Soccer opens regular season with trip to Louisiana Tech
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RUSTON—A familiar foe awaits the Northwestern State women’s soccer team when it opens the regular season Sunday.
For the fifth consecutive season, NSU plays Louisiana Tech in the non-conference portion of the regular season.
The road match is at 1 p.m. at the Robert Mack Caruthers Field and can be viewed on CUSA.TV.
While it is the first game for the Lady Demons, the Lady Techsters (1-0) have already played their opener, a 2-1 home victory over Murray State on Friday afternoon.
NSU begins its second year under head coach Stuart Gorewho led the team to the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005 in year one.
The team played an exhibition Aug. 13, as NSU came away with a 1-0 victory against Little Rock at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.
Gore was able to get a feel for the team in a game setting in the exhibition.
“We know what we’ve got now,” Gore said. “We know what we’re looking for and the girls have an idea what we’re looking for this year.”
A season ago, Gore was thrust into the job in June and had little time before the season to familiarize his style with his new team.
In year two, his players are much more comfortable with everything he is doing.
“I’m a lot more comfortable with (Head) Coach (Stuart) Gore in year two,” senior Sam Hanking said. “He’s done a great job getting the team more familiar with each other and with a new system and new formation and everything. It’s been great.”
Hanking is one of 11 NSU seniors and graduate students ready for their final season opener.
“It’s bittersweet to be playing my final season opener at NSU,” she said. “I’m going to be sad to leave my teammates. I am just hoping for another successful season and excited to get back out on the pitch.”
NSU had a league-high eight players selected to the preseason All-Conference teams. One of those, Natalee Henryconnected on the lone goal in the exhibition in the first of three periods.
The key battle throughout camp has been at goalkeeper between transfers Chloe DeShazer and Cora Fry. Both players did not allow a goal and stopped one Little Rock shot attempt on goal in the exhibition.
“They are both very similar in stature,” Gore said. “They both push each other and both work hard and (Associate Head Coach) Eric (Masters) has nothing but good things to say about them.”
The goalkeepers are two of 13 newcomers on a veteran-laden team. But while many of the faces are new, the team has been coming together well during camp.
“We have a lot of new players, both transfers and freshmen,” senior Jalen Donaldson said. “I think everyone is blending really well. It’s a new system and new style of play, so I think it’s been really good.”
In Louisiana Tech’s season opener, Carmen Suarez broke a 1-1 tie with a penalty kick goal in the 75th minute, which turned out to be the deciding tally in the victory in its season opener.
The Lady Techsters return 18 letterwinners from last year’s team and is led by Second Team All-Conference USA and All-Louisiana defender Josie Studer, who was Tech’s leader in minutes (1,399), goals (4) and points (9) last season.
“They’re a good possession team,” Gore said. “They’ve a good core group of returning players. It will be a difficult game for us.”
Last season, the teams met in Natchitoches and played to a scoreless draw. Overall, NSU has a 5-1-2 advantage in the series, with Tech’s victory coming in 2019.
NSU continues its four-game road swing to begin the season with a trip to Arkansas State on Thursday at 2 p.m. The team’s first home contest is against Jackson State on Sept. 9, which starts a three-game home stand.
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