four shots in the first fifteen minues of the second half. Sophomore goalie Kendra Lewis had big shoes to fill this year stepping in for last year’s goalie Sarah Forde; who graduated last year. Lewis’ youth proved to be an issue in the earlier part of the season. It was in Friday night’s encounter with Howard as well, as she allowed a season high for shots and gave up one goal. Nonetheless, in the second half she began to mature and depart from her growing pains. She only allowed six shots and had a game high six saves. Lewis’ strong play must continue due to the amount of shots the defense is giving up. Howard would eventually pull away late from the fighting Jaguars when midfielder Whitney White scored a goal in the 84th minute. White proved to be dominant player in the contest, as she scored both of HU’s goals Friday night. Southern has to focus on playing a complete matchup against its future opponents. Falling behind early seems to be a theme as the season prolongs. That trait makes it harder to score and puts more pressure on Lewis and the defene because the offense has to gamble to produce goals to get back in the match. When asked about her insight on this weekend’s game, “We need to get better at the fundamentals and passing to become more of an offensive threat. Defense looked really well in the second hald. We lost a couple of players to injuries so we were shuffling players into new roles trying to fill the spots that needed to be replaced. Also, we focus on winning as a team; but the bright spot this weekend was goalie Kendra Lewis, who had some phenomenal saves against Howard,” said head coach Courtnie Prather. As the team continues to show promise, let’s hope their play promises us a W in the win column Friday night on the road, against the Hornets of Alabama State.
