Soccer: Cajuns Offense Shines In 7-2 Victory Over Lamar
Louisiana scores season-high seven goals and the most since Sept. 7, 2012
Blake Barington, Sports Information Assistant
Box Score l Box Score (PDF)
LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns soccer team netted a season-high seven goals as six different Cajuns scored in a 7-2 victory over Lamar on Sunday afternoon at the Cajuns Soccer Complex.
Sophomore forward Yazmin Montoya‘s two goals paced the Ragin’ Cajuns offense, while sophomore forward Annika Schmidt recorded a team-high two assists, as Louisiana scored the most goals since a 7-0 victory over Southern on Sept. 7, 2012. Redshirt freshman goalie Alexias Stricklin (4-3) earned the win for Louisiana, allowing two goals along with five saves in 73 minutes of action. Lamar goalkeeper Bailey Fontenot (1-5) took the loss, allowing four goals while picking up one save in 45 minutes.
The scoring started early as Lamar’s Kimmy Albeno found the far right corner of the goal one minute into the game to give the Lady Cardinals a 1-0 advantage. Less than two minutes later, Louisiana (4-3) evened the score as freshman forward Danielle DeRosa netted her team-high fifth goal of the season. Fontenot came outside of the box and DeRosa made her pay as she sliced through the Lamar defense to even the contest at 1-1 in the third minute.
Lamar (1-5) went back on top in the ninth minute as Kristin Bos recorded the Lady Cardinals’ second goal of the match off a corner kick from Taylor Mitchell.
Montoya evened the match three minutes later in the 12th minute as she sent the ball from the right side of the box into the far left corner of the net off a pass from DeRosa for a 2-2 score.
The Ragin’ Cajuns grabbed their first lead of the match in the 16th minute with a score from sophomore midfielder Kimberly Grasso in the middle of the box, off an assist from Schmidt, for a 3-2 advantage. Just eight seconds before halftime, freshman midfielder Madison Duncan extended the Cajuns’ lead to 4-2 off a pass from junior midfielder Caroline Trahan. Duncan brought Fontenot out from between the posts before getting by the Lamar defense to record her second goal of the season.
It didn’t take long for the Ragin’ Cajuns to stretch their lead even further in the second half as Montoya was awarded a penalty kick after being fouled in the box in the 48th minute. Montoya converted and helped Louisiana push its lead to 5-2.
Freshman midfielder Hannah Alba added to the scoring for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the 53rd minute with her first career goal. After receiving a pass from Schmidt, Alba sent a shot over goalkeeper Zoey Stephenson’s head from five yards out to make it 6-2.
Senior midfielder Tina Sanchez rounded out Louisiana’s scoring outburst for the day with her first score of the season in the 76th minute. Sophomore forward MacKenzie Higgins sent a pass from near the left post of the goal to Sanchez in the box, who then fired the ball into the right corner of the goal for a 7-2 final.
"I’m proud of the result we earned at home today," said head coach Scot Wieland. "Going into conference play in a couple of weeks, we need to come out sharper and more focused because we put ourselves in a hole in the first half and things could have gone the other way. Fortunately, our depth helped a lot and the girls turned it around."
Grasso led the Cajuns with four shots on the day, three being on goal, while Bos led the Lady Cardinals with eight shots, five being on target.
Louisiana continues its homestand Friday at 7 p.m. when the Ragin’ Cajuns host Houston at the Cajuns Soccer Complex
