Soccer: Cajuns storm out to best start since 2003

Bobby Ardoin, The Advertiser, September 17, 2015

 

Scott Wieland isn’t that concerned about this season’s present or past for his Louisiana women’s soccer teams.

Wieland says he is more interested in compiling a performance portfolio that will benefit his team when it begins the Sun Belt Conference portion of the schedule Sept.25.

The Cajuns, Wieland said at his weekly Monday press conference, have had their share of encouraging moments during the non-conference games, which end this weekend with Sunday’s 4 p.m. game at the University of Houston (3-4).

That game will be preceded by Friday’s 7 p.m. game with Grambling State University (0-2) at the UL soccer complex.

Louisiana is 5-2-1 — a record which has established the program’s best start since 2003 when they started the season with the identical record.

The Cajuns have won four of the last five, including last weekend’s performance at the Baylor Invitational.

In those two games, Louisiana tied the University of Texas-San Antonio after each team scored twice.

Then the Cajuns defeated Northern Illinois (2-1).

Those games were just another step towards the start of SBC competition Sept. 25 at Georgia Southern.

“Our goal all along is to build towards conference play. This past weekend I thought we did that.

“This is the final week for us before conference and once again it’s all about building and progressing,” Wieland said.

Wieland said his team is showing more poise than it did in previous seasons, when the Cajuns featured more inexperienced players.

“I think the biggest surprise for us so far is that we are finishing games that maybe in other seasons, we weren’t doing that,” Wieland said.

Annika Schmidt, a junior forward from Nufringen, Germany, and midfielder Kimberly Grasso, also a junior, lead the Cajuns in scoring with three goals apiece.

Schmidt scored the Cajuns’ two goals against NIU.

As a team the Cajuns have scored 11 times off 104 attempts.

During the Baylor tournament, the Cajuns started senior goalkeeper Lindsey Stocks, who tied her career high of 10 saves against Northern Illinois.

HEADED TOWARDS HISTORY: Cajuns’ junior forward Yasmin Montoya is in second place all-time in points (51) and assists (11). She needs two points and as many assists to pass Courtney Holland as the program’s all-time leader in both categories.

Want to go?

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (5-2-1) vs. Grambling State Lady Tigers (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Cajuns Soccer Complex

Notes: UL senior goalkeeper Lindsey Stocks made two starts last week and earned her first win of the season last Sunday against NIU. Grambling freshman goalkeeper Jennifer LaSage has started both of the team’s matches, seeing 118:36 minutes in goal and recording 13 saves.