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Soccer:Strong Second Half Carries Louisiana Past Lamar, 4-1

Cajuns break 1-1 deadlock with three-goal barrage in second half

LAFAYETTE – Whitney Taggart broke a 1-1 tie in the 54th minute with a header and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns soccer team erupted for three goals in the second half to defeat Lamar, 4-1, on Friday at the Ragin’ Cajuns Soccer/Track Facility.

Cajuns Mackenzie Higgins added a pair of goals while Carly Ellender added an unassisted goal as Louisiana (2-3) recorded 16 of its 27 shots in the second half to pull away from Lamar (0-5).
 
"We weren’t playing as we were capable in the first half," head coach Scot Wieland said. "We were playing the ball in the middle and losing possession. We were playing soft and that’s why it was a 1-1 game."
 
Lamar struck first in the sixth minute as M.J. Eckart scored on a header past goalie Mackenzie Lee off an assist from Angelica Hernandez.
 
Less than three minutes later, Louisiana answered as Higgins scored her fourth goal of the season past Lamar goalkeeper Rachel Gries.
 
"We need to play a 90-minute game," Wieland said. "That’s the adjustment that we have to continue to make. Playing 45 minutes isn’t going to get it done when we get to conference."
 
Taggart gave Louisiana a 2-1 lead after scoring her first goal of the season off a direct kick by Ashleigh Cade. The Ragin’ Cajuns increased their lead to 3-1 in the 73rd minute when Ellender collected a rebound off Gries and fired into the right corner of the goal for her second goal of the season.
 
"The first half the girls didn’t figure out how to play according to what Lamar was giving us," Wieland said. "The second half, they figured it out."
 
Higgins added her Sun Belt-leading fifth goal of the season in the 81st minute when she beat Gries to the left corner on a penalty kick.
 
Lee recorded a pair of saves for Louisiana, which improved to 4-0 all-time against Lamar. Gries recorded nine saves for the Cardinals, who will play at Southern on Sunday.
 
Louisiana returns to action on Sunday when it plays host to Southeastern Louisiana in a 6 p.m. contest at the Ragin’ Cajuns Soccer/Track Facility.