BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women’s soccer team kicks off the athletic season at LU when it hosts Southern University in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. Friday at the LU Soccer Complex.

 

The Cardinals come into the season opener off an impressive 6-1 win over visiting Louisiana-Monroe in an exhibition game on Saturday as Kelso Peskin scored four goals. That followed on the heels of a strong spring season that saw the Cardinals post an 11-2-2 record.

 

“We’re excited to get the season started,” said LU coach Steve Holeman, who enters his second season at the helm of the Cardinals. “I think we have a dynamic team that should be fun to watch.”

 

Friday’s contest is the first of a three-game homestand for the Cardinals, who host the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at 6 p.m. Sunday and Southern Miss at 7 p.m. Aug. 25.

 

The Cardinals are 4-0 all-time vs. Southern, including a 3-0 win on the Jaguars’ home field last season behind two goals from M.J. Eckart. Goalkeeper Rachel Gries recorded her first victory and first shutout in that match. Over the four games between the two programs, LU has outscored Southern 15-0.

 

Southern, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), went 3-14-0 last season, including a 3-7-0 mark in conference play. The Jaguars are led offensively by Sophia Zavala, who scored 10 goals as a freshman last season.

 

“They gave us a tough game at their place last season,” Holeman said. “It’s a new season, so we don’t have a report on them, and they probably don’t know much about us.”

 

Louisiana holds a 4-0 lead in the all-time series with the Cardinals, including a 4-1 win at Louisiana last season. The Ragin’ Cajuns were 8-9-2 overall in 2016, including a 4-4-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. Ashleigh Cade is Louisiana’s top returning scorer. Last season Cade had 13 points on one goal and a team-leading 11 assists.

 

The Ragin’ Cajuns, who open their season at Baylor on Friday night, rallied for a 1-1 tie with visiting Mississippi Valley State in an exhibition game this past weekend.

 

Holeman noted that while the Cardinals feel confident about themselves after the 6-1 win over ULM, there is still plenty of work to do.

 

“As many things as we did well on Saturday, we have that many things to work on,” Holeman said. “We’re building on what we’ve done so far through the preseason and we’re going to continue to get better.”

 

The Cardinals return their top three scorers from last season.  Eckart had team highs of six goals and 12 points. Jordan Mulnix was second on the team in scoring with 10 points on four goals and two assists, while Samantha Moreno had five points on goal and a team-leading three assists. The offense should be bolstered by the additions of Peskin, a transfer from Tyler Junior College, and freshman Lucy Ashworth from Wigan, England.

 

Another newcomer Holeman is excited about is defender Amelia Fullmer, who earned junior college All-America status at Iowa Western last season.

 

“You don’t always notice the defenders, but she is a tremendous player who will definitely help our defense,” Holeman said of Fullmer.

 

Fans attending Friday’s game will receive a free LU soccer schedule T-shirt while supplies last. Sunday, the first 100 fans will receive a free serving of Kona Ice. There will be a postgame autograph session following Sunday’s contest.

 

For season tickets or individual game tickets, please call 409-880-1715, or visit www.LamarCardinals.com.

 

LU CARDINALS