Lady Jaguars begin SWAC play

The Lady Jaguars soccer team began SWAC play this past Friday against conference foe Mississippi Valley State. More importantly, they still haven’t captured their elusive first win of the season. It wasn’t a good night for the Lady Jags, they earned their eighth loss of the season and started conference play off on the wrong foot. Now that conference play has started, games mean a little more in the standings and ultimately decide who will bring home the SWAC Championship. The team put forth a fighting effort, but MVSU’s offense controlled the game; downing the Jags 4-0. The team allowed four goals on 14 shots, with 10 of the 14 shots being shots on goal. However, the Lady Jags had their opportunities to produce goals as well. They amassed 7 shots, with 6 of those shots being shots on goal. Jami Blackston and Jah-Nya Press both had to shots apiece to strike goals against the Delta Devils. Fabiola Parra, Matilda Boehm, and Jacquelin Almendarez combined had 3 shots to produce goals as well. MVSU’s defense was spectacular as well, saving 6 of 7 SU’s attempts to score. The Delta Devils kicked the scoring off early, manufacturing their first goal in 17th minute and produced another goal right before half time in the 42nd minute.
After the intermission, the Delta Devils picked things up where they left off, scoring 2 quick goals back to back in the 51st and 52nd minutes. Three out of four of MVSU’s goals came off of assists. The other lone goal resulted from a penalty kick. As a whole, they have only scored one goal in eight games. They have also allowed 4 or more goals in five of their eight matches. However, on Sunday, things would go from bitter to sweet as SU faced the Lady Braves of Alcorn State. The Jaguar offense came alive on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. They amassed 19 shots with 10 of those being shots on goal. The first goal just minutes into the match, as SU kicked off the scoring early; as Victoria Stahl scored two minutes into the contest. The second goal would come in the latter end of the match, in the 77th minute by Jessica Perisco. The Lady Jags jumped on ASU early and would hold a 2-0 lead until the Braves scored their lone goal in the 79th minute. SU maintained the tempo and control of the game holding the Braves to only 7 shots, with only of those having the potential to touch the net; which is the lone goal that went in. When asked about capturing the first win of the season, Head Coach Courtnie Prather commented, “Well it’s really important that we recover well and treat our bodies right. Make sure we’re eating right, and training right and taking all the necessary steps to stay healthy. Also, just keep things simple and take it one game at a time. Look at each game as if we’re 1-0, get better every day, and for the team to perform how the staff expects them to.” The team ultimately has to get better to prove themselves to be dangerous in SWAC play, especially on the defensive end; with all of the goals they are allowing per game. The first two conference games are crucially important, surely the team started off the right wrong way; however they cleaned things up Sunday. Look for the Jags to capture their second win of the season this Friday in Washington, D.C. against Howard.